What to do when a Berkshire Hathaway Life account holder dies
Report the death to Berkshire Hathaway Life's Annuities & Structured Settlements Department at 1-402-916-3100
A death claim on a Berkshire Hathaway Life policy is filed through the Annuities & Structured Settlements Department (1-402-916-3100). Because insurance proceeds pass directly to named beneficiaries, this process is separate from probate. The required documentation and timeline vary by policy type.
The claim process can be initiated by phone at 1-402-916-3100 or by sending documentation to annuities@bhstructures.com. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and the death certificate available when making initial contact.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Berkshire Hathaway Life:
Filing a claim
- Send current mailing addresses for the contingent payees or beneficiaries in the same package; payments stay on hold until BHLN has both
- BHLN sends no annual statements, so the contract is the only document showing the remaining payment schedule
Required Documents
- Certified copy of the death certificate"A copy of a certified death certificate will be required before processing the change."
- Contract/File number and the payee's full legal name and date of death
- Current mailing addresses for the contingent payees or beneficiariesPayments stay on hold without them.
- Government-issued photo ID, for each claiming beneficiary
- Claim forms issued by BHLNIncluding claimant identification and payment election.
- Direct Deposit Authorization Form (SS-400), if payment is to be made electronically
- Form W-9, or Form W-4P, W-4P where the payments are taxable
- Notarized signature, where the claimant's signature is not already verified in BHLN's recordsBHLN verifies every signature against its file, and may have none for someone paid as a beneficiary or who was a minor when the agreement was finalized.
- Copy of the trust agreement, trustee identification and the trust EIN, if a trust is the beneficiaryBHLN will not issue payments to a trust without a copy of the trust agreement in its records.
- Guardianship or other legally acceptable fiduciary documentation, if a beneficiary is a minor
- Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration, if the estate is the beneficiary or is directing the claimBHLN acts on "direction from the Executor of the Estate" in that case.
Forms Berkshire Hathaway Life issues2
- Claim forms for claimant identification, payment election and tax withholding
Sent by the institution on request.1
- Benefits Request (form SS-511, 7-2022), for a redacted copy of the annuity contract or reinsurance agreement
Completed by the payee, the payee's legal guardian, or a parent of a minor payee. Available to download.2
What happens to each kind of account1
- Annuity
Remaining certain payments go to the primary beneficiaries living at the payee's death; if none survive, to the contingent beneficiaries; if no named beneficiary survives, to the payee's estate. Life-contingent payments, payable only while the annuitant is alive, stop at death and pass to no one.1
Where the payee named no beneficiary and the settlement agreement allowed one, BH Structures says "in most circumstances, your beneficiary will be your estate," which "will require estate administration and probate proceedings in a probate court, possibly delaying distribution to beneficiaries of your estate."1
State requirements Berkshire Hathaway Life statesMassachusetts
- Massachusetts
Massachusetts residents must send documents through the encrypted email system or the secure fax.1
Accounts handled elsewhere2
What Berkshire Hathaway Life's agreement and guidance say5
- What it does when notified
"Following receipt of notification of a Payee's death, all payments will be held until receipt of a death certificate and current address information for contingent payees or direction from the Executor of the Estate, as applicable."3
- Telling the institution
Prompt notice lets BHLN stop payments "to prevent any overpayments that will need to be recouped from the beneficiary or estate."3
- How proceeds are paid
"If the annuity contract includes a commutation endorsement, the commutation payment will be calculated and paid in accordance with the terms of the endorsement."3
- Payment to a minor or incapacitated beneficiary
Payments are never issued payable to a minor. A minor beneficiary needs guardianship or other legally acceptable fiduciary documentation.1
- What it says about taxes
BH Structures says payments from a personal physical injury or workers compensation settlement are generally not taxable and generate no annual tax documents, while payments arising from anything else are reported annually on Form 1099-MISC.1
Sources3
Standard claims are typically processed within 10-15 business days.
Berkshire Hathaway Life's Annuities & Structured Settlements Department can be reached by phone at 1-402-916-3100, email at annuities@bhstructures.com, and fax at 1-866-262-9342 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Berkshire Hathaway Life primary sources (17 pages reviewed). How we research.
Berkshire Hathaway Life death claims support
Annuities & Structured Settlements Department (notice of payee death)
Phone
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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