What to do when a Principal account holder dies
Contact Principal — 9-step process, 13 required documents, and principal states claims are generally processed within 5 working days once all required information is received; incomplete documentation or further investigation extends this.
Principal Financial Group, 711 High Street, Des Moines, IA 50392-0001
Principal Financial Group, 711 High Street, Des Moines, IA 50392-0001
Individual Life Claims
Principal Life Insurance Company / Principal National Life Insurance Company, P.O. Box 10431, Des Moines, IA 50306-0431 (overnight: 711 High Street, IDPC-M1-E10, Des Moines, IA 50392-4510)
A death claim on a Principal policy is filed through the Individual Life Claims (1-800-331-2213). Because insurance proceeds pass directly to named beneficiaries, this process is separate from probate. The required documentation and timeline vary by policy type.
Principal provides an online portal for initiating death claims, which can simplify the initial notification and document submission process. Claims can also be started by phone or by mailing the required documents.
Death claim process
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Principal:
Filing a claim
- Individual life insurance: complete the Individual Life Insurance Claim Form - Beneficiary Statement (form DD750) via AdobeSign at forms.insurance.claims.principal.com, or download the PDF and mail/fax/email it. Notify the home office at 800-331-2213 or IndClaims@exchange.principal.com
- Group life insurance (employer coverage): the employer or the beneficiary submits the online claim form at principal.com, or uses the paper Group Life Claim form (GP1150). Report the death by phone at 800-245-1522
- Employer retirement plans (401(k)/403(b)/pension): call 800-547-7754 to initiate the death claim
- Annuities: call RIS Annuity Services at 800-852-4450 to report the death and begin the claim
- Estate of the deceased: court-issued Letters of Appointment for the administrator/executor. If the estate is NOT being probated, Principal directs you to contact them rather than substituting an affidavit
- Trust: a completed and signed Trustee Certification and Indemnification (form DD9152), accepted in lieu of the full trust agreement — unless the policy specifies that the entire trust document plus all amendments is required. If there is more than one trustee and they must act together, ALL trustees must sign the Beneficiary Statement
- Surviving children named only as a class (the designation says "surviving children" without naming them): a Surviving Children Affidavit (form DD433), which must be completed by someone other than a surviving child
- Minor child: Principal requires you to contact them first, because requirements vary by state and by the child's age
- An attorney-in-fact signing for a beneficiary: a copy of the Power of Attorney; if the POA is more than 5 years old, Principal also requires affidavit form DD9754
- Corporation: a completed, signed, and notarized Corporate Secretary's Certificate and Indemnification (form DD9750) plus a copy of the board resolution listing current officers
- Funeral home assignment: a copy of the funeral home's assignment, an itemized statement, and a W-9 signed by the funeral home
- Policy assigned as collateral for a loan: the assignee's statement of indebtedness, or a signed Release of Assignment (form DD75) if the assignment has been released
- Beneficiary living outside the U.S.: contact Principal for requirements. A beneficiary who is not a U.S. person must file Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E; failure to do so triggers mandatory 30% withholding on the taxable portion
Required Documents
- One original certified death certificate (raised seal or special coloring; photocopies are not accepted)
- A separate completed, signed claim form from EACH beneficiary — Individual Life Insurance Claim Form / Beneficiary Statement (DD750) for individual life, Group Life Claim (GP1150) for employer group life
- Beneficiary's Taxpayer Identification Number (SSN for an individual; EIN for a trust, estate, or corporation), certified on the claim form's substitute Form W-9
- Government-issued ID for the beneficiary
- Court-issued Letters of Appointment (Letters Testamentary or Letters of Administration) if the estate is the beneficiary
- Trustee Certification and Indemnification (DD9152) if a trust is the beneficiary — or the full trust agreement plus amendments where the policy requires it. All trustees must sign if they must act together
- Surviving Children Affidavit (DD433) if the designation names "surviving children" as a class; must be completed by a non-child
- Corporate Secretary's Certificate and Indemnification (DD9750), notarized, plus board resolution, if a corporation is the beneficiary
- Copy of the Power of Attorney (plus affidavit DD9754 if the POA is over 5 years old) if an attorney-in-fact signs
- Release of Assignment (DD75) or the assignee's statement of indebtedness if the policy was collaterally assigned
- Funeral home assignment, itemized statement, and funeral home W-9 if proceeds are assigned to a funeral home
- Form W-8BEN or W-8BEN-E for a beneficiary who is not a U.S. person (30% mandatory withholding applies without it)
- Pre-printed voided check in the beneficiary's name (or bank letter on letterhead) to elect direct deposit
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Principal runs three separate death-claim tracks and sending paperwork to the wrong one is the most common source of delay. (1) INDIVIDUAL LIFE: form DD750 (Individual Life Insurance Claim Form - Beneficiary Statement, rev. 03/26), filed electronically via AdobeSign at forms.insurance.claims.principal.com or on paper to P.O. Box 10431, Des Moines, IA 50306-0431 (overnight: 711 High Street, IDPC-M1-E10, Des Moines, IA 50392-4510); phone 800-331-2213, fax 866-894-2096, email IndClaims@exchange.principal.com. Note that policies are issued by Principal National Life Insurance Company everywhere EXCEPT New York, where the issuer is Principal Life Insurance Company; the policy itself names the issuer and that entity owes the obligation. (2) GROUP BENEFITS: form GP1150 (Group Life Claim), filed by the employer or the beneficiary; Attn: Group Life and Disability Claims, PO Box 14472, Des Moines, IA 50306-3472; phone 800-245-1522, fax 800-255-6609, email SBDClaims@principal.com. Group life benefits are issued as a lump-sum check. (3) RETIREMENT AND ANNUITIES: no public claim form — call 800-547-7754 (retirement plans) or 800-852-4450 (annuities) and Principal sends an instruction letter. Across tracks: every beneficiary files their own claim form; a trust beneficiary uses DD9152 rather than handing over the whole trust; an unprobated estate has no affidavit workaround at Principal (they direct you to call). A personal representative is assigned to each filed claim. Principal offers complimentary grief and financial planning support through Empathy (720-408-7491) and will/legal resources for beneficiaries at 800-546-3718.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Principal
Principal 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 Principal: Principal states claims are generally processed within 5 working days once all required information is received; incomplete documentation or further investigation extends this. 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 Principal includes One original certified death certificate (raised seal or special coloring; photocopies are not accepted), A separate completed, signed claim form from EACH beneficiary — Individual Life Insurance Claim Form / Beneficiary Statement (DD750) for individual life, Group Life Claim (GP1150) for employer group life, and Beneficiary's Taxpayer Identification Number (SSN for an individual; EIN for a trust, estate, or corporation), certified on the claim form's substitute Form W-9, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
An ILIT is a trust that owns a life insurance policy, removing the death benefit from the grantor's taxable estate and protecting assets from creditors. Principal supports ILITs through Principal Trust Company (a trade name of Delaware Charter Guarantee & Trust Company, chartered in 1899), which provides ILIT administration services for policies funded with Principal life insurance products. Delaware trust law offers advantages including maximum privacy, asset protection, and perpetual trust duration regardless of where you live. To transfer ownership of an existing policy to an ILIT, complete the Ownership Change Form (DD425). Principal does not establish ILITs; you must work with an estate attorney to create one. The three-year lookback rule under IRC Section 2035 applies if transferring an existing policy into an ILIT. Principal also offers private split dollar arrangements and charitable trust strategies that integrate with life insurance.
Principal administers death claims on three separate tracks, each with its own form, phone, fax, email, and P.O. Box, and paperwork sent to the wrong one gets delayed. (1) Individual life insurance bought through a financial professional: file the Individual Life Insurance Claim Form - Beneficiary Statement (form DD750) electronically at forms.insurance.claims.principal.com, or mail it to P.O. Box 10431, Des Moines, IA 50306-0431; phone 800-331-2213, fax 866-894-2096, email IndClaims@exchange.principal.com. (2) Group life insurance through an employer: the employer or the beneficiary files the Group Life Claim (form GP1150) with Group Life and Disability Claims, PO Box 14472, Des Moines, IA 50306-3472; phone 800-245-1522, fax 800-255-6609, email SBDClaims@principal.com. (3) Retirement plans and annuities: there is no public claim form. Call 800-547-7754 for a 401(k), 403(b), or pension, or 800-852-4450 for an annuity, and Principal mails an instruction letter listing exactly what your claim needs. Principal assigns a personal representative to every filed claim.
Usually not. Principal's claim requirements let a trustee submit a completed and signed Trustee Certification and Indemnification (form DD9152) in place of the full trust agreement — the trustee certifies their authority and indemnifies Principal, and the trust's private terms stay private. The exception is where the policy specifies that the entire trust document plus every subsequent amendment is required; in that case the certification is not enough. Two Principal-specific traps: if the trust has more than one trustee and they must act together, every trustee has to sign the Beneficiary Statement (DD750), not just the one filing it; and if the trust is to be the OWNER of an annuity contract rather than merely the beneficiary, Principal requires a different form, the Trustee Certification and Indemnification DD9093.
These are two of the situations Principal calls out specifically on the DD750 claim form. Where the beneficiary designation names "surviving children" as a class without listing them, Principal requires a Surviving Children Affidavit (form DD433), and it must be completed by someone other than a surviving child. Where the ESTATE is the beneficiary, Principal requires court-issued Letters of Appointment for the executor or administrator; if the estate is not being probated, Principal does not offer a small-estate affidavit workaround and instead directs the claimant to contact them to discuss the file. Related requirements: an attorney-in-fact signing for a beneficiary must attach the Power of Attorney, and if that POA is more than five years old Principal also requires affidavit form DD9754. Each beneficiary must file their own separate claim form regardless.
Principal's Individual Life Claims can be reached by phone at 1-800-331-2213, email at IndClaims@exchange.principal.com, and fax at 1-866-894-2096 for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple Principal policies may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Individual Life Claims to confirm what applies.
Sources
- principal.com
- secure02.principal.com
- benefitenrollment.individuals.principal.com
- forms.insurance.claims.principal.com
- secure05.principal.com
Data sourced from Principal primary sources (24 pages reviewed). How we research.
Principal Financial Group, 711 High Street, Des Moines, IA 50392-0001
Principal Financial Group, 711 High Street, Des Moines, IA 50392-0001
Individual Life Claims
Principal Life Insurance Company / Principal National Life Insurance Company, P.O. Box 10431, Des Moines, IA 50306-0431 (overnight: 711 High Street, IDPC-M1-E10, Des Moines, IA 50392-4510)
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