FAQs & Support

Yes. You can roll over old employer plan assets to a Prudential IRA. Visit our Rollover Center or call 844-703-1226 (Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET) for more information.

If this box appears on your Fact Sheet, then your benefit has a death benefit feature that requires you to designate a beneficiary. Prudential is required to have your valid beneficiary designation form in our records. Since your prior payer did not transfer your prior beneficiary designation form to us, we ask that you complete the form enclosed in this folder and return it to Prudential to ensure that we have your valid beneficiary form on file.

If this box is not on your Fact Sheet, your benefit does not have a death benefit feature.

If you currently receive your pension through direct deposit, your prior payer provided that information to Prudential, and we will continue direct deposit of your benefit. No action or information is required on your part for Prudential to continue your direct deposit.

For active employees, you may need to update your address with your HR/Payroll department.

If you are no longer active, you can update your address by logging into your account, selecting your plan, and navigating to the “Personal Information” tab.

If you have recently separated from your employer, it may take 4-6 weeks before your employment status is updated at Prudential. Once you are in “terminated” status, you will typically have the option to update the address by logging into your account and navigating to the “Personal Information” tab.

Updates are made after we receive your Date of Termination (DOT) from your previous employer. It may take 4-6 weeks to get your information updated on your account online.

In general, if you are an active employee, you will need to contact your current employer to change your name.

To change or correct your name with Prudential, please submit both of the following: 1) a signed and dated letter requesting that Prudential change the name on your account; 2) a copy of supporting documentation that reflects your current name.

Acceptable documentation includes: A court order changing your name, a marriage certificate, a divorce decree, or a copy of your Social Security card, valid U.S. Passport, or valid driver's license with your new name.

Although some plans do have limits, most allow you to change your contribution rate as often as you want.

Log into your account to view contribution rate rules for your plan or request a contribution rate change.

Pre-tax: These contributions come into the account before you pay taxes on your paycheck, and the funds grow tax deferred. When you take a distribution from that account, the money becomes taxable.

Roth: Roth contributions are made on an after-tax basis and offer tax-preferred treatment on earnings that accumulate in your account. The contributions are included in taxable income in the year that they are contributed. Roth contributions, plus earnings, accumulate tax deferred and can be taken as distributions without federal income tax consequences, provided the distribution is “qualified.” Qualified distributions are federal income tax free, provided the Roth account has been held for at least five years and the owner has reached age 59½, has died, or has become disabled. Qualified Roth distributions may be subject to state and local income tax.

After-tax: These contributions are deducted from your salary after federal (and sometimes state or local) income taxes are withheld. After-tax contributions are taxable to you in the year contributed, but income taxes on the earnings are deferred until the money is distributed from the plan.

Please log into your account and navigate to the “Contributions” page to see if this contribution type is available under your plan.

Yes. You will generally be eligible for a Termination Withdrawal once you are separated from the employer sponsoring the plan, regardless of age. Typically, it can take the employer up to 4-6 weeks to notify Prudential of your separation. Your plan may also have a required waiting period which must be observed after separation. Your plan may have more specific criteria, including limits on the number of distributions allowed during each year. Please log in to your account for more information.

For many 401(k) plans, you become eligible for an In-Service Withdrawal at age 59½. For 457(b) plans, you are typically eligible for an In-Service Withdrawal at age 70½. Not all plans allow for withdrawals prior to separation from service, and there may be additional restrictions based on your specific plan’s rules. Please log in to your account for more information.

Important: We strongly encourage you to avoid accessing your retirement savings if possible. If you do need to take a withdrawal, please keep in mind that it cannot be paid back. In addition, there may be tax implications and penalties associated with early withdrawals.

If you are eligible, you may have the option to request a withdrawal online by logging into your Prudential account and navigating to the “Withdrawals” page for a display of your options.

Depending on your plan, you may be required to complete forms. Please log in to your account for more information.

If you are impacted by the Coronavirus Pandemic, your plan may allow for certain withdrawal options. Please log into your account for more information.

Even though the early withdrawal penalty is waived, a Coronavirus Related Distribution (CRD) is taxable as ordinary income by the IRS. The distribution could be subject to state income taxes as well.

There are no mandatory withholding requirements. We recommend that you work with a tax advisor to determine the tax implications for your individual situation.

The IRS encourages savings for retirement by allowing you to make pre-tax contributions, tax-deferred, to certain retirement plans such as 401(K) and IRAs. A Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) is a distribution from a retirement plan that is required when the participant attains age 70½ (prior to 2020) and age 72 (2020 and beyond), or retires, whichever is later. The IRS establishes guidelines regarding the minimum amount that must be distributed every year and when RMD payments must begin.

In most cases, RMDs are treated as ordinary income for tax purposes, but we recommend that you work with a tax advisor to determine the tax implications for your individual situation.

Generally, if the contributions made to your plan are tax deductible, then the RMD is treated as ordinary income in the year you take it. Your RMD is taxable and reported as income on Form 1099-R. You can choose to have state or federal taxes withheld at the time the RMD is paid out, or you may be able to wait until you file your taxes. Unless you provide different instructions prior to the RMD payout, the IRS requires us to automatically withhold 10% of the RMD for federal taxes.

While you are still employed, your plan may allow you to withdraw funds under specific circumstances, a “Hardship Withdrawal,” provided you have the necessary documentation. In general, plans allow Hardship Withdrawals for the following reasons:

• Medical expenses
• Post-secondary education tuition
• Prevention of eviction/foreclosure
• Purchase of primary residence
• Funeral/burial expenses for a parent, spouse, child or dependent
• Repair of damage to the employee’s principal residence that qualified for casualty deduction
• Expenses and Losses incurred from a FEMA-declared federal disaster

Log into your account to view your plan’s rules and how much you may be eligible to take as a Hardship Withdrawal. Typically, you can only withdraw your vested account balance.

Generally, you will have to pay an early withdrawal penalty. Please contact a tax advisor to discuss your tax situation and the tax consequences of taking a Hardship Withdrawal.

If you are an active employee, you cannot close your Retirement account with Prudential. To remove funds from your retirement account, you need to be eligible for a distribution. In general, you become eligible once you are separated from the employer sponsoring the plan. For some plans, you may be eligible for an In-Service withdrawal at age 59½. Your plan may have more specific criteria that you can check by logging in to your account, clicking on your plan name, and selecting the “Withdrawals” tab.

If you’ve left your employer, Prudential’s Retirement Counselors may be able to help you evaluate your financial options. Generally, your employer will notify us of your status change between 4 -6 weeks after your last day of work or once you have received your last paycheck/benefit payouts (vacation pay, sick pay, etc.). Once we get that notification you can close the account; however, your plan may have a required waiting period which must be observed before a distribution can be processed.

Log in to your account, navigate to the “Profile” page, and click on “View Personal Information” to see if your status has been updated.

You may be able to take a loan from your employer-sponsored plan, depending on the rules established by your company.

Typically, you can take up to 50% of your vested balance, up to maximum of $50,000. Your highest outstanding loan balance may not exceed $50,000 in a rolling 12-month period.

If you are eligible under the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, you may borrow up to 100% of your vested balance, up to a maximum of $100,000.

If your plan allows, you can pay off your active loan by logging into your Prudential account and navigating to the “Loans” tab. You will need to provide your bank routing and account numbers. You can find your plan-specific payment information by logging into your retirement account and navigating to “Loans” tab.

Note: This option is only available for a full payoff of your loan. If your plan accepts partial loan payments, they must be mailed to Prudential. Mailing information can be found by logging into your retirement account and navigating to the “Loans” tab.

Depending on your plan rules, you may be able to make partial payments by mail only. You will want to check by contacting Prudential Retirement before sending in a partial payment for the first time to make sure your plan allows partial payments. Please note: Principal payments must include directions in writing or they will be applied as multiple payments.

Note: You may be able to make full loan payoffs online based on your plan rules.

Depending on your plan rules, you may have the option to continue to make loan payments by converting your payments to coupon or recurring electronic payments. If your plan allows for this option, you must maintain a balance in the plan and you may have a limited time from your separation date to make this selection.

Depending on your plan rules, you may have the option to change your payment method to recurring electronic payments. To do so, log into your Prudential online account, navigate to the “Loans” page, and click on “View Details” under “Outstanding Loans.” If your plan allows, you will see the option to “Change Payment Method” and enter your banking information.

No. When you take a loan from your retirement account, you are borrowing from yourself, and you are paying yourself back with interest. Prudential is not extending you credit. The loans are not reported to any credit bureaus and will not affect your credit scores. However, if your loan is not repaid in accordance with your plan’s and the IRS guidelines, there may be tax consequences.

No, you cannot use credit or debit cards for loan repayment. To pay off your loan you will need to use either a savings or checking account. However, if your plan does not allow electronic payments for loan payoff, you will need to mail a physical check. Please log in to your account for more information.

Depending on your plan, there may be. Once Prudential has received the money for your pay off and it has been posted to your account, the waiting period, if any, will begin. Once the waiting period has elapsed, you will be eligible to borrow again. The waiting period may vary depending on your plan. Please log in to your account for more information.

We cannot estimate that amount until after you pay off your loan. Once Prudential has received your payoff and posted it to your account, the waiting period, if any, will begin. You will be able to determine how much is available after the waiting period has elapsed.

After a loan is paid in full, it is not uncommon to see 1 - 2 additional repayments come out of your paycheck. For overpayments over $25, we will automatically mail you a refund check for any additional payments received after the loan was paid off. Overpayments of less than $25 will be added to your account balance.

You can find the details of overpayments by logging into your retirement account and navigating to the “Transaction History” page.

This tax form is produced as a result of any distribution or tax-reportable event that is made from a pension, annuity, retirement or profit sharing plan during a tax year. This is the same information that we are providing to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

You can expect a Form 1099-R to be issued to you if you:

• Took your money out of your account at any point after terminating employment
• Took a withdrawal of any type from your account
• Defaulted on your loan

Prudential is still required to report this distribution to the IRS because it is the removal of funds from a tax-deferred account. The rolling over of funds to a traditional IRA or another qualified plan is not a taxable event. For a direct rollover, there is no taxable amount reported on Form 1099-R in box 2a and a distribution code (box 7) will include a G (code H instead of G if you had a direct rollover from a designated Roth account).

Note that if you had a direct rollover from a qualified plan account (non-Roth account) to a Roth IRA, or an in-plan conversion to a designated Roth account, that is a taxable event and a taxable amount is reported in box 2a.

If you received a check issued to you with federal taxes withheld and rolled the money over to an IRA or qualified plan within 60 days, Prudential Retirement^® is still responsible for reporting the distribution as taxable. If you complete a qualified rollover by the 60th day after the distribution is issued, it will not be taxable. You must provide proof to the IRS that the rollover occurred within 60 days of the check being issued to you so it is not considered taxable income.

You may have received a Form 1099-R if:

• Your retirement plan loan defaulted (i.e., due to termination of employment if you are not eligible to continue paying on it or are unable to pay it off in full). Loan defaults are considered taxable events and are treated as if you took a distribution for the outstanding balance of the loan. You would see a distribution code L in box 7.
• You received a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD), which the IRS generally requires you to do annually beginning at age 70½.
• You received a distribution due to a small balance cash-out. This can occur upon termination of employment if the balance in your account does not meet the plan’s minimum threshold to remain in the plan.

Your tax form for the prior year will be available online by January 31, the IRS required deadline for issuing all tax forms. Tax forms for the previous eight years are now available online. Keep in mind you will only see tax forms for years in which you had a taxable event concerning your retirement plan.

When you consented to e-delivery of your retirement account documents, you agreed to receive your statements, transaction confirmations and tax forms electronically. Email notification is sent to you when your account document is available to view online.

You may print a copy of the tax form directly from our website. A printed copy of what is online is a legal document and is not different in any way from a copy that Prudential would send you in the mail. If you are unable to print it, you may request that a paper copy be mailed to you through our Interactive Voice Response (IVR) system by calling 1-877-778-2100.

There are two ways you can now file a death claim on a Prudential policy or account.

You can submit your individual life insurance claim online and on your own time at www.prudential.com/claims Opens in a new window. or contact your Financial Professional. 

You can view your policy values online by logging in to our online account access service. If you have not enrolled yet for Prudential Online Account Access, you may do so by using the Login box at the top right corner of the prudential.com homepage. Select the 'Insurance, Mutual Funds & Annuities' category from the drop down menu. On the Login screen, click on the Enroll link in the First Time User box to begin your enrollment online. If you need assistance with enrollment, please call 1-800-PRU-HELP (778-4357). The "First Time Logging In" link at the top of the enrollment page shows the products supported for product owners. Once you have your username and password and have logged in to the account access service, you will be able to view your policy values. Please keep in mind that detailed policy information may not be available for all of your policies. Your other option for getting policy values is to call Prudential's automated IVR response system. The following policy value information is available through this online system:

• Policy Face Amount
• Policy Cash Value
• Value of All Dividends
• Unit Value of Each Fund (for variable life policies beginning with Q, R, or 9)
• Balances of Each Fund (for variable life policies beginning with Q, R, or 9)
• Fund Withdrawal Amount (for variable life policies beginning with Q, R, or 9)
• Loan Amount Available
• Loan Amount Outstanding
• Policy Surrender Value

To access Prudential's automated response system, call us toll-free at 800-778-2255. Remember to have your policy numbers handy when you call. You also have the option of speaking with a customer service specialist if the information you need is not available through the automated response system, or if you have additional questions or requests.

Please be aware that withdrawals and loans will affect policy values and the death benefit, and thus, may have tax consequences. To request a loan or withdrawal from your Prudential policy, or to perform a cash surrender of your policy, contact your Prudential professional, or call our Customer Service Center at 1-800-778-2255, Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m. ET. Please have your policy numbers available when you call.

Log in to your Account Access. If you do not have Account Access, enroll in Access form.

You may change your mailing address and home telephone information using the "Update Mailing Address and Home Telephone Number" option from your Policy Profile page.

You may change your home telephone number using the "Update Home Telephone Number Only" option from your Policy Profile page.

You may change your email address using the "Update Email Address" option from your Policy Profile page.

Log in to your Account Access. If you do not have Account Access, enroll in Access form.

You may change Beneficiary Information by accessing "Change Beneficiary(ies)" from your Policy Profile page or by accessing the "Forms Library" and selecting "Request to Change Beneficiary on Life Insurance" form.

To find the nearest Prudential office, you can visit our site's office locator. This feature will find the five offices nearest your new home. You may also call our Customer Service Center at 1-800-778-2255, Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m. ET.

To request a policy search, contact your Prudential professional or call our Customer Service Center at 1-800-778-2255, Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m. ET.

If you have lost your policy, you can request an All Values Quote Letter. This letter will provide you with current information on your policy, including your loan value and death benefit information, plus it contains everything you need to submit a claim. To request an All Values Quote Letter, contact a Prudential professional or call our Customer Service Center at 1-800-778-2255, Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m. ET.

You can call one of the following numbers Mon.-Fri., 8:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. ET:
Individual Life Products: 800-778-2255 (Term, Whole Life, and Variable Life insurance)
Intermediate & Weekly Premium Policies: 800-575-7780 (Intermediate & Weekly Premium policy numbers generally begin with the letter M or contain nine digits).

To check the status of a claim, call Prudential's Customer Service Center Mon.­-Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m. ET at 1-800-496-1035.

Through our Account Access online service, you can take the following actions with regard to your Individual Life Insurance policy:

• Find policy values, such as death benefit, cash values, loan values, and beneficiary information.
• Perform simple self-service on your policy, such as changing your home address, email address and beneficiary designation.
• View policy documents, such as annual statements, premium notices and tax documents.

Enroll in Access form.

You may be able to make premium and loan payments to your life insurance policies online. First, log in, if you do not have Account Access, enroll in Access form. Select 'Make a Payment' to see if your life policy is eligible for on-line payments. In addition to making premium and loan payments, you may be able to enroll in or manage recurring payments using payments using our electronic funds transfer service.

Yes. If your policy is paid current, you may input your payment information and schedule the effective date of the payment up to 30 days from the current date. However, you will not be able to schedule a payment to be effective past your premium due date.

To change your current premium payment mode, please contact your Prudential agent. You can also contact our Customer Service Center at 800-778-2255. Please remember that in order to make this change over the phone, the request must be made by the owner of the policy. Please be sure to have your Prudential policy number handy.

First, log in to your Account Access. If you do not have Account Access, enroll in Access form. You can find this date listed as the Receipt of Last Payment Date on the Premiums page of that policy. Please keep in mind that detailed policy information may not be available for all of your policies.

You may also call Prudential's automated response system to find out the amount of your next premium payment, and when it's due, Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m. ET at 1-800-778-2255. Please be sure to have your policy numbers available.

To order a new coupon book, first log in. If you do not have Account Access, enroll in Access form.

1. Click the Account Summary tab, which will put you into the Insurance & Investment Center Summary page.
2. Under the My Products heading, select "New life insurance coupon book."
3. Follow the directions on the New Coupon Book Request page.

You may also order a new coupon book using Prudential's automated voice response system. To access this service, call Prudential's Customer Service Center at 1-800-778-2255, Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.-8 p.m. ET. Please be sure to have your policy numbers available.

You may be able to reinstate your life insurance policies online, first log in. If you do not have Account Access, enroll in Access form.
If the lapse notice you received included a coupon for submission of money, all you need to do is submit that amount of money so that we receive it by the due date. You can easily log in to make a payment online or mail your payment and coupon to the address provided.
If the due date on the lapse notice has passed, we suggest you log in to make a payment online or call the Prudential Customer Service Center Mon.-Fri., 8 a.m.- 8 p.m. ET at 1-800-778-2255.
If the lapse notice you received advised you to contact your Prudential representative or the Prudential Customer Service Center please do so.

Tax forms are available online for downloading and printing. Click here to view a listing of the tax forms available.

Under the tax law, certain distributions from life insurance policies result in taxable income to the policyowner. If a distribution is taxable, the amount the policyowner is taxed on is limited to the "gain" in the policy, which generally equals the policy's cash surrender value less the premiums paid. The following are the most common types of distributions and transactions that may result in taxable income to the policyowner: partial withdrawals, policy surrenders and lapses, and certain dividends. In addition, loans from policies that have been classified "modified endowment contracts" may result in taxable income to the policyowner. These are reported on a Form 1099-R. A copy of the tax form is sent to the IRS.

Any person who pays interest aggregating $10 or more during a calendar year to a payee is required to report such interest on IRS Form 1099-INT. Listed below are a few scenarios for which a Form 1099-INT might be generated:

• Interest earned on dividend accumulations
• Interest earned on insurance death claim proceeds from the date of death to the date of settlement
• Interest earned on refund of premium to avoid a policy becoming a Modified Endowment Contract

Distributions of $10 or more to a payee for a pre-death distribution from a life insurance contract must be reported on IRS Form 1099-R. If part of the distribution is taxable and part is nontaxable, the entire distribution must be reported on IRS Form 1099-R. Listed below are a few scenarios for which a Form 1099-R might be generated:

• Surrender of a policy that has a gain
• Lapse of a policy that has a loan and investment gains
• Partial surrender of a policy that has a gain, including surrenders for a reduction in face amount
• Any distribution from a Modified Endowment Contract that has gain

The distribution code indicated on the form identifies its characteristics. For example, a Code 1 indicates a premature taxable distribution that may be subject to an additional 10 percent tax. A Code 4 indicates it is a death benefit. A full description of all distribution codes is listed on the back of the form you receive.

Both forms report income generated by a policy, but they each report a different type of income. The Form 1099-INT is used to report interest credited on certain policy proceeds. The Form 1099-R is used to report distributions of a policy or contract's internal earnings (gain) that were previously untaxed.