An Annuity Certificate is the official proof of your retirement payment paid by Pacific Life and outlines particular benefit information pertaining to your annuity.
The Annuity Certificate is sent automatically to all annuitants, and will arrive in the mail approximately 6-12 months after you've received your Pacific Life welcome letter. Once received, please save it in a safe area.
If you do not receive your Annuity Certificate within this time frame, please call Pacific Life Customer Service at (800) 800-9534.
If you've lost your Annuity Certificate and need a duplicate, please call Pacific Life Customer Service at (800) 800-9534.
Employers and plan sponsors contract with Pacific Life to establish a group annuity contract for their employees or plan sponsors. The annuity payment is your retirement benefit payment with Pacific Life. Your annuity payment will be issued by Pacific Life.
Within a group annuity contract, there may be a variety of annuity payment options and other provisions. You will receive an Annuity Certificate outlining the particular information pertaining to your annuity.
For further details on your options, please call Pacific Life Customer Service at (800) 800-9534.
You will be contacted by Pacific Life via U.S. mail approximately four months prior to your normal retirement date, which is age 65 in most cases. The envelope will include the Benefit Quote for Group Annuities form.
Complete the form and return to Pacific Life by fax or mail, or contact Customer Service at (800) 800-9534 to provide the pertinent information over the phone.
Once Pacific Life receives this information via the Benefit Quote for Group Annuities form or by phone, you will receive the Benefit Disbursement for Group Annuities form to elect your option. This form must be returned in good order by fax or mail 90 days prior to your desired annuity payment start date.
For specific questions about electing your benefits or assistance with completing any of the forms, please contact Pacific Life Customer Service.
If you are interested in receiving an early retirement benefit, please call Pacific Life Customer Service at (800) 800-9534 to determine eligibility.
When Pacific Life contacts you approximately four months prior to your normal retirement date (age 65 in most cases), you may elect to delay your benefit start date.
Pacific Life will continue to contact you via U.S. mail each year until you have elected your option and benefit start date.
Note: You generally must commence benefit payments by age 70½. Please consult with a tax advisor for help with your specific situation as needed.
By default, your annuity payments will be sent as a paper check via U.S. mail. You can elect to receive payments via direct deposit instead.
By default, your annuity payments will be sent as a paper check via U.S. mail to your address on file with Pacific Life.
Checks are mailed at least five business days before your scheduled payment date.
If a check is older than 6 months from the date of issue, it is considered “stale-dated,” or too old to deposit. Please contact Pacific Life by phone, fax, or U.S. mail requesting to reissue your stale-dated check.
Once Pacific Life receives a request to place a stop payment on the original check, it takes 7 business days for the check to be reissued, plus an additional 3–5 business days for mailing.
To change your mailing address, please complete the Policy Change Request form or contact Pacific Life Customer Service at (800) 800-9534.
After 10 business days, you may contact Pacific Life to place a stop payment and issue a new check. If the original check is found after the stop payment has been made, do not attempt to cash it as it will no longer be valid.
To allow time for delayed delivery, please wait until the 10th business day of the month before requesting a new check.
You may elect to receive your monthly annuity payment via electronic direct deposit rather than receiving a paper check via U.S. mail.
You can opt for your annuity payment to be directly deposited into a checking account, savings account, credit union, or money market account.
Complete the Direct Deposit Agreement form and return it to Pacific Life via U.S. mail or fax.
If your annuity payment will be deposited into a checking account, please also include a personal check marked “VOID” with your completed Direct Deposit Agreement form.
If your annuity payment will be deposited to your savings account, credit union, or money market account, include a personal deposit slip for the respective account.
If you do not have personal checks or deposit slips, Pacific Life will accept a letter on bank letterhead, confirming your name is on the account and must be signed by an authorized signor of the bank.
There is no charge for direct deposits.
Your annuity payment should appear in your account by the first of the month.
Pacific Life issues payment 2–3 business days prior to your scheduled annuity payment date, but it may take your bank 2–3 business days to make the funds available.
If your account has not been credited with your annuity payment by the first of the month and you are signed up for direct deposit, please contact Pacific Life Customer Service at (800) 800-9534.
Complete the Direct Deposit Agreement form and return it to Pacific Life via U.S. mail or fax.
If your annuity payment will be deposited into a checking account, please also include a personal check marked “VOID” with your completed Direct Deposit Agreement form.
If your annuity payment will be deposited to your savings account, credit union, or money market account, include a personal deposit slip for the respective account.
Direct deposit changes must be received in good order by the 15th day of the prior month to ensure an update for the upcoming payment.
For example, if you would like your March payment to go to a different bank, please submit new bank information no later than February 15.
Pacific Life will not reissue the payment until it has been returned to Pacific Life by the bank. At that time, Pacific Life will reissue you a paper check via U.S. mail. If you wish to receive future payments via direct deposit, please complete the Direct Deposit Agreement form and return it to Pacific Life via fax or U.S. mail.
Please call Pacific Life Customer Service at (800) 800-9534 to request a reissued check.
Please contact Pacific Life Customer Service at (800) 800-9534 to provide mailing instructions.
If you would like to make a change to your tax withholding amount, please complete the following instructions:
Download and complete the appropriate W-4P form and mail or fax it to Pacific Life.
W-4P Tax Withholding Form:
W-8BEN Tax Withholding Form:
Download and complete the W9 form, then mail or fax it to Pacific Life.
Pacific Life is responsible for annual tax reporting to the Internal Revenue Service. Each year, we issue a variety of year-end tax statements to those individuals who received payments from us. These statements are used to calculate and report your income and tax liability for the year.
If you need a duplicate tax statement, please call Pacific Life Customer Service at (800) 800-9534.
Once Pacific Life receives a request for a duplicate tax form, it takes 7 business days for the tax statement to be reissued, plus an additional 3–5 business days for mailing. Pacific Life may also fax duplicate tax statements if requested.
If you had a taxable distribution, your 1099-R tax document will be mailed to the address of record by January 31st of each year for the prior tax year. If you need a duplicate 1099-R, please contact Customer Service at (800) 800-9534.
You can request an Income Verification Request with Pacific Life to receive a letter verifying the monthly retirement income paid to you by Pacific Life under a group annuity contract.
To do this, please contact Pacific Life Customer Service at (800) 800-9534.
The Income Verification Request takes up to 7 business days to process, and 3–5 business days for mailing.
Pacific Life must be notified when an annuitant passes away by contacting Pacific Life Customer Service at (800) 800-9534. The Pacific Life Customer Service Representative will provide further instructions.
Pacific Life will update the record, which can include transferring the retirement benefit plan to a spouse, stopping payments to avoid reconciliation of overpayment, or assuring that the appropriate death benefits are paid.
Pacific Life Insurance Company – Retirement Solutions Division
Retirement Annuities
777 Research Drive
Lincoln, NE 68521
Phone: (800) 800-9534
Fax: (402) 479-0102
Hours of Operation: Monday to Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., CT