What to do when a Nassau Life account holder dies
Contact Nassau Life — 6-step process, 9 required documents, and nassau states payment is usually made within 15 business days of receiving all requirements in good order, or sooner when required by law.
Nassau Service Center
Nassau, PO Box 22012, Albany, NY 12201-2012 (express mail: Nassau, 15 Tech Valley Drive, Suite 201, East Greenbush, NY 12061-4142)
Nassau Service Center
Nassau, PO Box 22012, Albany, NY 12201-2012 (express mail: Nassau, 15 Tech Valley Drive, Suite 201, East Greenbush, NY 12061-4142)
Nassau Claims
Nassau, PO Box 22012, Albany, NY 12201-2012 (express mail: Nassau, 15 Tech Valley Drive, Suite 201, East Greenbush, NY 12061-4142)
A death claim on a Nassau Life policy is filed through the Nassau Claims ((800) 814-3692). Because insurance proceeds pass directly to named beneficiaries, this process is separate from probate. The required documentation and timeline vary by policy type.
Nassau 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
The death claim process at Nassau Life works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Life policy, most states: FG11, https://formmanager2.nfg.com/wp-content/uploads/FG11.pdf
- Life policy in AK, FL, KS, MN, NH, or NY: FG11B, https://formmanager2.nfg.com/wp-content/uploads/FG11B.pdf
- Annuity contract, most states: FG14, https://formmanager2.nfg.com/wp-content/uploads/FG14.pdf
- Annuity contract in AK, FL, KS, MN, NH, or NY: FG14B, https://formmanager2.nfg.com/wp-content/uploads/FG14B.pdf
- Each beneficiary files their own Beneficiary Statement; only one certified death certificate is needed per claim
- Section A: the deceased's name, SSN, date of death, and cause and manner of death
- Section B: the beneficiary's physical street address (Nassau does not accept a P.O. Box as the physical address) and taxpayer ID; a trust or estate beneficiary supplies its TIN
- Section C: if the policy or contract cannot be found, complete the built-in Lost Policy/Contract Agreement rather than delaying the claim
- Section F: sign in the correct capacity and have a disinterested witness sign — a trustee attaches the Certification and Acknowledgement of Trust Agreement for Death Claim Settlement (OL4388A); an executor or administrator attaches a copy of the court appointment; a corporate officer attaches a Corporate Resolution
- Section G: claims of $5 million or greater additionally require the signature to be notarized
- It must show cause AND manner of death
- Death benefit over $500,000: an original certified death certificate is required
- Death benefit of $500,000 or less: a copy of a certified death certificate may be accepted
- A beneficiary receiving $5,000 or more is placed in the Concierge Account by default — a retained-asset account with a checkbook, not a bank account
- To take a single check instead, write that choice on the line in Section E; leaving it blank means the Concierge Account
- A beneficiary receiving less than $5,000 automatically receives a single check
Required Documents
- Completed Beneficiary Statement — FG11 (life) or FG14 (annuity), or FG11B / FG14B in AK, FL, KS, MN, NH, NY — all three pages, one per beneficiary, signed before a disinterested witness
- Certified death certificate showing cause and manner of death (original required when the benefit exceeds $500,000; a copy of a certified certificate may be accepted at $500,000 or less)
- Notarized signature page when the claim is $5 million or greater
- Original policy or annuity contract if it can be located; if it cannot, the Lost Policy/Contract Agreement built into the Beneficiary Statement (a missing policy does not delay the claim)
- Certification and Acknowledgement of Trust Agreement for Death Claim Settlement (OL4388A), plus the operative trust documents if requested, when a trust is the beneficiary
- Copy of the court appointment — letters testamentary or letters of administration — when the estate is the beneficiary or an executor signs
- Corporate Resolution showing the signing officer's authority when a company is the beneficiary
- Affidavit of Extent of Interest when the policy was collaterally assigned
- Death certificate of a predeceased beneficiary, if benefits pass to contingent beneficiaries
What to know at this institution
Nassau's default settlement is a retained-asset account, not a check: any beneficiary receiving $5,000 or more automatically receives the Concierge Account unless they write a different choice in Section E of the Beneficiary Statement, and beneficiaries under $5,000 automatically get a single check. The Concierge Account Disclosure (HO5259, https://formmanager2.nfg.com/wp-content/uploads/HO5259.pdf) states the account is part of the general account of Nassau Life Insurance Company, is not a bank account and is not FDIC insured, credits daily interest at a rate Nassau can change at any time with no guaranteed minimum, requires checks of at least $250, accepts no additional deposits, closes automatically if the balance falls below $1,000, and is subject to state escheat law. A beneficiary can close it at any time by writing one check for the full balance. Nassau does not pay interest-free: interest credited on proceeds is taxable to the beneficiary even though the life insurance death benefit itself generally is not; annuity death proceeds are all or partly taxable and are reported on Form 1099-R. Claim forms are shared across Nassau Life and Annuity Company, Nassau Life Insurance Company, and PHL Variable Insurance Company — but PHL Variable is a separate carrier in Connecticut court-supervised rehabilitation, and PHL contracts are subject to a court moratorium (https://portal.ct.gov/cid/phlpolicyholder). Check which company issued the policy before relying on the 15-business-day timeline.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Nassau Life
Nassau Life 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 instructionHow long the process takes at Nassau Life: Nassau states payment is usually made within 15 business days of receiving all requirements in good order, or sooner when required by law. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Nassau Life requires several documents to process a claim, including Completed Beneficiary Statement — FG11 (life) or FG14 (annuity), or FG11B / FG14B in AK, FL, KS, MN, NH, NY — all three pages, one per beneficiary, signed before a disinterested witness, Certified death certificate showing cause and manner of death (original required when the benefit exceeds $500,000; a copy of a certified certificate may be accepted at $500,000 or less), and Notarized signature page when the claim is $5 million or greater, 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
The Concierge Account is Nassau's retained-asset account and it is the DEFAULT, not an option you have to ask for: under Section E of the Beneficiary Statement, any beneficiary receiving $5,000 or more automatically receives it unless they write a different choice on the form; beneficiaries receiving less than $5,000 automatically get a single check. Nassau's Concierge Account Disclosure (HO5259) states the account is part of the general account of Nassau Life Insurance Company, is not a checking or bank account and is not FDIC insured, credits daily interest at a rate Nassau can change at any time with no guaranteed minimum, requires each check to be at least $250, accepts no further deposits, is closed automatically if the balance drops below $1,000, and is subject to state escheat law for dormant accounts. You can take the whole benefit at once by writing a single check for the full balance, or by writing "single check" in Section E when you file the claim. Interest credited to the account is taxable to you even though the life insurance death benefit itself generally is not.
Nassau publishes four Beneficiary Statements, split by product and by state: FG11 for a life policy in most states, FG11B for a life policy in AK, FL, KS, MN, NH, or NY, FG14 for an annuity in most states, and FG14B for an annuity in those same six states. Each beneficiary files their own statement, but only one certified death certificate is needed per claim. The death certificate must show cause AND manner of death; an original certified copy is required when the benefit exceeds $500,000, while a copy of a certified certificate may be accepted at $500,000 or less. All three pages must be returned, the beneficiary signs in front of a disinterested witness, and a claim of $5 million or greater additionally requires notarization. A trustee attaches the Certification and Acknowledgement of Trust Agreement for Death Claim Settlement (OL4388A) — a different form from the OL4132A used while the owner is alive. An executor attaches a copy of the court appointment (letters testamentary or letters of administration), a corporate beneficiary attaches a Corporate Resolution, and an assignee completes Nassau's Affidavit of Extent of Interest. If the policy cannot be found, use the Lost Policy/Contract Agreement built into the form — a missing policy does not delay the claim. Nassau says payment is usually made within 15 business days of receiving all requirements in good order.
It depends which company issued it, and it matters. PHL Variable Insurance Company appears on the same Nassau claim and service forms, but it is a separate carrier that was placed in rehabilitation by the Connecticut Superior Court on May 20, 2024; the court has imposed a moratorium limiting payments and transactions on PHL contracts, and the Rehabilitator has said PHL will move to a court-supervised liquidation. Beneficiaries and contract holders of a PHL Variable policy should follow the Connecticut Insurance Department's policyholder page at https://portal.ct.gov/cid/phlpolicyholder rather than assume Nassau's ordinary 15-business-day claim timeline applies. Pyramid Life and Constitution Life were renamed Nassau Life Insurance Company of Kansas and Nassau Life Insurance Company of Texas; the Texas company then merged into Nassau Life and Annuity Company. Service and claims on a Pyramid Life or Constitution Life policy go to a separate line, 1-800-999-2224, and Nassau states downloadable forms are not currently available online for those policies. Contracts issued by Nassau Life and Annuity Company itself (Hartford, CT) or Nassau Life Insurance Company (East Greenbush, NY) use the ordinary claims line, (800) 814-3692.
Nassau Life's Nassau Claims can be reached by phone at 1-800-814-3692 for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple Nassau Life policies may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Nassau Claims to confirm what applies.
Sources
Data sourced from Nassau Life primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
Nassau Service Center
Nassau, PO Box 22012, Albany, NY 12201-2012 (express mail: Nassau, 15 Tech Valley Drive, Suite 201, East Greenbush, NY 12061-4142)
Nassau Service Center
Nassau, PO Box 22012, Albany, NY 12201-2012 (express mail: Nassau, 15 Tech Valley Drive, Suite 201, East Greenbush, NY 12061-4142)
Nassau Claims
Nassau, PO Box 22012, Albany, NY 12201-2012 (express mail: Nassau, 15 Tech Valley Drive, Suite 201, East Greenbush, NY 12061-4142)
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