What to do when a Pacific Life account holder dies
Contact Pacific Life — 6-step process, 10 required documents, and processing time varies by claim complexity. pacific life processes claims upon receipt of all required documentation.
Life Insurance Customer Service
Pacific Life Insurance Company, P.O. Box 2030, Omaha, NE 68103-2030 (overnight: 6750 Mercy Rd, 5th Floor, Omaha, NE 68106)
Life Insurance Customer Service
Pacific Life Insurance Company, P.O. Box 2030, Omaha, NE 68103-2030 (overnight: 6750 Mercy Rd, 5th Floor, Omaha, NE 68106)
Life Insurance Division -- Claims
Pacific Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Division, P.O. Box 2030, Omaha, NE 68103-2030 (PL Promise / Lynchburg Operations: P.O. Box 2873, Omaha, NE 68103)
A death claim on a Pacific Life policy is filed through the Life Insurance Division -- Claims (1-800-347-7787). Because insurance proceeds pass directly to named beneficiaries, this process is separate from probate. The required documentation and timeline vary by policy type.
Death claims at Pacific Life 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
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Pacific Life requires:
Filing a claim
Required Documents
- Completed Beneficiary Claim Statement -- one per beneficiary
- Group Life Insurance Accidental Death Claim Statement, if the death was accidental
- Authorization for the Use and/or Disclosure of Information
- Employer/Group Policyholder Statement (Workforce Benefits group claims)
- Death certificate showing cause and manner of death (a copy is typically acceptable on the Workforce Benefits package)
- Policy number and the decedent's name, date of birth, date of death, and SSN
- Beneficiary's name, date of birth, SSN, address, and phone -- the payment check is mailed to that address
- Estate beneficiary: court-filed estate documents naming the executor or administrator
- Trust beneficiary: a copy of the trust documentation
- Minor beneficiary: UTMA affidavit or guardianship over the minor's financial estate
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Pacific Life runs three separate claims operations, and sending a claim to the wrong one delays it. Individual life insurance: (800) 347-7787, P.O. Box 2030, Omaha, NE 68103-2030, fax (866) 398-0467 -- claims can be opened online at https://life.myaccount.pacificlife.com/policyowner/ClaimForm/Index. PL Promise policies (policy numbers beginning "2L") are serviced by Lynchburg Operations: (844) 276-0193, P.O. Box 2873, Omaha, NE 68103, fax (949) 219-8811. Employer group life and AD&D run through Workforce Benefits, a Pacific Life & Annuity Company book: (855) 810-3301 (8:00am-8:00pm ET), Attn: Workforce Benefits - Claims, P.O. Box 2387, Omaha, NE 68103-2387, fax (949) 219-8872, claims.workforcebenefits@pacificlife.com. The Workforce Benefits claim package is form WB-44 and is a public download; the individual life package is issued after the claim is opened. The benefits.pacificlife.com portal is event-based, so one submission generates every applicable claim across life, AD&D, dental, vision, disability, and accident coverage. Annuity death benefits are handled by Annuity Service at (800) 722-4448 ((800) 748-6907 for New York contracts).
Prepare your letter of instruction to Pacific Life
Pacific 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 Pacific Life: Processing time varies by claim complexity. Pacific Life processes claims upon receipt of all required documentation. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Documentation required by Pacific Life includes Completed Beneficiary Claim Statement -- one per beneficiary, Group Life Insurance Accidental Death Claim Statement, if the death was accidental, and Authorization for the Use and/or Disclosure of Information, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Yes, and it catches people out. Form W25065-23B states that if the contract OWNER is updated to a trust, the BENEFICIARY is automatically updated to that trust as well. To keep an individual as beneficiary you must complete the beneficiary section of the form; otherwise the existing designation is replaced. The same form warns that a change of annuity owner may be a taxable event, may affect optional living and death benefit riders, and cancels any scheduled withdrawal program. This is part of why naming a trust as BENEFICIARY rather than owner is the standard trust path for a nonqualified annuity -- trust ownership can cost the contract its tax deferral. Changing the owner of a nonqualified contract to a trust also requires the Trustee Certification and Disclosure form (13077-25A).
Yes. Pacific Life's survivorship products (Pacific Legacy Survivorship VUL, Pacific Horizon Survivorship IUL, and Pacific Indexed Estate Preserver 3) pay the death benefit only on the second insured's death, so an ILIT held to the second death keeps the proceeds out of both spouses' taxable estates. An in-force policy is transferred with an ownership change form plus Pacific Life's trust certification: form 15-47910 for individual life policies, or -- on a PL Promise policy -- Ownership Change Request 15-50515 (https://life.myaccount.pacificlife.com/policyowner/ServiceForms/GetFile/15-50515) plus Trust Information form 15-46147 (https://life.myaccount.pacificlife.com/policyowner/ServiceForms/GetFile/15-46147). Existing-policy transfers are subject to the IRC Section 2035 three-year lookback; a policy issued directly to the ILIT is not. Note that an ownership change also invalidates any telephone or electronic authorization on the policy. Call (800) 347-7787 for the paperwork. Pacific Life does not establish trusts; work with an estate attorney.
Yes. Employer group life and AD&D sit in Pacific Life's Workforce Benefits book, issued by Pacific Life & Annuity Company, and go to a different claims unit than an individual policy: (855) 810-3301 (Monday-Friday, 8:00am-8:00pm ET), Attn: Workforce Benefits - Claims, P.O. Box 2387, Omaha, NE 68103-2387, fax (949) 219-8872, or email claims.workforcebenefits@pacificlife.com. The claim package (form WB-44) is a public download at https://www.pacificlife.com/content/dam/paclife/wbd/public/Life-Beneficiary-Claim-Package.pdf. Three details differ from a typical carrier: each beneficiary must complete a SEPARATE Beneficiary Claim Statement, a COPY of the death certificate is typically acceptable rather than a certified original, and the benefit is paid by check mailed to the address the beneficiary writes on the form. An estate beneficiary attaches court-filed documents naming the executor or administrator; a trust beneficiary attaches the trust documentation; a minor beneficiary needs a UTMA affidavit or guardianship over the minor's financial estate. Filing at https://www.benefits.pacificlife.com is event-based, so one submission opens every applicable claim across life, AD&D, disability, dental, vision, and accident coverage.
Pacific Life's Life Insurance Division -- Claims can be reached by phone at 1-800-347-7787 and fax at 1-866-398-0467 for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple Pacific Life policies may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Life Insurance Division -- Claims to confirm what applies.
Sources
Data sourced from Pacific Life primary sources (29 pages reviewed). How we research.
Life Insurance Customer Service
Pacific Life Insurance Company, P.O. Box 2030, Omaha, NE 68103-2030 (overnight: 6750 Mercy Rd, 5th Floor, Omaha, NE 68106)
Life Insurance Customer Service
Pacific Life Insurance Company, P.O. Box 2030, Omaha, NE 68103-2030 (overnight: 6750 Mercy Rd, 5th Floor, Omaha, NE 68106)
Life Insurance Division -- Claims
Pacific Life Insurance Company, Life Insurance Division, P.O. Box 2030, Omaha, NE 68103-2030 (PL Promise / Lynchburg Operations: P.O. Box 2873, Omaha, NE 68103)
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