What to do when a Kemper account holder dies

Often not. Two Kemper documents interact here. Form C-0013 provides that if no named beneficiary is living at the insured's death, the proceeds are payable to the insured's ESTATE — which normally means probate. But Kemper publishes its own notarized Small Estate Affidavit that lets heirs collect those proceeds without opening an estate. There are two versions: the general (adult) affidavit at https://www.kemper.com/sites/default/files/PDFs/Small%20Estate%20Affidavit%20-%20general.pdf, and a separate one used where the heir-at-law is a minor at https://www.kemper.com/sites/default/files/PDFs/Small%20Estate%20Affidavit%20-%20minor.pdf. The affiant swears before a notary that the decedent left no will, that no petition for a personal representative is pending or has been granted, that 30 days have elapsed since the death, that the entire estate is under the applicable state small-estate dollar limit, that funeral and last-illness expenses have been paid, and that every heir-at-law is listed. The affiant also indemnifies the Kemper Life company against any loss arising from the payment. Both forms are on Kemper's life forms page at https://www.kemper.com/my-policy/resources/Life-resources. The dollar limit and the waiting period are set by your state, not by Kemper, so check your state's small-estate threshold before filing.

The Kemper Life Legacy™ Graded Death Benefit policy pays a restricted benefit if the insured dies within the first two policy years (typically a return of premiums, not the full face amount). For estate plans that rely on the full death benefit to fund a trust, cover estate taxes, or pay final expenses, this graded period means the policy should not be the sole liquidity source during the first two years. After two years, the full death benefit is payable to named beneficiaries or a trust without restriction. Consult an estate planning attorney when incorporating this product into an estate plan to account for the graded period.

Kemper Life policies are issued by four underwriting subsidiaries: The Reliable Life Insurance Company, United Insurance Company of America, Union National Life Insurance Company, and Mutual Savings Life Insurance Company. The issuing company name appears on the policy declarations page and matters for state insurance department complaints, but you do not need to know it to file: the eForms portal at https://kemper.exlservice.com/equotes/ handles policy changes, death claims, loan requests, and EFT authorization for all four underwriters — plus policies Kemper Life Insurance Services administers on behalf of Jackson National Life Insurance Company — and a single Claimant's Statement opens a claim on every applicable policy. Paper routes differ by document type: Form C-0013 (policy change, ownership assignment to an ILIT) is submitted to Kemper Life Insurance Services, 1350 Timberlake Manor Parkway, Suite 200, Chesterfield, MO 63017-6039, while Form C-0001 (Death Claim - Claimant's Statement) directs claim documents to 12115 Lackland Rd, St. Louis, MO 63146, with fax (314-819-4391) or email (lifm28@kemper.com) preferred. For status on an open claim call 800-777-1195; for all other policy service call 800-777-8467.