---
title: "Summarise what the plan document says about death benefits"
url: "https://ailawframework.com/practice/superannuation/summarise-fund-trust-deed-provisions-on-death-benefits/united-states"
type: "task_jurisdiction_version"
site: "AI Law Framework"
id: "A27-B8-2-US"
practice_area: "Superannuation"
tier: "yellow"
lawyer_review: "required"
jurisdictions: ["US"]
last_reviewed: "2026-10-22"
---

# Summarise what the plan document says about death benefits

> Table the death-benefit clauses in the plan document: who may be named, what the document says if no one is named, and any form of payment the document states. Do not decide a claim.

Canonical page: https://ailawframework.com/practice/superannuation/summarise-fund-trust-deed-provisions-on-death-benefits/united-states  
Last reviewed: 2026-10-22

Site index for agents: https://ailawframework.com/llms.txt

## Key facts

| Fact | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Practice area | [Superannuation](https://ailawframework.com/practice/superannuation.md) |
| Human involvement | Yellow: Lawyer and AI draft together |
| How AI is used | Table the death-benefit clauses in the plan document: who may be named, what the document says if no one is named, and any form of payment the document states. Do not decide a claim. |
| What the lawyer must review | The IRS beneficiary page says the owner designates a beneficiary under the plan's procedures. For deaths in 2020 or later, an eligible designated beneficiary is a spouse, a minor child, a disabled or chronically ill individual, or an individual not more than 10 years younger than the owner. Other designated beneficiaries follow the 10-year rule on that page. Do not use one payout rule for deaths before 2020 and deaths after 2019. A summary plan description must track the rights in the plan (29 U.S.C. § 1022) and the fiduciary must follow the plan documents insofar as they are consistent with ERISA (§ 1104). You read the plan. The table does not decide who is paid. |
| Written for | United States |
| Applies to | [Summarise fund trust deed provisions on death benefits](https://ailawframework.com/practice/superannuation/summarise-fund-trust-deed-provisions-on-death-benefits.md) |

## Checking plan

- What the AI does: Table the death-benefit clauses in the plan document: who may be named, what the document says if no one is named, and any form of payment the document states. Do not decide a claim.
- Basis: Checked against the linked sources on 22 October 2026. Confirm the current instrument before reliance.

## Notes

- A will does not, on the IRS page, replace a designation made under the plan's procedures. Read the plan before you say who is paid.
- Do not apply the post-2019 categories to a death in 2019 or earlier.

## Sources

- [IRS, Retirement topics — Beneficiary](https://www.irs.gov/retirement-plans/plan-participant-employee/retirement-topics-beneficiary) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [29 U.S.C. § 1022, Summary plan description](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/1022) (checked 2026-10-22)
- [29 U.S.C. § 1104, Fiduciary duties](https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/1104) (checked 2026-10-22)

*Practice guidance for planning and review. Confirm current primary sources and the requirements of the actual matter. This is general information, not legal advice.*