Filing a claim
- As a beneficiary, you should call the life insurance company, or your agent, and notify them of the death.
- The company will send you claim forms and other important documents to fill out.
- If there's more than one beneficiary, each person needs to complete a separate claim form.
- Submit a certified copy of the death certificate along with the completed claim forms.
- Return the original policy.
Important! Keep copies of any documents you send to the company or your agent. Also, to ensure you get your life insurance settlement promptly, be sure to follow the policy claim process.
Contestability period
If you file a claim during the first two years of the policy, the insurance company will conduct an investigation. This is to find out if the policyholder left out important information from the original application (i.e., recent cancer diagnosis). If he or she did, the company will likely deny the claim, regardless of the policyholder's intent.
What beneficiaries can expect next
To ensure prompt settlements, the insurer must pay you no less than 8% interest starting from the date of death.
An additional 3% is payable on claims it doesn't settle within 90 days of when you provided proof of death. Find out more about Life insurance payouts and Retained Asset Accounts.