What to do when a Pekin Life account holder dies
Contact Pekin Life — 4-step process, 6 required documents, and pekin states it typically provides the claim forms within one business day of the report. payment follows once the completed forms, certified death certificate, and beneficiary identification are received and the claim is reviewed.
Pekin Life
Subsidiary of Pekin Insurance (Farmers Automobile Insurance Association)
pekininsurance.com→
Policy Services - Life Insurance
Pekin Life Insurance Company, 2505 Court Street, Pekin, IL 61558-0001
Policy Services - Life Insurance
Pekin Life Insurance Company, 2505 Court Street, Pekin, IL 61558-0001
Life and Annuity Claims
Pekin Life Insurance Company, 2505 Court Street, Pekin, IL 61558-0001
When an insured person dies, the beneficiary or executor should contact Pekin Life's Life and Annuity Claims at 1-800-371-9622 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 Pekin 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
The death claim process at Pekin Life works as follows:
Filing a claim
- Locate the Pekin Life policy documents and note the policy number
- Obtain certified copies of the death certificate from the local vital records office
- Pekin publishes a Beneficiary Support Checklist (form M337) at https://www.pekininsurance.com/docs/default-source/default-document-library/m337-beneficiarysupportchecklist.pdf that inventories the vital documents, accounts, and digital assets a beneficiary should collect
- Start the claim online at https://www.pekininsurance.com/client-service/claim-center/file-a-claim/life-annuity-claims using the Start a claim link, which opens Pekin's AlphaTrust e-sign intake at esign.alphatrust.com
- Or call the Pekin Life and Annuity Claims department at 800-371-9622 ext. 2023 (Monday-Friday, 7:45am-4:15pm CT)
- Or ask your independent Pekin agent to open the claim; the agent of record also receives a courtesy notice from Pekin when a claim is filed
- Pekin does not publish its life claim forms for download; it issues them after the claim is reported, typically within one business day
- Return the claimant statement with the certified death certificate and government-issued photo ID for the beneficiary
- If a trust is the named beneficiary, include the trust document or Certificate of Trust plus trustee identification
- If the estate is the named beneficiary, include Illinois letters of office (letters testamentary or of administration) for the representative signing the claim
Required Documents
- Completed claimant statement issued by Pekin after the claim is reported
- Certified death certificate
- Government-issued photo ID for the beneficiary
- Policy number and the insured's information
- Trust document or Certificate of Trust plus trustee ID (if a trust is the beneficiary)
- Illinois letters of office - letters testamentary or of administration (if the estate is the beneficiary)
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Life and annuity death claims run through one department at Pekin: Life and Annuity Claims, 800-371-9622 ext. 2023. There are two intake channels, the AlphaTrust e-sign Start a claim link on the Life and/or Annuity Claims page and the phone line; your independent Pekin agent can also open the claim and receives a courtesy notice when one is filed. Pekin does not publish a claims fax number, a claims email, or a downloadable life claim form on pekininsurance.com, so plan on Pekin sending the forms to you. For Pathway pre-need policies the death benefit is normally assigned to the funeral home, which files the claim to fund the prearranged services. Beneficiaries can work through Pekin's Beneficiary Support Checklist (M337) while waiting for the forms.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Pekin Life
Pekin Life asks for a letter of instruction alongside its claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and the enclosure checklist Pekin Life requires.
Build your letter of instructionHow long the process takes at Pekin Life: Pekin states it typically provides the claim forms within one business day of the report. Payment follows once the completed forms, certified death certificate, and beneficiary identification are received and the claim is reviewed. The most common reason for delays is missing or incomplete documentation, so submitting everything upfront is the best way to keep things moving.
Pekin Life requires several documents to process a claim, including Completed claimant statement issued by Pekin after the claim is reported, Certified death certificate, 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
Yes, and it works for both the permanent products (Universal Life, Preferred Whole Life, Simplified Issue Whole Life, Single Premium Whole Life, Graded Death Benefit Whole Life, Transitional Life) and Term Life to 95, since Pekin's term policy is convertible. The ILIT can buy the policy outright, or you can assign an existing policy to it. An assignment starts the three-year lookback under IRC Section 2035, and once assigned you permanently give up control of the policy. Pekin issues the ownership assignment paperwork on request through Policy Services at 800-322-0160; it is not posted for download. Pekin does not draft ILITs, so the trust itself comes from an estate attorney.
Life and annuity death claims share one department. Start the claim online at https://www.pekininsurance.com/client-service/claim-center/file-a-claim/life-annuity-claims using the Start a claim link (it opens Pekin's AlphaTrust e-sign intake), call Life and Annuity Claims at 800-371-9622 ext. 2023 (Monday-Friday, 7:45am-4:15pm CT), or have the independent agent of record open it - the agent gets a courtesy notice either way. Pekin says it typically sends the claim forms within one business day; it does not post a life claim form for download and publishes no claims fax or claims email. Return the signed forms with a certified death certificate and your photo ID to Pekin Life Insurance Company, 2505 Court Street, Pekin, IL 61558-0001.
Pathway is Pekin's pre-need life product sold through funeral homes to fund a prearranged funeral. The death benefit is normally assigned to the funeral home, which files the claim and applies the proceeds to the services selected in advance, so the family usually does not receive the money directly. Funds paid in advance are held in the Pekin Life Insurance Trust as state law requires. Tell the Life and Annuity Claims department at 800-371-9622 ext. 2023 that the policy funds a prearranged funeral, and check whether the funeral home has already opened the claim before opening a second one.
Naming a trust as BENEFICIARY of a Pekin Flexible Premium Annuity 5 or Single Premium Deferred Annuity 7 is straightforward: the death proceeds pass outside probate and follow the trust's terms. Naming a trust as OWNER is the risky one. Under IRC Section 72(u) an annuity held by a non-natural person generally loses tax deferral, with a limited exception where the trust holds it as agent for a natural person, so confirm the treatment with a tax advisor before you file an ownership change. Either change is requested from Policy Services at 800-322-0160, not from the claims line. Note also that the Traditional and Roth IRA annuity contracts cannot be retitled to a trust at all - a trust can only be named as beneficiary.
Pekin Life's Life and Annuity Claims can be reached by phone at 1-800-371-9622 for questions throughout the claims process.
When the deceased had multiple Pekin Life policies, some may need separate claims while others can be handled together. The Life and Annuity Claims can clarify what's needed for each account type.
Sources
Data sourced from Pekin Life primary sources (18 pages reviewed). How we research.
Pekin Life
Subsidiary of Pekin Insurance (Farmers Automobile Insurance Association)
pekininsurance.com→Policy Services - Life Insurance
Pekin Life Insurance Company, 2505 Court Street, Pekin, IL 61558-0001
Policy Services - Life Insurance
Pekin Life Insurance Company, 2505 Court Street, Pekin, IL 61558-0001
Life and Annuity Claims
Pekin Life Insurance Company, 2505 Court Street, Pekin, IL 61558-0001
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