We are so sorry you are here.
Filing a claim is simpler than most families fear, and you do not have to do it alone. If the policy came through us, call and we will handle the carrier side with you, start to finish, at no cost.
Filing a claim, step by step
1. Call us, or the carrier
We will confirm the policy details, open the claim and tell you exactly what the carrier needs. If you are not our client, your policy's carrier has a claims number on the policy schedule page.
2. Gather two documents
A certified death certificate (order 3 to 5 copies from the funeral home or vital records office; other institutions will want them too) and the claim form we will send you.
3. Submit and confirm
We submit the packet and confirm the carrier has everything. Incomplete paperwork is the number one cause of delay, and it is preventable.
4. Payment
Clean claims are typically paid within days to a few weeks. Benefits are generally income-tax free to beneficiaries and can be paid as a lump sum or in installments.
What families ask us
Is the payout taxable?+
Life insurance death benefits are generally free of federal income tax to the beneficiary. Interest earned after the date of death can be taxable, and rare estate situations differ, so large estates should loop in a tax professional.
Can a carrier refuse to pay?+
Denials are rare and nearly always trace to material misstatements on the application within the two-year contestability window, or a premium lapse. This is why we push honesty at application time: it protects your family at claim time.
The policy was through a job. What now?+
Contact the employer's HR or benefits office; they will provide the group carrier's claim process. We are glad to help you decode any paperwork even if the policy was not ours.
We cannot find the policy. Is it lost?+
Not necessarily. The NAIC runs a free Life Insurance Policy Locator that queries carriers nationwide. Call us and we will help you file the search request.
Do not carry this alone
One call and a licensed agent takes the paperwork off your plate. That is part of what the policy paid for.