How to claim on a life insurance policy

Who claims depends on the policy: the surviving policyholder, the trustees, or the estate's executor or administrator. Some policies also pay nominated beneficiaries directly, or go to an assignee if the policy was assigned.

Looking for someone else's policy? Aviva says you need their express permission or a legal reason, such as Power of Attorney or being the executor or personal representative.

There's no legal limit on how many life insurance policies one person can have. If the person who died had more than one, you can claim on each, whether they're with one insurer or several (see more than one life insurance policy).

Not sure whether the person had cover, or who it was with? See our guides to finding a lost life insurance policy and finding out if a will exists.

You contact the insurer yourself, give the details of the death and send the documents it asks for. Each insurer has its own process, so follow its instructions once you're in touch.

1. Register the death Wait for the medical examiner's office to confirm you can register the death. Then register it within 5 days (8 days in Scotland) of that confirmation, including weekends and bank holidays. You'll get a certificate for burial or cremation, which the funeral director, crematorium or burial authority needs before the funeral.
2. Find the policy details Look through the person's financial records and documents. Bank statements can show whether they paid a regular premium (the payment for the cover), and which insurer received it.
3. Tell the insurer Tell Us Once doesn't contact insurers, so you need to tell them yourself. MoneyHelper suggests doing this as soon as possible after receiving the death certificate, or within a month of the death. At Royal London, you can choose 'I don't know' if you're unsure of the policy type.
4. Start the claim You can usually start by phone or online, and Aviva offers both. Legal & General and Zurich say online is quickest. Scottish Widows can take the details of a life claim over the phone, with no claim form.
5. Send the documents it asks for The insurer may ask for a death certificate and other documents (see documents insurers ask for).
6. Check whether to keep paying premiums Royal London asks for premiums to carry on until it says you can stop. Scottish Widows also says payments to the plan need to continue during the claims process.
7. The insurer assesses the claim and pays FCA rules say an insurer must handle claims promptly and fairly. It must give you reasonable guidance to help you claim, keep you informed on progress, and pay promptly once settlement terms are agreed.

It's also worth asking what support the insurer offers. Every insurer in the FCA's sample offered extra help, such as bereavement counselling and help with estate administration. Some of it comes only with certain products.

Expect to be asked for a death certificate and other documents, after a few first details. Requirements vary by insurer and policy. When you first get in touch, the insurer will usually want:

• the policy number, if you have it (Legal & General also accepts the direct debit reference)
• the full name of the person who died, and at LV= their address and date of birth
• the date, place and cause of death, if known
• your name, your relationship to the person and your contact details

Several insurers, including Aviva and LV=, want the original death certificate, not a copy. Some insurers can check a death electronically instead, so you don't need to send the certificate. The FCA noted this as good practice.

Often, yes. Legal & General says a claim on a policy in trust avoids probate and can often be paid more quickly, and that probate and letters of administration are the main causes of delay in life insurance payouts.

Probate is the legal right to deal with someone's property, money and possessions (their estate) after they die. In England, with some exceptions, it's usually against the law to share out the estate or take money from it until probate or letters of administration are granted. Scotland and Northern Ireland have different probate rules.

For policies not in trust, Zurich warns that probate may take up to six months, and sometimes much longer. Probate isn't always needed, though. Citizens Advice lists certain life insurance policies among the cases where it may not be, and GOV.UK suggests asking each provider whether you need it.

Vitality, for example, pays up to £300,000 on life cover without a grant of probate, once it accepts the claim and is satisfied who the beneficiary is. This doesn't apply to plans worth more than £300,000 or to policies in trust.

• Life insurance in trust: how a trust works and how to set one up
• Life insurance beneficiary rules: who gets the money and how to name someone
• Is life insurance taxable?: Inheritance Tax and life insurance payouts

Yes, if the policy has terminal illness benefit. It lets you claim early if you're diagnosed with an illness and your life expectancy is less than 12 months. MoneyHelper says many good policies include it.

Each insurer sets its own definition. Zurich's Personal Protection, for example, needs a definite diagnosis of an illness that has no known cure or can no longer be cured. The illness must be expected to lead to death within 12 months. For a terminal illness claim, Legal & General asks for details of the illness and diagnosis (see terminal illness cover).

Critical illness cover pays out if you're diagnosed with one of the conditions listed in your policy. Terminal illness benefit and critical illness cover can't both be paid, because each is a lump sum and the policy ends once a payment is made.

To start a critical illness claim, Aviva and Zurich suggest having these ready:

• your policy number and contact details
• details of the diagnosis, including the date and the condition
• contact details for your GP or consultant (Zurich asks for your consent to contact them for supporting information)

Aviva says most critical illness policies have a survival period (how long you must live after the diagnosis), usually 10 to 14 days depending on the product. For conditions that must be permanent, the Association of British Insurers (ABI) says the assessment period typically starts when the claim arrives. It's not normally longer than 12 months, as long as all the evidence is available.

Zurich says timescales can vary, especially when it's waiting on your GP or another medical professional for information. Legal & General says most critical illness claims it turns down fail because the condition doesn't meet the severity set out in the policy definition. Our guide to critical illness payout rates compares insurers' figures.

In the FCA's review, most insurers averaged 53 to 122 days to pay a term life claim, from first contact to payment. For over 50s plans, about half of insurers paid within 20 days on average.

Term claims tended to take longest. Their values tend to be higher, and they're more likely to go through stricter checks, often with requests for more medical evidence. Over 50s plans were generally quicker: they often have a smaller sum assured (the amount paid out), and many insurers offer guaranteed claims acceptance.

Insurers told the FCA that waiting for death certificates, grants of probate, claim forms and medical evidence often makes a claim take longer. For full timescales by policy type and insurer, see how long life insurance takes to pay out.

ABI and GRiD figures show insurers paid 96.7% of new UK life insurance claims in 2025, counting individual and group policies together. For individual policies alone, the ABI puts it at 97.9% of protection claims across life insurance, income protection and critical illness.

Insurers also publish their own 2025 figures, but they group policies differently, so the figures don't compare directly. Aviva and Legal & General include over 50s plans in their life figure, and LV= includes family income benefit and whole of life. Royal London reports term and whole of life separately.

For more detail on payout sizes, see average life insurance payout.

In the ABI's 2024 claims figures, the common reasons were not disclosing existing medical conditions when the policy was taken out, and not meeting the policy definitions. Insurers check the medical history when you claim. They might not pay out if the application answers were untruthful, inaccurate or incomplete.

At Aviva, for example, 1.3% of 2025 life and terminal illness claims were declined: 1% for misrepresentation (untruthful, inaccurate or incomplete answers) and 0.3% because the definition wasn't met.

FCA rules say an insurer mustn't unreasonably reject a claim, including by ending or avoiding the policy. For policies from 1 August 2017, the FCA regards rejecting a claim for misrepresentation as unreasonable unless it's a qualifying misrepresentation (one that was deliberate or reckless, or careless).

Since 6 April 2013, under the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, insurers must ask all relevant questions before you take out, renew or change a policy. The person applying must take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation. It's up to the insurer to show that one was deliberate or reckless, and what it can do depends on which kind it was:

• If it was deliberate or reckless, the insurer can cancel the policy from the start, refuse all claims and keep the premiums, unless keeping them would be unfair.
• If it was careless and the insurer wouldn't have offered cover at all, it can cancel the policy from the start and refuse claims, but must return the premiums. If it would have charged more, it can reduce the payout in proportion.
• If the person applying took reasonable care, the insurer can't take any action, even if there was a misrepresentation.

Some policies exclude certain deaths in the first year. Royal London's Life Cover won't pay a death claim from intentional self-inflicted injury within 12 months of cover starting. Vitality's Life Cover excludes suicide within 12 months of the start date, or within 12 months of reinstatement after unpaid premiums.

For over 50s plans, MoneyHelper suggests checking the waiting period and whether the policy covers death because of drug or alcohol abuse. Our guides to reasons life insurance won't pay out and life insurance and suicide explain more.

How to complain about a delayed or declined claim

If a claim is taking a long time, ask the insurer what it's still waiting for: FCA rules say it must give you appropriate information on the claim's progress. If something goes wrong, the Financial Ombudsman Service sets out these steps:

1. Ask the insurer to explain Aviva says it'll explain why if it can't pay a critical illness claim. Vitality says it'll explain why it hasn't approved a claim, and how to appeal.
2. Complain to the insurer Give the insurer the chance to sort things out, and keep a note of calls, letters and other evidence. Tell the insurer as soon as you can if you're severely ill, in financial difficulty or need help urgently, as it may look at your complaint more quickly.
3. Wait for the final response For most complaints, the insurer has up to 8 weeks. Its final response sets out the outcome and how to take the complaint further.
4. Take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service Unhappy with the final response, or no reply within 8 weeks? You can refer the complaint within 6 months of the date on the final response. The Ombudsman is free, you don't need a lawyer or claims management company, and a family member or friend can help.

If an insurer says a misrepresentation was deliberate or reckless, the Ombudsman needs it to show why. If it isn't satisfied, it's likely to treat the misrepresentation as careless. On a critical illness claim, the Ombudsman checks that the insurer followed the ABI guidelines and was clear about what the policy covers. If it decides the illness meets the policy definition, it can tell the insurer to pay the claim with interest.

To start a complaint with the Ombudsman, see the Financial Ombudsman Service's page on how to complain.

Before you start, check who owns the policy, which documents the insurer needs and whether premiums must continue.

1. Check the policy documents and any trust deed If the policy is in trust, the trustees are its legal owners. They keep the trust deed and make the claim.
2. Search bank statements and ask employers about workplace cover Regular payments to an insurer might mean there's a policy in place. Aviva also suggests asking the HR department at the person's employer whether they had workplace life cover.
3. Check whether a policy covers the mortgage If a mortgage lender wants payments to continue during probate, GOV.UK suggests checking for a life assurance or mortgage protection policy. Citizens Advice says to write to the provider for a final statement.
4. Keep paying premiums for now Royal London and Scottish Widows both ask for premiums to keep being paid while the claim goes through.
5. Leave a clear list for your own family If you're planning ahead for your own cover, MoneyHelper suggests making sure your executor has a full list of your insurance policies, account numbers and provider contact details.