What to do when a Bankers Life account holder dies
Contact Bankers Life's Life Claims Department — 8-step process, 7 required documents, and life insurance claims are typically paid within 10 days after all required documentation is received and the claim is approved. delays may occur if the policy is within the two-year contestability period, documentation is incomplete, or circumstances of death require investigation.
Bankers Life Customer Service
Phone1-800-621-3724
Fax1-312-324-5060
Mailing Address
Bankers Life and Casualty Company, 303 E. Wacker Dr., Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60601
General Inquiries
Non-Claim Inquiries
Life Policy Inquiries
Annuity Inquiries
New York Residents (Bankers Conseco)
Bankers Life Securities & Advisory Services
WebsiteLearn more→
Life Claims Department
Phone1-800-621-3724
Fax1-312-396-6629
Mailing Address
Bankers Life and Casualty Company, Life Claims Department, PO Box 1937, Carmel, IN 46082-1937
Life Policy Claims
Annuity Claims
WebsiteLearn more→
Life Claims Department
Phone1-800-773-4760
Fax1-312-396-6629
Mailing Address
Bankers Life and Casualty Company, Life Claims Department, PO Box 1937, Carmel, IN 46082-1937
Life Policy Claims
Annuity Claims
General Inquiries
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified May 2026
Filing a death claim on a Bankers Life policy begins with notifying the Life Claims Department at 1-800-773-4760. 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.
Bankers Life provides an online portal for initiating death claims, which can simplify the initial notification and document submission process. Claims can also be started by phone or by mailing the required documents.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at Bankers Life:
Filing a claim
1
Locate the Bankers Life policy documents and note the policy number
2
Obtain certified copies of the death certificate from the local vital records office
3
Contact your Bankers Life agent or call 800-621-3724 to report the death and initiate the claim
4
Request the appropriate claim form:
- Life Insurance Claim form (Form BLC-002) from your agent, by calling customer service, or download from my.bankerslife.com/forms
- For annuity death benefits, Annuity Death Benefit Claim Form (Form BLC-AA114SC)
5
Complete the claim form with policy and deceased information
6
Gather required supporting documents:
- Certified death certificate
- Beneficiary identification (government-issued photo ID)
- If a trust is the beneficiary, trust documents and trustee identification
7
Submit the completed claim package by mail or fax:
- Mail to: Bankers Life and Casualty Company, Life & Annuity Claims, PO Box 1937, Carmel, IN 46082-1937
- Or fax to: 312-396-6629
8
Bankers Life will review the claim and contact you if additional information is needed
Required Documents
- Completed Life Insurance Claim form (Form BLC-002) or Annuity Death Benefit Claim Form (Form BLC-AA114SC)
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the beneficiary
- Policy or contract number and deceased's information
- Original policy or contract, or a signed Certificate of Lost Policy if the original cannot be located
- Trust or estate documents and trustee ID (if a trust or estate is the beneficiary)
- Completed Medical Authorization Form and provider history (if policy is within the two-year contestability period)
Life and annuity death claims are submitted by mail or fax to the Life & Annuity Claims department (PO Box 1937, Carmel, IN 46082-1937; fax 312-396-6629). The online document upload at bankerslife.com/service-support/document-upload is currently limited to long-term care and short-term care claims and does not accept life or annuity death claim documents. For long-term care claims, the mailing address is PO Box 1902, Carmel, IN 46082-1902, fax 312-396-5952. For supplemental health claims, PO Box 1936, Carmel, IN 46082-1936, fax 312-396-5951. Contact your local Bankers Life agent for personalized assistance with the claims process.
Processing timelines at Bankers Life: Life insurance claims are typically paid within 10 days after all required documentation is received and the claim is approved. Delays may occur if the policy is within the two-year contestability period, documentation is incomplete, or circumstances of death require investigation. Incomplete documentation is the most common cause of delays—submitting all required documents with the initial claim helps avoid additional processing time.
Bankers Life requires several documents to process a claim, including Completed Life Insurance Claim form (Form BLC-002) or Annuity Death Benefit Claim Form (Form BLC-AA114SC), Certified death certificate, and Government-issued photo ID for the beneficiary, 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
Yes. An ILIT can own a Bankers Life life insurance policy, removing the death benefit from the grantor's taxable estate. The trust can own the policy from inception, or an existing policy can be transferred to the trust via an assignment of ownership form, subject to a three-year lookback rule under IRC Section 2035. Once transferred, the grantor permanently relinquishes control. Bankers Life does not establish ILITs; work with an estate attorney to create one.
No. Medicare supplement insurance, long-term care insurance, critical illness insurance, and hospital indemnity insurance policies cannot be retitled to a trust. These policies provide benefits to the insured during their lifetime and do not have a transferable death benefit. Only life insurance policies and annuities can be named with a trust as beneficiary or owned by a trust.
No. Bankers Life's online document upload at bankerslife.com/service-support/document-upload is currently limited to long-term care and short-term care insurance claims. Life insurance and annuity death claims must be filed by mail or fax: send the completed Life Insurance Claim Form (BLC-002) or Annuity Death Benefit Claim Form (BLC-AA114SC) with a certified death certificate to the Life & Annuity Claims department at PO Box 1937, Carmel, IN 46082-1937, or fax 312-396-6629.
Bankers Life's Life Claims Department can be reached by phone at 1-800-773-4760 and fax at 1-312-396-6629 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple Bankers Life policies, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Life Claims Department can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Bankers Life Customer Service
Phone1-800-621-3724
Fax1-312-324-5060
Mailing Address
Bankers Life and Casualty Company, 303 E. Wacker Dr., Suite 500, Chicago, IL 60601
General Inquiries
Non-Claim Inquiries
Life Policy Inquiries
Annuity Inquiries
New York Residents (Bankers Conseco)
Bankers Life Securities & Advisory Services
WebsiteLearn more→
Life Claims Department
Phone1-800-621-3724
Fax1-312-396-6629
Mailing Address
Bankers Life and Casualty Company, Life Claims Department, PO Box 1937, Carmel, IN 46082-1937
Life Policy Claims
Annuity Claims
WebsiteLearn more→
Life Claims Department
Phone1-800-773-4760
Fax1-312-396-6629
Mailing Address
Bankers Life and Casualty Company, Life Claims Department, PO Box 1937, Carmel, IN 46082-1937
Life Policy Claims
Annuity Claims
General Inquiries
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified May 2026
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