What to do when a Reliance Standard account holder dies
Contact Reliance Standard — 4-step process, 10 required documents, and on the group track, a reliance standard claims examiner typically makes contact within 48 hours of an online claim submission; payment follows once the claim form for each beneficiary and the certified death certificate are in hand. annuity claims are paid on the contract value as of the date of death. reliance standard warns in the ef-3500 packet that if it does not receive the required claim information within a reasonable time -- generally about two months -- it may be required to escheat the death benefit to the state where the decedent resided, so an unclaimed annuity does not simply sit and wait.
Customer Care Center
Phone1-800-351-7500
Toll-Free1-800-351-7500
Fax267-256-3532
Mailing Address
Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Customer Care
Individual Life Insurance Policy Inquiries
Annuity Policyholders (Retirement Services)
WebsiteLearn more→
Customer Care Center
Phone1-800-351-7500
Toll-Free1-800-351-7500
Fax267-256-3532
Mailing Address
Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Customer Care
Individual Life Insurance Policy Inquiries
Annuity Policyholders (Retirement Services)
WebsiteLearn more→
Life Insurance Claims (Group Life and AD&D)
Phone1-800-351-7500
Toll-Free1-800-351-7500
Fax267-256-3518
Mailing Address
Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Premium Services
Life Claims Fax - New Claim
Life Claims Fax - Existing Claim
Individual Life Insurance Policy Inquiries
Annuity Death Claims (Retirement Services)
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
A death claim on a Reliance Standard policy is filed through the Life Insurance Claims (Group Life and AD&D) (1-800-351-7500). Because insurance proceeds pass directly to named beneficiaries, this process is separate from probate. The required documentation and timeline vary by policy type.
Reliance Standard offers an online claims portal that makes the initial filing process more straightforward. Survivors can also initiate claims by phone or by mailing documentation directly.
Death claim process
The death claim process at Reliance Standard works as follows:
Filing a claim
1
Work out which claims track you are on. Reliance Standard runs two, and they share almost nothing:
- GROUP track (most Reliance Standard coverage): the deceased was covered through an employer for group life, voluntary/supplemental life, or AD&D. Claims are branded Reliance Matrix and run through the employer or plan administrator
- INDIVIDUAL track: an individually owned legacy life policy (800-955-4304) or a deferred annuity contract serviced by Retirement Services (800-435-7775)
2
Group track -- start with the employer, not the insurer:
- Notify the deceased employee's HR or benefits administrator, who holds the master policy and the enrollment record and normally initiates the claim
- A claim can also be started directly at https://claims.reliancematrix.com/ (choose "I am an Employee or Claimant"), or by calling the Customer Care Center at 800-351-7500
- A Reliance Standard Claims Examiner contacts the claimant, typically within 48 hours of the online submission
- If the death was accidental, ask specifically about the AD&D benefit -- it is a separate claim from the group life benefit under the same certificate
3
Complete a claim form for EACH beneficiary -- Reliance Standard does not accept one combined form:
- Attach an original certified death certificate showing cause and manner of death
- If the beneficiary is a trust, the trustee completes the claim form AND submits the Trust Certification (EF-2989)
- If the estate is the beneficiary, the executor or administrator completes the form and must supply a certified letter of appointment (or, for a small estate, the state's small-estate affidavit paperwork)
- If the beneficiary is a minor or an incompetent adult, court paperwork appointing a guardian of the estate is required even if the claimant is the parent
4
Send it to the right claims unit -- the fax numbers differ by product and by whether the claim is new:
- Group life and AD&D (Life Insurance Claims): mail to Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Premium Services. Email LifeClaimsScan@rsli.com. Fax a NEW claim to 267-256-3518; documents on an EXISTING claim go to 267-256-3537
- Annuity: email inforceannuities@rsli.com, fax 267-256-4713, or mail to Retirement Services Operations - Inforce, Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103
Required Documents
- A completed claim form for EACH beneficiary (group death-claim form from the employer, or the Annuity Claims Packet EF-3500)
- Original certified death certificate showing cause and manner of death
- Certificate number (group) or annuity contract number
- Trust Certification (EF-2989) if a trust is the beneficiary, completed by the trustee
- Certified letter of appointment of the executor or administrator if the ESTATE is the beneficiary (or the state small-estate affidavit paperwork)
- Court paperwork appointing a guardian or conservator if the beneficiary is a minor or an incompetent adult -- required even if the claimant is the parent (a notarized UGMA/UTMA custodianship affidavit may substitute if the beneficiary qualifies)
- Original annuity contract, or a Lost Policy Affidavit, for an annuity claim
- Birth certificate of the beneficiary if an annuitization settlement option with a life contingency is elected
- Death certificate of a predeceased beneficiary; if that beneficiary was designated per stirpes, an Affidavit of Heirship
- Copy of the divorce decree and marital settlement agreement if the named beneficiary is a former spouse
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Two things trip up families here. First, the employer is part of the process: for group life, voluntary life, and AD&D, the employer or plan administrator holds the master policy and the enrollment record, so the claim normally starts there and Reliance Standard cannot confirm coverage details the employer has not transmitted. Second, the phone numbers, emails, and fax numbers are product-specific and there is no single "estate department." Group life claims go to Life Insurance Claims (LifeClaimsScan@rsli.com, 800-351-7500, new-claim fax 267-256-3518, existing-claim fax 267-256-3537, Attention: Premium Services); disability and general claims correspondence uses different fax numbers entirely (267-256-3519 new, 267-256-3548 existing); annuity death claims go to Retirement Services Operations - Inforce (inforceannuities@rsli.com, fax 267-256-4713); and individually owned legacy life policies have their own line, 800-955-4304. Reliance Standard pays death claim proceeds per capita by default -- if there are multiple beneficiaries in the same class and one predeceased the insured, that share is redistributed among the survivors in that class unless the designation was expressly made per stirpes, in which case an Affidavit of Heirship is required for the deceased beneficiary's branch. Disability, critical illness, hospital indemnity, accident, dental, and vision coverage pay no death benefit and terminate at death; do not file a death claim on them.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Reliance Standard
Reliance Standard 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 instructionExpected timelines at Reliance Standard: On the group track, a Reliance Standard Claims Examiner typically makes contact within 48 hours of an online claim submission; payment follows once the claim form for each beneficiary and the certified death certificate are in hand. Annuity claims are paid on the contract value as of the date of death. Reliance Standard warns in the EF-3500 packet that if it does not receive the required claim information within a reasonable time -- generally about two months -- it may be required to escheat the death benefit to the state where the decedent resided, so an unclaimed annuity does not simply sit and wait. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Reliance Standard requires several documents to process a claim, including A completed claim form for EACH beneficiary (group death-claim form from the employer, or the Annuity Claims Packet EF-3500), Original certified death certificate showing cause and manner of death, and Certificate number (group) or annuity contract number, 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
Almost certainly not, and this is the most common misunderstanding about Reliance Standard. Reliance Standard is predominantly a group insurer: your coverage is a certificate issued under a master policy that your EMPLOYER owns. An Irrevocable Life Insurance Trust works by owning the policy, which removes the death benefit from your taxable estate -- but you do not own an employer group certificate, so there is nothing to transfer. You can absolutely name a trust as the BENEFICIARY of your group life or AD&D certificate, and the death benefit will then be paid to the trustee, but the benefit still counts in your taxable estate. Whether a group certificate can be assigned at all is governed by the employer's plan document, not by Reliance Standard. The ILIT path is genuinely open only on the individually owned legacy life policies and the deferred annuity contracts, where Reliance Standard has a Trust Certification form (EF-2989) for putting a trust on the contract as owner.
Start with the employer's HR or benefits department. The employer holds the master policy and the enrollment record, so it normally initiates the claim, and Reliance Standard cannot confirm coverage details the employer has not transmitted. You can also open the claim yourself at claims.reliancematrix.com (choose "I am an Employee or Claimant") -- a Reliance Standard Claims Examiner typically reaches out within 48 hours -- or call the Customer Care Center at 800-351-7500 (weekdays 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM ET). Group life claim documents go to Life Insurance Claims: LifeClaimsScan@rsli.com, new-claim fax 267-256-3518, or mail to Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Premium Services. If the death was accidental, ask separately about the AD&D benefit -- it is a second claim under the same certificate.
The executor or administrator completes the Annuity Claims Packet (EF-3500) and must supply a certified letter of appointment -- if the estate is small enough that no letters were issued, Reliance Standard accepts the state's small-estate affidavit paperwork instead. A few EF-3500 rules cost families money if missed: the annuity benefit is valued as of the DATE OF DEATH, not the date you file; if the contract was already annuitized before the owner died, continuing the annuity payments is the ONLY settlement option available; and if systematic withdrawals were paid out after the date of death, signing the claim form means you agree to leave those funds as distributed. Reliance Standard also warns that if it does not receive the required claim information within roughly two months, it may have to escheat the death benefit to the decedent's state of residence. Send copies, never originals -- the packet states documents cannot be returned. Submit to inforceannuities@rsli.com, fax 267-256-4713, or Retirement Services Operations - Inforce, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103.
Reliance Standard pays death claim proceeds on a per capita basis by default. If several beneficiaries share the same class (all primary, or all contingent) and one of them predeceased the insured, that person's share is redistributed among the surviving beneficiaries in that class -- it does not pass down to that beneficiary's children. It only passes down if the designation was expressly written as "per stirpes," and in that case Reliance Standard requires a copy of the deceased beneficiary's death certificate plus an Affidavit of Heirship to identify the branch. If the named beneficiary is a former spouse, Reliance Standard also asks for the divorce decree and marital settlement agreement. This is why a stale designation is the single most common cause of a Reliance Standard death benefit going somewhere the family did not expect.
Reliance Standard's Life Insurance Claims (Group Life and AD&D) can be reached by phone at 1-800-351-7500, email at LifeClaimsScan@rsli.com, and fax at 267-256-3518 for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple Reliance Standard policies may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Life Insurance Claims (Group Life and AD&D) to confirm what applies.
Sources
Data sourced from Reliance Standard primary sources (16 pages reviewed). How we research.
Customer Care Center
Phone1-800-351-7500
Toll-Free1-800-351-7500
Fax267-256-3532
Mailing Address
Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Customer Care
Individual Life Insurance Policy Inquiries
Annuity Policyholders (Retirement Services)
WebsiteLearn more→
Customer Care Center
Phone1-800-351-7500
Toll-Free1-800-351-7500
Fax267-256-3532
Mailing Address
Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Customer Care
Individual Life Insurance Policy Inquiries
Annuity Policyholders (Retirement Services)
WebsiteLearn more→
Life Insurance Claims (Group Life and AD&D)
Phone1-800-351-7500
Toll-Free1-800-351-7500
Fax267-256-3518
Mailing Address
Reliance Standard Life Insurance Company, 1700 Market Street, Suite 1200, Philadelphia, PA 19103, Attention: Premium Services
Life Claims Fax - New Claim
Life Claims Fax - Existing Claim
Individual Life Insurance Policy Inquiries
Annuity Death Claims (Retirement Services)
WebsiteNotify online→
Verified Jul 2026
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