Losing a loved one is hard enough — we want to make it as easy as possible for you to file your life insurance claim.
To initiate the life insurance claims process, start by contacting the insurance company’s claims department. You can find contact information for different life insurance companies below.
The insurance company’s claims department will walk you through the next steps and send you documents to complete.
Always required:
1. Claim form
Sometimes required:
2. Completed HIPAA Authorization
Supplemental documentation is required by some life insurance companies, but not all. If you don’t have a copy of the supplemental materials that the life insurance company is asking for, the company’s life insurance representative will work with you to figure out what else you can provide to receive the death benefit.
Depending on the insurance company, you may receive the necessary paperwork by mail or email.
How to file a claim
Banner/William Penn
How to file the claim: Call 888-585-9198, ext. 6974 or file claim online here
Brighthouse
How to file the claim: Call (800) 638-5000
Corebridge Financial (formerly AIG Life & Retirement)
How to file the claim: Call (844) 452-3832 or file claim online here
Foresters
How to file a claim: Call (800)- 828-1540 or file claim online here
Haven Life
How to file a claim: Call (855) 744-2836.
John Hancock
How to file the claim: Call (800) 387-2747 or file claim online here
Lincoln Financial
How to file the claim: Call (800) 487-1485, option 4 or file claim online here
Mutual of Omaha
How to file the claim: Call (800) 456-0227
Pacific Life
How to file the claim: Prime policy — Call (800) 347-7787, option 1 then 2. Promise policy — (844) 276-5759, option 4
Principal
How to file the claim: Call (800) 331-2213
Protective
How to file the claim: (800) 866-9933 or file claim online here. Once your claim is initiated, you can follow up here
Prudential
How to file the claim: (800) 496-1035 or file claim online here
SBLI
How to file the claim: Call (800) 694-7254 or file claim online here
Symetra
How to file the claim: Call (800) 796-3872
Transamerica
How to file the claim: Call (800) 238-4310, option 2 or file claim online here
If you don’t have a copy of the policy or don’t know the policy number, you can still prove you’re the beneficiary of the life insurance policy by providing the name, social security number, and birth date of the deceased to the life insurance company.
If you’re unsure which insurance company issued the life insurance policy, there are a few tools you can use to help figure it out:
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Life Insurance Policy Locator Service helps people track down life insurance policies
You can plug in the deceased’s information into your state ’s Department of Insurance (DOI) website.
Unclaimed.org or MissingMoney.com narrow down who owes you funds
Additional details you’ll need to know when filing for the death benefit:
How you receive the death benefit
You can choose to receive the death benefit in one lump sum or in installments, which will be referred to as an “annuity” on life insurance forms. If you choose to receive the death benefit in one lump sum, you will get the entire death benefit at one time, whereas a death benefit paid out in installments will be paid out over time, until the money runs out.
Lump sum death benefits are paid out free of any income tax and are usually the recommended method of receiving the life insurance pay out. If possible, work with a financial advisor to figure out the best option for you.
How long it takes to receive the death benefit
After you completed the necessary paperwork and filed the life insurance claim, you may receive the death benefit in as few as five days or as many as 45 days.
Though rare, there are cases where the life insurance company may need to review additional information to accept your claim. The timeline to receive the death benefit can be longer if the insurer requires any supplemental documentation, or if an investigation or additional medical records are needed. If this is the case, they’ll let you know what they might need from you.
How do you get the death benefit money?
There a few different ways that life insurance companies might pay out the death benefit:
A deposit into a checking or savings account
A check
A checkbook from the life insurance company that can be used for expenses
Most of the time, how you receive the death benefit will be at your discretion, but it also depends on the life insurance company. Some life insurance companies may offer all three options, while others may only offer one method of receipt.