How to File a Life Insurance Claim

If you are the beneficiary of a life insurance policy, how do you file a claim?

First, you’ll need to obtain a copy of the death certificate. Most insurers will require a certified copy. You can get this from the funeral director.

You’ll also need a claim form. Use the contact information on the life insurance policy to contact the insurer. If the policy is a group life policy, contact the deceased’s employer. For an individual policy, and you do not have a copy, contact the insurer or the agent who sold the policy.

Once you submit a claim, the insurer should take between one to four weeks to process a standard claim. In certain circumstances, however, it can take longer:

• If there is a question whether the policy was actually in force when the death occurred,
• If the death resulted from an accident and the policy has already paid accidental death benefits (“double indemnity”),
• If questionable circumstances surround the death (i.e., the beneficiary could have been involved),
• If the policy was in force for less than two years. (After that point, the policy enters the “incontestable period,” where the insurer cannot deny a claim except for “material misrepresentation” on the application. A material misrepresentation is a statement or omission that would have affected the insurer’s decision to offer coverage—for example, an insured neglecting to mention a heart attack on his/her application.)
• If the death certificate indicates the policyholder was older than he/she stated on the policy application,
• If the policyholder claimed to be a non-smoker but was actually a smoker (in some states),
• If there is a question that the deceased might not be the person named in the policy.