The truth about nominees: They don’t automatically inherit your assets

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A nominee feels like the natural heir. After all, banks, mutual funds and insurers repeatedly ask you to fill in nominee details, and every form describes the nominee as the person who gets the money after you die. But in Indian law, a nominee is rarely the final owner of your assets. They are simply a custodian. Their job is to receive the money quickly so that the institution can close the account, but the actual ownership transfers only to the legal heir. This misunderstanding creates bitter inheritance battles in thousands of families every year, especially when people think naming a nominee is the same as writing a will.

The nomination system exists for a practical reason: banks and insurers do not want to get caught up in family disputes or wait for court orders before releasing funds. A nominee gives them the opportunity to hand over money quickly and easily, without finding out who the heir is. Once the nominee receives the funds, it is his duty to transfer the money to the legally entitled owner. The nominee has no automatic ownership rights unless the will explicitly grants it. Most people mistakenly feel that this quick process is tantamount to legal inheritance; it is, however, just an administrative shortcut and not considered a replacement for estate planning.

Bank accounts, fixed deposits, mutual funds and insurance policies view nominees as caretakers, not heirs. In mutual funds, the Securities and Exchange Board of India has repeatedly clarified that the nominee only acts as a trustee of the investment. In life insurance, the Supreme Court has clarified that the nominee is only a receiver, unless the policyholder designates the person as a “beneficial nominee” under specific provisions. Even in employee provident fund accounts, which seemed fairly straightforward, the nominee gets the money first but is required to pass it on according to succession laws in case a will is in conflict with the nomination. The only exception is where beneficial nomination is permitted by the law explicitly, but most people never avail of the option or misunderstand the scope of the rule.

A registered or even a properly written unregistered will legally outweighs any nomination. If the will says the money must go to a spouse or child, the nominee must hand it over eventually. Without a will, the money goes to legal heirs under personal succession laws-Hindu Succession Act, Indian Succession Act, or Muslim personal law, depending on the individual. Nominees often believe they are entitled to keep the funds because the institution released the money to them, but heirs can challenge this in court and usually win. This is why lawyers consistently advise that nominations prevent operational delays, but only a will prevents conflict.

Many families assume that if a parent names one child as nominee, then that entire amount belongs to that child. The confusion gets worse when there are multiple children, but the bank asks for only one name, so one child gets listed as nominee. When the parent dies, siblings question ownership and disputes begin. The nominee, caught in the middle, may feel morally entitled because his or her name is on the document, but legally he or she cannot claim exclusive rights. This gap between what families believe and what the law actually mandates is the root cause of long, expensive inheritance conflicts.

A nominee ensures process, but a will ensures clarity. Safest, of course, is to keep nominations updated—banks and mutual funds are making nomination mandatory—but also draft a will that states precisely how you want your assets distributed. Even a simple handwritten will, properly signed and witnessed, is stronger than any nomination. For large or complicated estates, families benefit from professional advice. When both documents finally match, inheritance becomes smooth, predictable and dispute-free.

A nominee represents convenience, not ownership. It is a legal heir that inherits, not the nominee. The sooner families grasp this distinction, the smoother wealth transfer without dispute, delay, or puzzlement.