What to do when a Primerica account holder dies
Report the death to Primerica's Claims Department at 1-888-893-9858
What happens to Primerica investment accounts after the account holder dies depends on how each account was titled. Beneficiary-designated and trust-owned accounts transfer directly. Accounts in the deceased's name alone go through the estate, and the executor or administrator works with Primerica's Claims Department (1-888-893-9858) to claim the funds.
Death claim process
To file a claim after an account holder's death, here is what Primerica requires:
Filing a claim
- Call (888) 893-9858, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. ET, Monday to Friday. A claims specialist assigns a claim number and helps with the next steps
- Download the claim form: Claim Instructions, Primerica Estate Account Agreement, Claim Form Statement and Beneficiary Information
- Each beneficiary completes their own claim form
- For a minor, incapacitated or unable-to-sign beneficiary, the person empowered to act (for example a guardian, conservator or power of attorney) completes it
- For an estate or trust beneficiary, the executor, administrator or trustee completes it
- Under $10,000: a check is issued
- $10,000 or more: one check for the entire amount, a settlement option described in the policy, or a Primerica Estate Account
- Primerica Life Insurance Company, Attn: Claims Department, Executive Office: 1 Primerica Parkway, Duluth, GA 30099-0001
- New York policies: National Benefit Life Insurance Company, Attn: Claims Department, Administrative Office: 1 Primerica Parkway, Duluth, GA 30099-0001
- Fax: (470) 564-7662
- All documents sent, including the certified death certificate, become part of the claim file and are not returned
- Fidelity Advisors, American Century, Invesco, Amundi US, Nuveen and Franklin Templeton funds on the platform: Primerica Shareholder Services, (800) 544-5445
- American Funds, South/East (AL, AR, CT, DE, FL, GA, KS, LA, MA, MD, ME, MO, MS, NC, NH, NJ, NM, NY, OK, PA, RI, SC, TN, TX, VA, VT, WV): (800) 421-4225
- American Funds, North/West (AK, AZ, CA, CO, HI, IA, ID, IL, IN, KY, MI, MN, MT, ND, NE, NV, OH, OR, SD, UT, WA, WI, WY, outside the U.S.): (800) 421-0180
- Lifetime Investment Program accounts: Pershing LLC, (201) 413-3333
Required Documents
- Certified death certificateIt must display the colored emblem or raised seal of the issuing authority and list the cause and manner of death. Only one is required when there is more than one beneficiary.
- Completed claim form, from each beneficiary
- Copy of each beneficiary's state or federal issued identificationState: a driver's license or state issued ID. Federal: a military ID, birth certificate or passport. Without identification, call (888) 893-9858.
- Certified copy of the Letters Testamentary, Letters of Administration or Trust Documents, if the beneficiary is an estate or a trust
- Tax identification number of the estate or trust, if the beneficiary is an estate or a trust
- Letters of Guardianship, Conservatorship Appointment and/or Power of Attorney, if a beneficiary is a minor, incapacitated or unable to signA certified copy.
- Social Security number of the minor child or incapacitated beneficiary, if a beneficiary is a minor or incapacitated
- Copy of the deceased primary beneficiary's death certificate, if a primary beneficiary named in the policy has died
- Signed medical authorization form from the next of kin, and a tobacco use affidavit, possibly, if the policy was issued or reinstated less than two years before the deathPrimerica may also ask for a beneficiary interview and medical, driving or other records.
- Foreign Death Questionnaire, if the insured died outside the United States
- Citizenship Certification Form (IRS Form W8BEN), if a beneficiary lives outside the United States
- Affidavit of domicile of the deceased owner, for a mutual fund TOD transfer
- Inheritance tax waivers, for a mutual fund TOD transfer, if required
- Fully executed Account Application, for a mutual fund TOD transfer
Forms Primerica issues1
- Primerica Life Insurance Company claim form (Claim Form Statement PLA-880 and Beneficiary Information)
Completed by each beneficiary; for an estate or trust, the executor, administrator or trustee. Available to download.1
What happens to each kind of account1
- Investment account
Under the Primerica Shareholder Services TOD rules, the fund's transfer agent transfers a TOD account to the beneficiaries on receipt of evidence of death (such as a certified copy of the death certificate), an affidavit of domicile, any required inheritance tax waivers and a fully executed Account Application.2
If a TOD beneficiary makes no claim within nine months after the death of the last surviving owner, the fund may transfer the shares as if that beneficiary had not survived the owner.2
In a Lifetime Investment Program account with no surviving joint owner, management stops on notice of the death; the holdings are liquidated and held in the cash sweep until claimed by the estate, account beneficiaries or another authorized party.3
Accounts handled elsewhere5
- National Benefit Life Insurance Company
Term life insurance policies in New York4
Mailing address: National Benefit Life Insurance Company, Attn: Claims Department, Administrative Office: 1 Primerica Parkway, Duluth, GA 30099-0001
- Primerica Shareholder Services
Mutual fund accounts on the Primerica Shareholder Services platform5
Phone: 1-800-544-5445
Hours: Monday-Friday 8:00 AM-midnight ET
Mailing address: Primerica Shareholder Services, P.O. Box 534485, Pittsburgh, PA 15253-4485
- American Funds (South/East)
American Funds mutual funds, 529 plans and 401(k) plans in the South/East states6
Phone: 1-800-421-4225
Mailing address: P.O. Box 2280, Norfolk, VA 23501
- American Funds (North/West)
American Funds mutual funds, 529 plans and 401(k) plans in the North/West states and outside the United States6
Phone: 1-800-421-0180
Mailing address: P.O. Box 6007, Indianapolis, IN 46206
- Pershing LLC
Lifetime Investment Program accounts, which Pershing holds in custody6
Phone: 1-201-413-3333
Mailing address: One Pershing Plaza, Jersey City, NJ 07399
What Primerica's agreement and guidance say4
- How proceeds are paid
Policy settlement options carry fixed interest rates from 0.75% to 3.5% and may include installments for a fixed period, monthly installments for a guaranteed minimum and then for life, proceeds held and available for withdrawal, or installments of a selected amount.1
The Primerica Estate Account is a draft account, not a bank or money market account, and is not FDIC insured. It needs a claim of $10,000 or more and a $2,500 minimum balance, and closes automatically if the balance falls below $2,500 at a month end.1
After the claim form is submitted, a portion of the benefit can be assigned to a funeral home for final arrangements; the funeral home sends its request by fax to (470) 564-7662.7
For a beneficiary living outside the United States, the Estate Account option is not available and all benefits are paid in U.S. dollars.7
- Contestability of a recent policy
A policy more than two years old (from the issue or reinstatement date) is incontestable and is processed once all paperwork is submitted. A contestable claim requires a routine investigation of the application, and Primerica cannot guarantee it will be paid.7
- Fees
The Primerica Estate Account has no fee to open and no monthly or draft check charges; it charges $10.00 for each draft check presented with insufficient funds and $15.00 for each stop payment order.1
For a Lifetime Investment Program account, a prorated wrap fee is charged for the month in which Primerica is notified of the owner's death.3
- Dormant and unclaimed accounts
The Estate Account Agreement says an account with no withdrawal or instruction "during any continuous dormancy period under your state's unclaimed property laws" is inactive; Primerica tries to reach the owner, and if it cannot, "your funds will be at risk of escheatment to the state."1
Sources7
- 1.Claim Instructions, Primerica Estate Account Agreement and Claim Form Statement (63991), 03.07.25
- 2.Beneficiary Add / Change Form, with the Primerica Shareholder Services Rules Governing Transfer on Death ("TOD") Registration, POL-08 V.07.26
- 3.Wrap Fee Program Brochure, Form ADV Part 2A Appendix 1 (Primerica Advisors), March 30, 2026
- 4.How to Start a Life Insurance Death Claim
- 5.Contact Primerica (Primerica Shareholder Services)
- 6.Important Disclosures
- 7.Life Insurance Claim FAQs
In most cases about 14 days to process a death claim once all the required documents are received; contestable claims may need more documents.
Primerica's Claims Department can be reached by phone at 1-888-893-9858, email at us_lifeclaims@primerica.com, and fax at 1-470-564-7662 for questions throughout the claims process.
Sources
Data sourced from Primerica primary sources (23 pages reviewed). How we research.
Primerica death claims support
Claims Department
Phone
Primerica Estate Account questions and draft check copies
Fax
Hours
Mailing address
Website
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