What to do when a Americo account holder dies
Contact Americo — 5-step process, 6 required documents, and varies by state; americo reviews submitted documents and the policy upon receipt of all required materials.
Policyholder Services
Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company, PO Box 410288, Kansas City, MO 64141-0288
Policyholder Services
Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company, PO Box 410288, Kansas City, MO 64141-0288
Claims Department
Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company, PO Box 410288, Kansas City, MO 64141-0288 (regular) / 300 W. 11th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105 (overnight)
Filing a death claim on a Americo policy begins with notifying the Claims Department at 1-816-641-2850. Life insurance claims are separate from probate—proceeds transfer directly to named beneficiaries regardless of whether the estate goes through court. The timeline and documentation requirements depend on the policy type and cause of death.
Death claims at Americo can be started through an online portal, which streamlines the initial notification and document upload. Phone and mail options are also available.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Americo:
Filing a claim
- Claimant's Statement completed by each beneficiary
- Death certificate with final cause and manner of death (certified copy required for policies of $150,000 or more)
- Original policy (if available)
- Trust documents or Certificate of Trust (if trust is named as beneficiary)
Required Documents
- Claimant's Statement (completed by each beneficiary; each beneficiary completes their own form)
- Death certificate with final cause and manner of death (certified copy required for policies of $150,000 or more)
- Original policy (if available)
- Government-issued photo identification for each beneficiary
- Trust documents or Certificate of Trust (if trust is named as beneficiary)
- Letters of administration or court appointment (if estate is beneficiary)
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Only one death certificate is needed regardless of the number of beneficiaries. For policies of $150,000 or more, a certified death certificate is required and a copy will not be accepted. Faxed documents are generally acceptable except for the original policy and certified death certificate. Each beneficiary must complete their own claim form/Claimant's Statement. On the annuity claim, approved proceeds are paid by check (mailed first class) or into an interest-bearing Financial Access Account (a draft account opened in the beneficiary's name); proceeds under $5,000 are paid by check. For a non-qualified deferred annuity where the owner dies before annuity payments begin, IRC 72(s) requires the death benefit to be distributed within five years of death, or paid over the beneficiary's life beginning within one year. A surviving spouse who is the sole beneficiary may instead continue the contract as the new owner (spousal continuation), preserving tax deferral. Qualified/IRA annuity death benefits follow the SECURE Act distribution rules for the account type.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Americo
Americo provides its own letter-of-instruction form. Answer a few questions and we complete that official form for you to print and sign.
Build your letter of instructionExpected timelines at Americo: Varies by state; Americo reviews submitted documents and the policy upon receipt of all required materials. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Americo requires several documents to process a claim, including Claimant's Statement (completed by each beneficiary; each beneficiary completes their own form), Death certificate with final cause and manner of death (certified copy required for policies of $150,000 or more), and Original policy (if available), and additional documentation depending on the account type. Certified copies are typically needed—photocopies are generally not accepted for death certificates or court documents.
Frequently asked questions
File the annuity death benefit using the Americo Annuity Claim Form (Form 24-039-2) with a death certificate and the original contract if available; the beneficiary chooses a lump-sum check or an interest-bearing Financial Access Account. For a non-qualified deferred annuity, IRC 72(s) requires the death benefit to be distributed within five years of the owner's death, or paid over the beneficiary's life beginning within one year. A surviving spouse named as sole beneficiary may instead continue the contract as the new owner (spousal continuation) and keep the tax deferral. If a trust is the beneficiary, the trustee completes the claim and submits the trust documents or a Certificate of Trust.
Yes. Americo life insurance policy ownership can be transferred to an ILIT using the Ownership Change Request form (Form 18-162-2). A Certificate of Trust and trustee identification are required. The three-year lookback rule applies: if the insured dies within three years of the ownership transfer, the death benefit may be included in the taxable estate for federal estate tax purposes.
Each beneficiary must complete their own Claimant's Statement (included in the claim form packet mailed by Americo). A death certificate with final cause and manner of death is required; for policies of $150,000 or more, a certified copy is required and a copy will not be accepted. The original policy should be submitted if available. If a trust is named as beneficiary, trust documents or a Certificate of Trust are required. If the estate is the beneficiary, Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration are needed. Only one death certificate is required regardless of the number of beneficiaries.
Americo's Claims Department can be reached by phone at 1-816-641-2850, email at claims.operations@americo.com, and fax at 1-800-395-9238 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Americo policies, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Claims Department can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from Americo primary sources (22 pages reviewed). How we research.
Policyholder Services
Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company, PO Box 410288, Kansas City, MO 64141-0288
Policyholder Services
Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company, PO Box 410288, Kansas City, MO 64141-0288
Claims Department
Americo Financial Life and Annuity Insurance Company, PO Box 410288, Kansas City, MO 64141-0288 (regular) / 300 W. 11th Street, Kansas City, MO 64105 (overnight)
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