How to Claim Life Insurance Money After a Death

There are three things you must do if you are a relative, potential beneficiary or administrator of the estate of a deceased person you believe might have had life insurance. The first is to obtain a certified copy of the death certificate. Second, establish your right to inquire about life insurance by demonstrating you are a beneficiary of the will, surviving spouse or child, or court-appointed administrator of the estate. Third, find out if there was life insurance and which insurance company provided the insurance. Once you find the insurance company, it is relatively easy to claim the insurance benefit. It is not always easy to find the insurance company, however.

Things You'll Need

• insurance company claim form
• certified death certificate
• designation of beneficiaries form (if available)
• court document appointing the administrator of the estate

Instructions

1. Gather the documents needed to file your claim. If you know the insurance company, call to get its claim forms or talk to the broker who handled the deceased’s account. You may also be able to find a claims form on the company's website. You will need at least a certified copy of the death certificate and may need other documents. You can obtain a certified copy of the death certificate from your city or state Bureau of Vital Statistics or similar agency.

2. Contact the deceased’s employer to find out if the company provided group life insurance and which company insured the deceased. If the company did not supply life insurance as a benefit, or if the deceased was self-employed or retired, start looking through bank and credit card records for any payments to insurance companies. Check with the deceased’s auto insurance, home or medical insurance company to see if any of those policies also included life insurance. If there is nothing found, your last step is to contact a policy search service.

3. Submit the claim as quickly as possible after the death certificate is produced. You should call the broker or insurance company to report the death and ask questions about any requirements they may have. The company should provide you with an address to which to mail the claim.

Tips & Warnings

• If there is a question about the legitimacy of a claimant, the insurance company has 60 days to inform the claimant. The claim will then go to a court to decide who is to be the beneficiary.

• The insurance company has different ways it may pay the claim. It may issue a check in the amount of the benefit or pay out the benefit in installments with interest. It may also set up a checking account in the claimant’s name for the beneficiary to draw on as needed.

• If the insured died overseas and the death certificate is in a foreign language, you will need to provide a certified translation when submitting it.

• An insurance company may decline payment if the death occurs within two years of buying the policy. If there are any surprises or irregularities in the insurance company’s handling of the claim, get an attorney involved.

References

• U.S. Office of Personnel Management: Claim for Death Benefits
• NLGHA: Claiming Insurance after Policy Holder’s Death
• Ask for Insurance: How Long After Filing a Life Insurance Claim Do You Receive Payment?

Resources

• MIB Solutions – Policy Locator Service