What to do when a Thrivent account holder dies
Contact Thrivent's Thrivent Trust Company (personal trust and estate settlement services) — 3-step process, 12 required documents, and thrivent contacts the beneficiaries of record within 10 business days of the report, and a claim coordinator calls within 5 to 7 business days of the initial call reporting the claim (the welcome call); total processing time varies based on claim complexity and documentation completeness
Client Care Center
Thrivent Operations Center, 4321 N. Ballard Rd., Appleton, WI 54919-0001 (corporate center: 600 Portland Avenue S., Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55415-4402)
Thrivent Trust Company (personal trust and estate settlement services)
Beneficiary Claims
Thrivent, PO Box 8075, Appleton, WI 54912-8075 (claims correspondence alternate: Thrivent, Attn: Claims, 4321 N. Ballard Rd., Appleton, WI 54919). Thrivent Funds death claims: Thrivent Funds, PO Box 219348, Kansas City, MO 64121-9348 (fax 866-278-8363)
A death claim on a Thrivent policy is filed through the Beneficiary Claims (1-920-628-6312). 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 Thrivent 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
Follow these steps to file a death claim with Thrivent:
Filing a claim
- Report the death online at thrivent.com/claims/report-the-death-of-a-loved-one (anyone can report, not just the beneficiary)
- Or call 920-628-6312 to report the death by phone
- Or notify your Thrivent financial advisor
- Thrivent will be in contact with the beneficiaries of record within 10 business days
- Each claimant completes a separate Beneficiary Claim Statement (Form 28E) -- it covers Life, Annuity, and Settlement Option products, and CANNOT be used for brokerage or Thrivent Funds mutual fund death claims (call 800-847-4836 and name the business line when prompted for those)
- Obtain a death certificate showing the cause and manner of death: claims up to $500,000 accept a copy (faxed or mailed); claims exceeding $500,000 require an original certified death certificate mailed to Thrivent
- A trustee claimant must also file a Certification of Trust (24143A); an executor or administrator must file letters testamentary or letters of appointment; an agent under a power of attorney must file a copy of the POA; a guardian or conservator must file the court-certified letter of appointment; a charitable organization must file a Business Entity Information form (23438)
- Thrivent additionally requires the Deceased Additional Health Information form (34903) if the life insurance contract had been in force two years or less (the contestability window), if an accidental death benefit rider applies and the manner of death was accidental, or if the death involved unusual circumstances
- Insurance, annuity, and settlement-option claims: mail Form 28E and the death certificate to Thrivent, PO Box 8075, Appleton, WI 54912-8075, or fax to 800-225-2264 (claims correspondence may also be sent to Thrivent, Attn: Claims, 4321 N. Ballard Rd., Appleton, WI 54919)
- Thrivent Funds mutual fund claims: mail MF34914 (non-retirement) or MF34915 (retirement) to Thrivent Funds, PO Box 219348, Kansas City, MO 64121-9348, or fax to 866-278-8363
- Thrivent reviews all submitted documentation and contacts you if additional information is required
- Choose the payout method on the claim form -- once a claim election has been processed, the transaction cannot be reversed
- Beneficiaries receive an IRS Form 1099 for the taxable portion of death claim proceeds
Required Documents
- Completed Beneficiary Claim Statement (Form 28E) for life, annuity, and settlement-option contracts -- one per claimant, with a contract number for each election
- Death certificate showing cause and manner of death (copy accepted up to $500,000; original certified certificate required above $500,000)
- Government-issued ID for beneficiary or trustee
- Beneficiary Social Security number and contact information
- Certification of Trust (24143A) if a trustee is claiming
- Letters testamentary or letters of appointment if an executor or administrator is claiming
- Copy of the power of attorney document if an agent is claiming
- Court-certified letter of guardianship or conservatorship if a guardian or custodian is claiming
- Business Entity Information form (23438) if a charitable organization or elected officer is claiming
- Deceased Additional Health Information form (34903) when the contract was in force two years or less, an accidental death benefit rider applies to an accidental death, or the circumstances of death are unusual
- Thrivent Funds Non-Retirement Beneficiary Claim form (MF34914) for mutual fund non-retirement accounts
- Thrivent Funds Retirement Beneficiary Claim form (MF34915) for mutual fund retirement accounts
Claims Contact
What to know at this institution
Anyone can report the loss of a loved one to Thrivent -- it does not need to be a beneficiary. Grief care resources are at https://www.thrivent.com/claims/condolence-resources. Two Thrivent-specific traps: (1) Form 28E covers only Life, Annuity, and Settlement Option products -- brokerage and Thrivent Funds mutual fund death claims use MF34914/MF34915 and a different service center (Kansas City, fax 866-278-8363), so a 28E sent for a fund account will not process; (2) because Thrivent is a fraternal benefit society, a beneficiary who is not already a Thrivent member and wants to join files Form 15659 alongside the claim -- membership is not required to receive a death benefit. A claim election, once processed, cannot be reversed. Beneficiaries receive an IRS Form 1099 for the taxable portion of proceeds. Thrivent Bank deposit accounts are settled by Thrivent Bank (833-347-1600, thriventbank.com), not by the Thrivent claims department. Thrivent Trust Company can serve as the executor or successor trustee that files these claims, if named in the estate documents.
Prepare your letter of instruction to Thrivent
Thrivent 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 Thrivent: Thrivent contacts the beneficiaries of record within 10 business days of the report, and a claim coordinator calls within 5 to 7 business days of the initial call reporting the claim (the welcome call); total processing time varies based on claim complexity and documentation completeness. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
Documentation required by Thrivent includes Completed Beneficiary Claim Statement (Form 28E) for life, annuity, and settlement-option contracts -- one per claimant, with a contract number for each election, Death certificate showing cause and manner of death (copy accepted up to $500,000; original certified certificate required above $500,000), and Government-issued ID for beneficiary or trustee, along with additional paperwork that varies by account type. All death certificates and court documents must be certified copies.
Frequently asked questions
Each claimant files a separate Beneficiary Claim Statement (Form 28E, https://www.thrivent.com/files/28E.pdf), which covers Life, Annuity, and Settlement Option products only. The death certificate rule is a threshold: a copy is accepted for claims up to $500,000, but claims exceeding $500,000 require an original certified death certificate showing cause and manner of death. Thrivent additionally requires the Deceased Additional Health Information form (34903) if the life contract had been in force two years or less (the contestability window), if an accidental death benefit rider applies and the death was accidental, or if the circumstances of death were unusual -- so an early-death claim will be slower than a routine one. A trustee claimant files a Certification of Trust (24143A), an executor files letters testamentary, an agent files the POA, and a charity files the Business Entity Information form (23438). Once a payout election is processed it cannot be reversed. Mail to Thrivent, PO Box 8075, Appleton, WI 54912-8075, or fax 800-225-2264.
Thrivent was founded by Lutherans and remains a member-owned fraternal benefit society, but membership and products are open to all U.S. residents, and buying a Thrivent insurance, annuity, or mutual fund product makes you a member. The fraternal structure creates two estate wrinkles. First, the member benefits are personal and end at death: Thrivent Action Team seed funding, Thrivent Choice Dollars charitable direction, and chapter participation do not pass to heirs, and unused Choice Dollars have no cash value to claim. Second, on the claim side, a beneficiary does not need to be a Thrivent member to be paid -- but if a beneficiary wants to join the membership when claiming, Thrivent has a specific form for that (Form 15659), filed with the claim. The underlying contracts pay out on their beneficiary designations exactly as any other carrier's would.
Thrivent Funds administers transfer-on-death registration under the Minnesota Uniform Transfer on Death Security Registration Act (Minn. Stat. 524.6-301 to 524.6-311), and the MF307 form says so regardless of where the shareholder lives -- the transfer agent, not your home state, sets the mechanics. Three consequences worth knowing before you rely on TOD here: (1) TOD is NOT available on accounts registered as trusts, corporations, estates, tenants in common, custodial accounts, or community property without rights of survivorship, so a fund account already titled in your revocable trust passes under the trust and cannot also carry a TOD; (2) naming a TOD beneficiary on a joint or community-property account elects a right of survivorship for all owners, and nothing transfers until the last owner dies; and (3) TOD covers all shares in the account, including shares bought after you sign. Thrivent Funds also notes it will honor the designation on file unless it receives a properly documented community-property or marital-property claim before paying.
Thrivent's Beneficiary Claims can be reached by phone at 1-920-628-6312 and fax at 1-800-225-2264 for questions throughout the claims process.
Multiple Thrivent policies may mean multiple claims. Some account types can be processed together, but others require their own documentation. Check with the Beneficiary Claims to confirm what applies.
Sources
Data sourced from Thrivent primary sources (22 pages reviewed). How we research.
Client Care Center
Thrivent Operations Center, 4321 N. Ballard Rd., Appleton, WI 54919-0001 (corporate center: 600 Portland Avenue S., Suite 100, Minneapolis, MN 55415-4402)
Thrivent Trust Company (personal trust and estate settlement services)
Beneficiary Claims
Thrivent, PO Box 8075, Appleton, WI 54912-8075 (claims correspondence alternate: Thrivent, Attn: Claims, 4321 N. Ballard Rd., Appleton, WI 54919). Thrivent Funds death claims: Thrivent Funds, PO Box 219348, Kansas City, MO 64121-9348 (fax 866-278-8363)
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