How to Find Out if Someone Has a Life Insurance Policy

If a loved one has passed away, you might be wondering whether they had a life insurance policy. Fortunately, there are several ways you can find out if someone had life insurance, including using life insurance policy locators and contacting their insurance company. Read on to learn how you can determine if a spouse, parent, sibling, or someone else you loved has a life insurance policy with a death benefit you may be entitled to.

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Who can request information about someone’s life insurance policy?

Once a policyholder has passed away, life insurance companies must protect their privacy. This can make it a bit of a challenge to find out if a loved one has a policy. The good news is that there are certain people that can ask for information about someone else’s life insurance. Typically, these people include:

Next of kin
Executors of the deceased’s estate
Those who have been appointed by the court to manage the deceased’s affairs

Ways to find out if someone has life insurance

Here are some common ways to determine if someone has a life insurance policy:

Use life insurance policy locators

There are several life insurance policy locators you can use to look for unclaimed life insurance policies, such as a deceased parent’s policy. Depending on your state of residence, you could search for a policy through the Department of Insurance website. You may also want to explore the  National Association of Insurance Commissioners, MissingMoney.com, and the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators.¹

Contact your family and friends

You can always speak to other surviving family members and friends, as they might know about a life insurance policy you’ve never heard about. The deceased may have mentioned it to them at some point.²

Contact the life insurance company

If you know which life insurer issued your loved one’s life insurance policy, don’t hesitate to contact them directly. Explain your situation, provide proof that you’re the beneficiary listed, and ask them how you can proceed.¹

What you’ll need to find someone’s life insurance policy

To find someone’s life insurance policy, you may need to provide the following information:

Full legal name of the deceased
Date of birth of the deceased
Social Security number of the deceased
Your relationship to the deceased
Your address¹

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How to find out whether you’re a beneficiary of someone’s life insurance policy

An insurer will likely contact you if you’re a beneficiary on a life insurance policy. In the event you have the legal authority to review the deceased’s financial paperwork or ask for a copy of the policy, you may also find out if you’re a beneficiary. If a loved one passed away and you don’t know who their beneficiaries were, you should take the time to look for their policy so that the death benefit gets claimed.

How to make a life insurance claim

If you find out you’re the beneficiary of your loved one’s life insurance policy, you’ll have to file a claim to collect the death benefit. Here are the steps to do so:²

1. Get a certified copy of the death certificate from the Department of Health³ or funeral director.

2. Contact the life insurance company.

3. Fill out the life insurance claim form.

4. Send the death certificate and claim form to the insurer.

What happens to the payout if no one makes a life insurance claim?

Life insurance companies are usually required to contact policy beneficiaries if the policyholder passes away. If they can’t find them or get a hold of them, however, insurers will eventually transfer the money from the life insurance policy to the state. Every state has a database of unclaimed property, and if someone discovers unpaid life insurance proceeds, they can request these funds from the state. The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators is a good place to look for policies that might have been paid to the state.²

Learn more about life insurance

There are several ways to find out if someone has life insurance. If you currently have a life insurance policy, it’s important to keep loved ones up to speed. Let them know what company you’ve chosen, who the beneficiaries are, and what the type of policy entails. This can help ensure that your beneficiaries receive the death benefit if you pass away.

You can visit Aflac’s life insurance advice page to learn more about how life insurance policies work. If you’re interested in applying for a policy, Aflac offers term and whole life insurance with enhanced coverage for you and your loved ones. Start chatting with an agent and get a quote today.

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