What to do when a National Life Group account holder dies
Report the death to National Life Group Claims at 1-800-732-8939
When an insured person dies, the beneficiary or executor should contact National Life Group Claims at 1-800-732-8939 to start the claims process. Insurance proceeds are paid directly to the named beneficiary and do not go through probate. How quickly the claim is processed depends on the policy type, documentation, and cause of death.
Death claim process
The death claim process at National Life Group works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Insured's name, policy number, date of birth, date of death, cause of death, and place of death (city, state, country)
- Your name, mailing address, daytime phone number, and e-mail address
- Your relationship to the insured, and a contact preference of e-mail or mail
Required Documents
- Claimant's Statement (form 8094)Provided in National Life's reply to the death claim notice.
- Court appointment of the executor or administrator, if the estate is the beneficiaryThe claim for the estate is made by the court-appointed executor or administrator.
- Certified copy of the court appointment of a guardian of the minor's estate, if a minor is the beneficiary and National Life requires it
Claims Contact
Website: Online portal →
Forms National Life Group issues1
What happens to each kind of account1
- Annuity
For a nonqualified annuity, National Life's inherited-account guidance lists a lump sum or payments based on life expectancy; a spouse can instead assume ownership.2
Annuities with the Guaranteed Lifetime Income Rider are not among the contracts National Life lists for receiving an inherited account.2
State requirements National Life Group statesCalifornia
- California
California beneficiaries receive National Life's reply to the death claim notice by mail.1
What National Life Group provides to the estate1
- Tax forms
National Life's 1099-R FAQ lists proceeds from a death claim on an annuity held by the decedent as a reportable event on Form 1099-R.3
What National Life Group's agreement and guidance say4
- How proceeds are paid
Under the Beneficiary Agreement Request, a life policy's death benefit is paid in one sum to the First Beneficiaries living at the death of the insured, otherwise to the Second Beneficiaries, in equal shares per capita unless other shares are stated.4
- Wills, probate and small estates
The Beneficiary Agreement Request defines the estate as the court-appointed executors or administrators, and payment to the estate can require opening an estate through the probate court first.4
- Payment to a minor or incapacitated beneficiary
Payment for a minor beneficiary goes to the named UTMA custodian or to the court-appointed guardian of the minor's estate. National Life may require a certified copy of the guardian's court appointment.5
- What it says about taxes
National Life's consumer FAQ says beneficiaries are taxed on an annuity's tax-deferred interest when they receive it.6
Not in National Life Group's published guidance1
- A claim form
National Life Group Claims can be reached by phone at 1-800-732-8939 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from National Life Group primary sources (30 pages reviewed). How we research.
National Life Group death claims support
National Life Group Claims (Death Claim notice)
Phone
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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