What to do when a National Life Group account holder dies
Contact National Life Group — 5-step process, 7 required documents, and claims packet is sent within 5 business days of the death claim notice. payment follows receipt of all requirements in good order; an annuity beneficiary who elects payments based on life expectancy must have those payments begin within one year of the date of death, and a 10-year-rule beneficiary must start annual rmds by december 31 of the year after the owner's death.
National Life Group Customer Service (life and annuity)
Phone1-800-732-8939
Fax1-802-229-7054
Mailing Address
Centralized mailing address: National Life Group, One National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT 05604. Life service fax: 1-802-229-7054. Annuity service fax: 1-214-638-9162; annuity service e-mail: service@nationallife.com; document intake e-mail printed on the annuity forms: Imaging@NationalLife.com. LSW Texas campus: 15455 Dallas Parkway Ste. 800, Addison, TX 75001.
Equity Services, Inc. (broker-dealer; variable products)
WebsiteLearn more→
National Life Group Customer Service (life and annuity)
Phone1-800-732-8939
Fax1-802-229-7054
Mailing Address
Centralized mailing address: National Life Group, One National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT 05604. Life service fax: 1-802-229-7054. Annuity service fax: 1-214-638-9162; annuity service e-mail: service@nationallife.com; document intake e-mail printed on the annuity forms: Imaging@NationalLife.com. LSW Texas campus: 15455 Dallas Parkway Ste. 800, Addison, TX 75001.
Equity Services, Inc. (broker-dealer; variable products)
WebsiteLearn more→
National Life Group Claims (Death Claim Notice)
Phone1-800-732-8939
Fax1-802-229-7054
Mailing Address
National Life Group, One National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT 05604. One claims intake serves both underwriting companies (National Life Insurance Company, NY; Life Insurance Company of the Southwest, all other states). Annuity claim documents may also be faxed to 1-214-638-9162.
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Verified Jul 2026
When an insured person dies, the beneficiary or executor should contact National Life Group's National Life Group Claims (Death Claim Notice) 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 claims at National Life Group can be started through an online portal, which streamlines the initial notification and document upload. Phone and mail options are also available.
Death claim process
The death claim process at National Life Group works as follows:
Filing a claim
1
Find the policy or contract number and order certified copies of the death certificate.
2
File the Death Claim Notice at https://www.nationallife.com/Contact/Claims/Death-Claim or call 800-732-8939. Say whether you want the reply by mail or e-mail (California beneficiaries always receive it by mail).
3
Wait for the personalized claims packet, which National Life sends within 5 business days of the notice. It contains the Claimant's Statement and the exact requirements for that policy.
4
Return the packet with the required proof:
- Completed Claimant's Statement — one per beneficiary
- Certified death certificate showing cause and manner of death
- Photo ID for the beneficiary
- A copy of the trust documents (plus any trust certification the packet requests) if the beneficiary is a trust; letters testamentary or of administration if the beneficiary is the estate
5
Life policy vs. annuity contract — the settlement is not the same:
- A LIFE death benefit is generally income-tax-free to the beneficiary and pays in one sum to the named class of beneficiaries under the Beneficiary Agreement Request.
- An ANNUITY death benefit is taxable to the extent of the gain and forces a payout election. On a NONQUALIFIED annuity the beneficiary may take a lump sum, fully liquidate within five years of the owner's death, or take payments based on life expectancy that must begin within exactly one year of the date of death. A surviving spouse may instead assume ownership of the contract.
- On an IRA or qualified annuity, the SECURE-Act rules apply: an eligible designated beneficiary (spouse, someone not more than 10 years younger, a chronically ill or disabled person, or a child of the owner under 21) may take life-expectancy payments; other designated beneficiaries must empty the account within 10 years; an estate, charity, or non-see-through trust must liquidate within five years.
- Products carrying the Guaranteed Lifetime Income Rider cannot be used as the receiving contract for an inherited (beneficiary) account.
Required Documents
- Completed Claimant's Statement (form 8094), from the personalized claims packet — one per beneficiary
- Certified death certificate showing cause and manner of death
- Government-issued photo ID for the beneficiary
- Policy or contract number and the insured's identifying information
- Copy of the operative trust documents, plus any trust certification the claims packet requests, if a trust is the beneficiary
- Letters testamentary or letters of administration, if the estate is the beneficiary
- Certified court appointment of a guardian of a minor beneficiary's estate, where the beneficiary is still a minor at the time of claim
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
National Life runs a notice-then-packet claims process rather than a downloadable claim form: the Death Claim Notice at nationallife.com/Contact/Claims/Death-Claim (or a call to 800-732-8939) produces a personalized claims packet within 5 business days, and only then does the claimant see the Claimant's Statement (form 8094). California beneficiaries always receive that reply by mail regardless of the delivery preference chosen. The same intake handles both underwriting companies, National Life Insurance Company (New York) and Life Insurance Company of the Southwest (all other states). Two things routinely go wrong for estates. First, an annuity beneficiary who intends to roll the money into an inherited (beneficiary) account can destroy that option by ticking a death-benefit payout on the Claimant's Statement — the inherited-account election is option 5 in the payment-option section at the bottom of page 4, and National Life's inherited-account guidance says the election cannot simply be reversed afterward. Second, a trust named on a qualified annuity only stretches payments if it is a "see-through" trust (valid under state law; irrevocable or irrevocable at death; all beneficiaries individuals and identifiable; trust documentation delivered to the custodian in a timely manner) — otherwise it is a non-designated beneficiary and the account must be emptied within five years. Naming "the Estate" as beneficiary can require opening probate before National Life will release proceeds to the personal representative.
Prepare your letter of instruction to National Life Group
National Life Group asks for a letter of instruction alongside its claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and the enclosure checklist National Life Group requires.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at National Life Group: Claims packet is sent within 5 business days of the death claim notice. Payment follows receipt of all requirements in good order; an annuity beneficiary who elects payments based on life expectancy must have those payments begin within one year of the date of death, and a 10-year-rule beneficiary must start annual RMDs by December 31 of the year after the owner's death. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
National Life Group requires several documents to process a claim, including Completed Claimant's Statement (form 8094), from the personalized claims packet — one per beneficiary, Certified death certificate showing cause and manner of death, 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
Either way you start in the same place. "National Life Group" is a trade name covering two insurers — National Life Insurance Company (NLIC) of Montpelier, Vermont, which is the company authorized in New York, and Life Insurance Company of the Southwest (LSW) of Addison, Texas, which is licensed in every state except New York. Each is solely responsible for its own contractual obligations, so the policy jacket tells you which one issued the contract, but the claims intake is shared: file the Death Claim Notice at nationallife.com/Contact/Claims/Death-Claim or call 800-732-8939, and National Life sends the personalized claims packet within 5 business days. If you are in California, that reply comes by mail regardless of the delivery preference you pick.
The Beneficiary Agreement Request (Cat. No. 40447) — the same form used for life policies. Its General Provisions carry an "Agreement Covering Annuity Contract" clause: where an annuity contract is covered, "policy" means "annuity contract" and "Insured" means the person on whose death the annuity death benefit is paid. The Policy Change Request for Annuity (Cat. No. 100305) states on its face, "Do not use this form to request a Change of Beneficiary" — it handles ownership, name, payment, and tax-qualification changes only. Both forms are at nationallife.com/Contact-Service-Forms. Filing a new Beneficiary Agreement Request revokes every prior designation on the policies listed, so re-list anyone you intend to keep.
A life insurance death benefit is generally income-tax-free and pays out in one sum to the beneficiary class named on the Beneficiary Agreement Request. An annuity death benefit is taxable to the extent of the gain and forces you to elect a payout. On a NONQUALIFIED National Life annuity, a beneficiary may take a lump sum, fully liquidate within five years of the owner's death, or take payments based on life expectancy that must begin within exactly one year of the date of death; a surviving spouse may instead assume ownership of the contract outright. On an IRA or qualified annuity, an eligible designated beneficiary (a spouse, someone not more than 10 years younger than the deceased, a chronically ill or disabled person, or a child of the owner under 21) may take life-expectancy payments, while other designated beneficiaries must empty the account within 10 years and an estate or charity must liquidate within five. Be deliberate on the Claimant's Statement: if you want the money moved into an inherited (beneficiary) account rather than paid out, that is option 5 in the payment-option section at the bottom of page 4, and National Life's inherited-account guidance warns that an accidental death-benefit payout election is not something you can simply take back. Contracts carrying the Guaranteed Lifetime Income Rider cannot be used as the receiving contract for an inherited account.
On the Beneficiary Agreement Request you name the trust itself and fill the trust block: Trust Name, Trust Date, Trust ID # (EIN), Trustees, and Grantor. National Life's General Provisions then treat successor trustees as covered by the designation, keep an amended trust in place as beneficiary, and make payment to the trust a full discharge of the company's liability. The catch is federal, and National Life's inherited-account guidance spells it out: a trust named on a QUALIFIED annuity only gets designated-beneficiary payout treatment if it is a "see-through" trust — valid under state law, irrevocable (or irrevocable by its terms at the account holder's death), with all beneficiaries individuals and identifiable as eligible, and with trust documentation provided to the custodian in a timely manner. A trust that fails those tests is a non-designated beneficiary, and the account must be fully liquidated within five years.
National Life Group's National Life Group Claims (Death Claim Notice) can be reached by phone at 1-800-732-8939, email at Imaging@NationalLife.com, and fax at 1-802-229-7054 for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple National Life Group policies, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The National Life Group Claims (Death Claim Notice) can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
Data sourced from National Life Group primary sources (15 pages reviewed). How we research.
National Life Group Customer Service (life and annuity)
Phone1-800-732-8939
Fax1-802-229-7054
Mailing Address
Centralized mailing address: National Life Group, One National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT 05604. Life service fax: 1-802-229-7054. Annuity service fax: 1-214-638-9162; annuity service e-mail: service@nationallife.com; document intake e-mail printed on the annuity forms: Imaging@NationalLife.com. LSW Texas campus: 15455 Dallas Parkway Ste. 800, Addison, TX 75001.
Equity Services, Inc. (broker-dealer; variable products)
WebsiteLearn more→
National Life Group Customer Service (life and annuity)
Phone1-800-732-8939
Fax1-802-229-7054
Mailing Address
Centralized mailing address: National Life Group, One National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT 05604. Life service fax: 1-802-229-7054. Annuity service fax: 1-214-638-9162; annuity service e-mail: service@nationallife.com; document intake e-mail printed on the annuity forms: Imaging@NationalLife.com. LSW Texas campus: 15455 Dallas Parkway Ste. 800, Addison, TX 75001.
Equity Services, Inc. (broker-dealer; variable products)
WebsiteLearn more→
National Life Group Claims (Death Claim Notice)
Phone1-800-732-8939
Fax1-802-229-7054
Mailing Address
National Life Group, One National Life Drive, Montpelier, VT 05604. One claims intake serves both underwriting companies (National Life Insurance Company, NY; Life Insurance Company of the Southwest, all other states). Annuity claim documents may also be faxed to 1-214-638-9162.
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
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