How do you claim life insurance after someone passes away? (UK)

1 October 2026 · Inherit Vault

Claiming on a life insurance policy is usually simpler than people fear. The insurer mainly needs to know who has passed away and which policy it is. How fast the money arrives often comes down to one choice made years ago, which is whether the policy was put in trust.

First, find the policy

You can't claim on a policy nobody knows about. The quickest clue is often a bank statement. A monthly Direct Debit to an insurer is a strong hint. Legal & General will even accept the Direct Debit reference if you don't have the policy number. Aviva says not to worry if you don't have a policy number, as it can usually find the customer's details. If you're not sure there's a policy at all, our guide to finding a lost life insurance policy walks through the tracing routes.

What the insurer will ask you

Each insurer has its own form, but the questions are much the same. Legal & General's list is a good example. It asks for the policy number or the Direct Debit reference. It wants the full name of the person who has passed away, and the date and place they passed away. It asks for the cause too, if you know it. It then asks for your name and how you're related, and the legal next of kin if you know them. For its over 50s plans, it asks for a copy of the death certificate up front.

What happens after you claim

Legal & General says it'll carry out some basic checks on the policy first. It may ask for a death certificate or more details about what happened. It might also contact the GP or the coroner. Aviva says it may need details from the death certificate or the grant of probate. None of this means anything is wrong. It's the insurer checking the policy pays out to the right people.

You can often start online

Both of the big insurers here let you start online. Legal & General says its online route is the fastest way to claim, and you can upload documents and track progress. Aviva lets you fill in an online form or call. You'll find the bereavement contacts for Legal & General, Aviva and many others in our insurance and pensions list.

The big question: was it in trust?

This is the part that decides how long you wait. Legal & General explains it plainly. If a policy was written in trust, the payout usually sits outside the estate. That means probate may not be needed before the money is paid. Without a trust, it says the people who'll inherit may have to wait for probate before the money can be shared out. We've covered how trusts work in plain English if the idea is new to you.

How to tell if it was in trust

There may be a trust form in with the policy papers. It'll name the trustees. Legal & General says trustees can be family members, friends or a legal professional. If you can't find a form, ask the insurer. It can tell you whether the policy was written in trust.

Why the trust matters for tax too

GOV.UK lists life insurance payouts among the things to count when you value an estate. Legal & General says a payout from a policy in trust will usually not form part of the estate for inheritance tax. It adds that tax may still be due in some cases. GOV.UK sets the main tax-free threshold at £325,000, and Legal & General notes the standard rate above it is 40%.* So if the estate is close to the limit, check before you assume.

Joint policies

Some couples take out one policy between them. Legal & General says that if you're named on a joint policy, you can claim through your own online account. That includes where the other person on the policy has passed away.

Don't forget cover through work

Some people have life cover through their job and don't think of it as a policy. MoneyHelper says a death-in-service lump sum is often a multiple of the person's salary, if they were still working for that employer. It's paid through the employer's scheme, so ask the employer or the pension scheme. We've covered death in service and final pay in more detail.

How the payout itself works

Once the claim is accepted, the money goes to whoever the policy says. With a trust, that's the trustees, who pass it to the people it was meant for. Without one, it goes to the executor as part of the estate. Our post on how life insurance payouts work covers what happens next.

A claim is much quicker when the family knows who the insurer is and has the policy number. Knowing whether it's in trust helps even more. Writing that down takes a few minutes. Inherit Vault is one quiet place to keep it, next to everything else your family will need.

*Correct at the time of writing, 29 September 2026. These can change, so check with the organisation before you rely on them.

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