Death Claim: Documents Required For A Life Insurance Claim

By | February 19, 2019

We’ve listed down the general procedure and the documents nominees need to make a claim.

Death-Claim-Documents-Required-For-A-life-Insurance-Claim

About six months ago, Vijay passed away in an accident. He had invested in a Life Insurance policy of Rs. 80 lakhs, but his wife, Rani, has still not been able to claim this amount since she has no idea about the death claim process or the required documents.

Life is unpredictable. And death is unavoidable. The ugly part of death is that it affects one’s family – both emotionally and financially. The loss of a loved one can scar individuals for a long time.

Ensure that your dependents are financially sorted after your demise by getting Life Insurance early in your life. After all, you wouldn’t want your loved ones to suffer (at least financially) after your death, right?

Additional Reading: Life Insurance Buyer’s Checklist #In60Seconds

What is Life Insurance?

It can be defined as a contract between the insurance company and the insured individual or life assured wherein the former agrees to pay a lump-sum amount to the insured’s nominees after the insured’s death. The insured will be paying a defined premium every month to the insurance company for this service. In short, a Life Insurance policy is protection from financial losses that result from an insured’s sudden death.

Additional Reading: Term Life Insurance-A Necessity

Life Insurance claims are classified under two categories – maturity claims and death claims.

As a nominee, it is important for you to understand the claim process and know the required documents unless you want to be in Rani’s state. So, we’ve listed down the general procedure and the essential documents needed to make a death claim. However, please note that the exact documents required for a death claim could vary from insurer to insurer.

Additional Reading: 5 Things To Do If You’re Not Happy With Your Life Insurance Policy

Death claim

When an insured dies during the term of the policy – that is, the policy hasn’t matured – then their beneficiary can claim the proceeds. This claim is referred to as a ‘death claim’ or a ‘Life Insurance claim’.

How to make a death claim

The first and most important step is informing the insurance company of the death of the insured. There are two classifications for death according to insurance companies – an ‘early death’ and a ‘non-early death’. These are based on the time from when the policy was taken.

Early death is one wherein the insured dies within three years of having taken the policy. The documents necessary for claiming insurance for the two types of death can vary. Approach the insurance company and obtain the claim intimation form. At the same time, you could also ask them for the necessary documents that you need to produce for the claim. For online insurance policies, you can apply online for the form.

Document checklist

Generally, a death claim would require these documents:

  • The death certificate
  • Original policy documents
  • ID proof of the beneficiary
  • Age proof of insurer
  • Discharge form (executed and witnessed)
  • Medical certificate (as proof of the cause of death)
  • Police FIR (in case of unnatural death)
  • Post-mortem report (in case of unnatural death)
  • Hospital records/certificate (if the deceased died due to an illness)
  • Cremation certificate and employer certificate (in case of early death)

As a claimant, you should make the insurance claim immediately following the death of the insured. Ensure that you have all the necessary documents with you too.

Additional Reading: Your Guide To Accidental Death & Disability Riders

With all of the above in order, the whole process of claiming Life Insurance should be fairly smooth.

All information including news articles and blogs published on this website are strictly for general information purpose only. BankBazaar does not provide any warranty about the authenticity and accuracy of such information. BankBazaar will not be held responsible for any loss and/or damage that arises or is incurred by use of such information. Rates and offers as may be applicable at the time of applying for a product may vary from that mentioned above. Please visit www.bankbazaar.com for the latest rates/offers.

71 thoughts on “Death Claim: Documents Required For A Life Insurance Claim

  1. Nitin

    What is Process the of Driver Death And When His Family Got Payment For Insurance Company .What Is The Criteria ?

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Nitin,

      Sorry for your loss. But to claim insurance you will need to provide these documents:

      The death certificate
      Original policy documents
      ID proof of the beneficiary
      Age proof of insurer
      Discharge form (executed and witnessed)
      Medical certificate (as proof for cause of death)
      Police FIR (in case of unnatural death)
      Postmortem report (in case of unnatural death)
      Hospital records/certificate (if the deceased died due to an illness)
      Cremation certificate and employer certificate (in case of early death)
      As a claimant, you should make the insurance claim immediately following the death of the insured. Ensure that you have all the necessary documents with you too.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  2. Anil

    Is original copy of death certificate is required or attested copy is good enough for claim?
    If original certificate is required, how to handle when death person has multiple policies as Govt. officials/Hospitals will not provide multiple death certificate for a case?

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Anil,

      A photocopy of the death certificate should be sufficient to claim insurance. However, to be on the safe side, check with the insurance company before you submit any documents to them.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
      1. Team BankBazaar

        Hi Sameer

        Thanks for the suggestion. Keep writing in.

        Cheers,
        Team BankBazaar

        Reply
  3. Alexander

    I recently got a call from a LIC cancellation team advising about a policy my grand mother had taken and had matured. My grand mother died several years back and none were aware of this policy. Since my mum was nominated on the policy, we understand LIC Mumbai were trying to contact us and finally found me. They have asked for a NOC to allow a chartered accountant prepare some documents, which would allow my mum to claim the amount. They have also asked for some Rs 20K to be paid, stating that Rs 18K would be refunded. I’m not sure if this is a process, as they have not asked for any death certificate or anything else to prove the nominee is infact my mom.

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Alexander,

      We would love to help you, but since your question is specific in nature, we suggest that you take the help of your legal counsel.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  4. Raj

    One of our employee died in a accident recently. His wife is a good friend of my wife. The employee had taken a term insurance plan before 4 years of 2 corers rupees. Now, since the wife of decent is in great shock and had goan in depression, my wife had urge me to help her to get the claim amount.
    Now we had all the necessary documents like claim form, policy broucher, Post mortem report, Police pancnama etc etc.
    I had following queries for claiming the above insurance.
    1) As the term insurance was taken online, can we make claim in the insurance local office in our city.
    2) If yes, then while submitting the original policy document , do we get any acknowledgement slip as a proof that we had made the claim & we had submitted all the related documents.
    we were thinking of keeping the photocopy of all the documents and taking necessary signature of officer of insurance company, along with stamp in all the documents as office copy .

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Raj,

      The claim process will differ based on the company that issued the policy. Some insurance companies allow you to make the claim online while others require the claim to be handed over to the local insurance office. We suggest that you speak to the customer care of the insurance firm to find out. Insurance companies do give you an acknowledgement receipt when you file claims. It is a good idea to keep a photocopy of all the documents that you submit as well.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
    2. Ashok chaudhari

      Hi.. Raj..
      what is status for now about claim settlement. can you give me call or please share your number. 9879112088

      Reply
  5. rahul sharma

    i want to make an insurance but the company in which i want to have no office here. so will it be a good idea to go with the same or i should look for an alternative. secondly if at the time of death if post mortem is not done then whether the company will give claim? and thirdly is it safe to invest in private companies who have no office in your state and otherwise too , are private companies safe?

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Rahul, It’s best to do a little research and shop for the best rates before you zero in on a specific company to buy insurance from. Based on your eligibility and preferences, you can check out the best insurance plans here. A postmortem report is required only when the cause of death is unnatural. If the cause of death is natural, it won’t be required. Private companies are safe for investments, but it’s advisable to carry out some due diligence before going ahead. Cheers, Team BankBazaar.

      Reply
  6. Sandeep

    Is employer certificate necessary in case of early natural death.what if the person had lost his job before death?

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar Post author

      Hi Sandeep, An employer certificate is required only if the deceased was an employee at the time of death. If he/she lost his/her job before his/her death, it wouldn’t be required. Cheers, Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  7. yogesh

    If lic policy holder death, bank loan also clear but reassigned not done than who is claim ??? (Nominee or bank)

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Yogesh, As far as we know, if there is no lien on the policy, the nominee can get the proceeds. Please do check with your legal counsel. Cheers, Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  8. jeetesh

    hi, this is only for my knowledge if suppose the insurer dies at home due to xyz reason, there is no illness and without any treatment he passes away, in that case what proof is accepted for claiming the insured amount from LIC ?

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Jeetesh, Death certificate along with original policy documents, ID proof and age-proof of the deceased would suffice. If the insurance company requests for any other documents, kindly submit them too. Cheers, Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  9. SURENDRA vadlamudi

    Hi, i am planing to take term insurence, i was checking settlement ratio, and got scared by seeing some of the companies ratio is lessthan 95%.
    1. If it is pending bec of documents it is fine, but other than that what will be the reason to decline?
    2. I heard there is a rule introduced by indian govt, if a insurer paid insurence for 3 years – then there is no right to rejec the claim, is it true? or any conditions are there in that rule also?

    Thank you in advance.

    Reply
    1. SURENDRA vadlamudi

      and also as Icici prudential and HDFC came o public(share market), will that improve the claim ratio going forward for these?

      Reply
      1. Team BankBazaar

        Hi Surendra, As far as we know, both ICICI Prudential and HDFC insurance plans have a good settlement ratio of above 96.5%. Cheers, Team BankBazaar

        Reply
    2. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Surendra, Allow us to answer your queries one by one.
      1) Pending documents, fraud, non-disclosure and misstatements by policyholders can be reasons for insurers to not settle claims.
      2) However, IRDAI has brought about the rule that insurers cannot reject claims if the policy has been active for more than 3 years. If they suspect any fraud or non-disclosures, they have to get to the root of the problem before the 3-year window. Post the deadline, no further action can be taken on the policy.
      Hope we’ve cleared your doubts. Cheers, Team BankBazaar

      Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Ashim, Kindly approach your insurer for the same. Cheers, Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  10. Ashok chaudhari

    Hi… can anybody here who have experienced in process of claim settled or rejected of term insurance.
    I need to purchase term insurance policy and want to know some details reasons for rejection of claim.

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Ashok, What would you like to know about claim rejections? Cheers, Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  11. Dipesh

    Hello There

    We are facing a very critical situations as one of our family members has left us recently. We are having 2-3 bank accounts, mutual funds, 4 life insurance policies and few endowment / money back plan and also post office PLI accounts.

    We get 1 original death certificate. Now all the above companies are asking for original death certificate and they are not accepting true copy either. How can someone has 15-20 original death certificates. Is there any court order or any IRDA Norms which we can provide them that they cannot legally ask for original death certificate.

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Dipesh,

      Not everybody will ask for the original death certificate. Mutual funds and banks will accept an attested photocopy or duly notarized photocopy of the death certificate. Please check with them.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  12. Suresh Thakur

    Sir If all documents are given except medical records as they are lost , is there any other procedure…must reply bcoz they r asking for medical treatment documents.

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Suresh,

      Usually, insurance companies ask for the death certificate in case you are trying to claim Life Insurance proceeds. For Health Insurance claims, medical records will be needed.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  13. Santosh mishra

    Hi sir, My father passed away in a road accident while returning to office it happened in the month of May, he has a LIC insurance and my mother is a nominee so how can we apply for the amount and what are the required documents.

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Santosh mishra,

      We are so sorry for your loss. Here is the checklist of documents that you need to make a claim:

      The death certificate
      Original policy documents
      ID proof of the beneficiary
      Age proof of insurer
      Discharge form (executed and witnessed)
      Medical certificate (as proof of cause of death)
      Police FIR (in case of unnatural death)
      Post-mortem report (in case of unnatural death)
      Hospital records/certificate (if the deceased died due to an illness)
      Cremation certificate and employer certificate (in case of early death)

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  14. Sunita

    gvr insurance brokers Pvt Ltd company is approved by irdai so it’s all branches also trustable or not

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Sunita,

      Yes the branches of an approved insurance company are trustworthy.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  15. Prem PRADHAN

    In my mother’s lic policy agent wrong my date of birth as I am the nominees. It is important or not to change my date of birth.

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Prem PRADHAN,

      It is always good to have the right details/information furnished on any documents. Please get in touch with the respective LIC agent to get this sorted.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  16. Surendra Singh

    If original policy not traced because the same was held with person which is got death on 09 Sep 2018. Please intimated what next action which next of kin of that people can get the insurance claim.

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Surendra,

      We suggest that you get in touch with the insurance company to check if the policy was mailed or if there is a digital copy.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  17. LAXMIKANTH

    Hai sir my elder brother passed away in the year 2016 dec ….my question is…can I claim the insurance amount now …he died due to an accident….I was studying till now and I dont even know that insurance can be claimed through PMJDY accounts that I and my brother have opened zero accounts in 2015(sbi zeroa/c) I have all the requirements that are required for claiming insurance as u mentioned above.. plz help me what’s the process to claim

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Laxmikanth,

      While it is essential that you make the death claim as soon the death of your near one, in this special case, you will need to check with the insurer if you can still make the claim now. The documents that you may need are spelt out in this post. You will also need to get a claim intimation form from the insurer. Get in touch with your insurer immediately to resolve the matter at the earliest.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  18. Muthu Kumar

    Hi, My father passed away recently, and we got to know that he has applied in LIC Insurance . When we got to know about the insurance and reached the company they said he had not the last two months premium. But they said us to provide the required document but still, I am worried that will the last two-month non-payment create an issue or will they reduce the maturity amount. So Can you please help me out with it?

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Muthu,

      We’re sorry to hear about your father’s passing. It is possible that non-payment of the last two premiums may reduce your total payout but this query can be best answered by the insurance company. Please get in touch with them as soon as possible.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  19. Mr. Nilesh

    Hii Team BankBazaar….You doing a great job to aware people about Insurance related queries.
    For my knowledge, let me know
    If suppose someone avail the term insurance while he or she was fit n fine. And after 5 to 10 years he or she became died due to any illness.. so can the insurer reject the claim by saying this that Insurance buyer did not tell us the truth about his or her health condition ?
    My another question is if someone who has a Term Insurance Policy got operated because of any illnesses…should he or she tell about this medical scenario to the Insurer. Or It is Not necessarily ?

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Nilesh,

      Whenever you’re buying Term Insurance or Health Insurance, you will need to disclose your pre-existing illnesses to your insurer. However, if you don’t have any but get diagnosed with one a couple of years after purchasing the policy, you can still claim insurance. Please check your policy terms and conditions carefully to see if such disease falls under exclusions in the policy.
      Coming to your second question, if you’ve undergone any surgery that doesn’t fall in the exclusions category for your insurance policy, you will need to intimate your insurer about it.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  20. Suraj Rai

    Hi,

    My dad pass away due to illness in hospital, he had a LIC’s New Money Back Plan – 20 years policy, we paid the premium for only 2 and half years, are we eligible to apply for claim or can we get any money back since we paid only for 2 and half years.

    Again my question is are we eligible to get any kind of money from this insurance ? my mom is a nominee.

    Thank you!

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Suraj,

      Most likely, you will not be eligible for the Term Insurance payout since you have not fulfilled the entire term of payment. Please check with your insurance company regarding this.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  21. gandhi vadde

    My Mom and Dad expired on 19/06/2020 and 21/06/2020 respectively.
    They each have LIC policies, they are cross nominees for each.
    We are three children for them. Now what will be the process and required documents for claim

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Vadde Gandhi,

      If your parents were nominees of each other’s LIC policies, you won’t be able to file a claim for either of it. Hope this helps.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  22. MAHESH MALI

    CAN I BUY TWO TERM PLAN FROM TWO DIFFERENT COMPANIES. ANY PROBLEM TO SETTLE THE CLAIM WHEN POLICYHOLDER DIED

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Mahesh,

      Yes, you can surely buy two term plans from two different companies. There shouldn’t be any problem in settling the claim as long as all the guidelines in terms of payment of premium are maintained.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  23. nirmala

    New jeevan anand policy completed 3 years.After 3 years policyholder died in accident.The policy is not in force.its cover accident benefit amount or not

    Reply
  24. Sangram

    Sir ,I am sangram. My brother -in-law passed away due to disease. I want to know the time duration of death claim.Within how many days I can apply the death claim.

    Reply
  25. Nikhil Pardeshi

    Hi team I had purchase 2 term insurance from Kotak bank is there any problem in future if some happen with me and either from 2 claim I will get 1

    Reply
  26. Dharamshi J Patel

    Hi Team,,

    Please Time frame limit of different insurance company wise for filling life term insurance?

    What is the time frame within which the claim has to be reported to the Company?

    Regards
    Dharamshi

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Dharamshi,

      The time frame differs from one insurer to insurer but it’s best to file the claim within two weeks of the incident.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  27. Debasish

    I purchased two term plan both 4years ago but when I purchased second term plan I forgot to disclose the existing policy details. Now my question is that can my nominee will face any problems at the time of claim ??

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Debasish,

      If your claim amount is within the sum assured offered by your policy, your other policy details won’t be taken into consideration. However, in case your claim amount exceeds the sum assured, a contribution clause will be invoked whereby the payout that needs to be made by both the insurers will need to be taken into consideration.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
      1. Debasish

        I purchased both term plan 50l each and both are in force condition. I didn’t understand how claim amount exceed the sum assured? My nominee will claim 50l from each if something happened. When I purchased second term plan I forgot to mention the existing policy details because at that time my first policy not issued. Can my nominee will get benifit from those two different companies?

        Reply
  28. Rahul

    Hello Sir,

    In term insurance proposal form company made mistake and mentioned my height wrong, so will that affect at the time of claim

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Vrejendra,

      You’ll need to check with the insurer is there is a time limit for claiming the LIC policy although now might be a good time to file for it as long as you have all the documents necessary to file the claim.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply
  29. Ravi Reddy

    Hi Team,

    My father passed away in Jan 2020. Is there a time limit at LIC for claiming the polcy?

    Reply
    1. Team BankBazaar

      Hi Ravi,

      You’ll need to check with the insurer is there is a time limit for claiming the LIC policy although now might be a good time to file for it as long as you have all the documents necessary to file the claim.

      Cheers,
      Team BankBazaar

      Reply

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