What to do when a USAA Life account holder dies
Contact USAA Life — 3-step process, 8 required documents, and allow up to 10 business days after usaa receives and completes a good order review of all required documentation. complex claims or those within the contestability period may take longer. annuity claim requirements must be submitted at least 45 days before the one-year anniversary of the annuity owner's death.
USAA Member Services
Phone1-800-531-8722
Mailing Address
USAA, 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288
WebsiteLearn more→
USAA Member Services
Phone1-800-531-8722
Mailing Address
USAA, 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288
WebsiteLearn more→
Life Insurance Claims
Phone1-800-531-8455
Toll-Free1-800-531-8455
Fax1-877-435-7099
Mailing Address
USAA Life Insurance Company, 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288
Survivor Relations
Bank Survivor Relations
Alternative fax (San Antonio / international)
Verified Jul 2026
Filing a death claim on a USAA Life policy begins with notifying the Life Insurance Claims at 1-800-531-8455. Life insurance claims are separate from probate—proceeds transfer directly to named beneficiaries regardless of whether the estate goes through court. The timeline and documentation requirements depend on the policy type and cause of death.
To start, call USAA Life at 1-800-531-8455. Have the account holder's full name, account numbers, and a certified death certificate ready before you call.
Death claim process
Here is the step-by-step death claim process at USAA Life:
Filing a claim
1
Report the death and initiate the claim
- Call USAA Survivor Relations at 800-531-8877 or Life Insurance Claims at 800-531-8455 to report the death and initiate a claim
- Provide the deceased USAA member number or Social Security number
- USAA verifies beneficiaries and policy details and sends claim forms to the designated beneficiary
2
Gather documents and complete claim forms
- Obtain certified copies of the death certificate from the local vital records office
- Complete and return the claim forms provided by USAA
- Submit the certified death certificate with the claim
3
Select a payout method
- Select payout method: lump sum (paper check or bank wire; $20 fee for domestic wire) is the standard option for life insurance
- For deferred annuity claims: options include lump sum, deferral (up to 10 years for qualified accounts, 5 years for non-qualified), or annuitization of proceeds
- For income annuity claims: beneficiary may continue payouts or receive a lump sum depending on contract terms
Required Documents
- Certified death certificate
- Completed USAA claim forms (provided after death is reported)
- Government-issued ID for the beneficiary
- Deceased member's USAA member number or Social Security number
- Policy number (if known)
- Trust documents and trustee ID (if trust is the beneficiary; complete Certification of Trust section on claim form)
- Documentation of burial, cremation, or entombment (for deaths outside the United States)
- Physician's statement or medical records (if policy is within two-year contestability period)
What to know at this institution
USAA Survivor Relations at 800-531-8877 can assist with coordinating across all USAA products (banking, insurance, investments) after a member's death. Bank Survivor Relations Team: 855-204-0378, Monday-Friday 7:30am-6:00pm CT. General USAA member services: 800-531-8722 (800-531-USAA). Spousal beneficiaries on annuities have the unique option to keep the contract or change ownership to themselves. For deferred annuity claims, qualified accounts allow transfer into an inherited IRA as an additional option. For faster processing, submit claim forms through usaa.com or the USAA Mobile App rather than by mail.
Prepare your letter of instruction to USAA Life
USAA Life 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 USAA Life: Allow up to 10 business days after USAA receives and completes a good order review of all required documentation. Complex claims or those within the contestability period may take longer. Annuity claim requirements must be submitted at least 45 days before the one-year anniversary of the annuity owner's death. Delays are almost always caused by incomplete paperwork—gathering all required documents before filing the initial claim helps avoid back-and-forth.
USAA Life requires several documents to process a claim, including Certified death certificate, Completed USAA claim forms (provided after death is reported), and Government-issued 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
Use USAA Life's Transfer of Ownership form MSF408ST (https://static.usaa.com/content/dam/digital/documents/pdf/life/lfco-lf-ann-transfer-owner.pdf). Because a trust is an entity owner, the form also requires an Ownership Authorization Form (https://static.usaa.com/content/dam/digital/documents/pdf/life/lfco-lf-ann-owner-auth.pdf), one per contract, naming the trustees authorized to exercise ownership rights. You will need the trust name, trust date, country of registration if non-U.S., Tax ID, trustee name(s), address(es), date(s) of birth and signature(s), and the current owner's SSN. USAA states the first and last/signature pages of the trust document should be on file to verify trust information. All ownership rights transfer to the trust, and the three-year lookback rule under IRC Section 2035 applies for estate tax purposes. One limit worth knowing: USAA allows an ownership change on a QUALIFIED contract only to a spouse due to death or under a Qualified Domestic Relations Order. USAA does not establish ILITs; consult an estate planning attorney.
Call USAA Survivor Relations at 800-531-8877 or Life Insurance Claims at 800-531-8455 to report the death and initiate a claim. Provide the deceased member's USAA member number or Social Security number. USAA will verify beneficiaries and send claim forms to the designated beneficiary. Complete the forms and return them with a certified death certificate. For faster processing, upload forms through usaa.com or the USAA Mobile App instead of mailing. Allow up to 10 business days after USAA receives all documentation. The Bank Survivor Relations Team at 855-204-0378 can help coordinate across all USAA products.
For life insurance policies, the standard payout is a lump sum delivered by paper check or bank wire (a $20 fee applies for domestic wire transfers). For deferred annuity claims, beneficiaries can choose a lump sum, deferral (up to 10 years for qualified accounts or 5 years for non-qualified accounts), or annuitization (spreading payments and tax liability over several years). For income annuity claims, beneficiaries may continue payouts or take a lump sum. Qualified annuity accounts also offer the option to transfer into an inherited IRA. Spousal beneficiaries on annuities can choose to keep the contract or change ownership to themselves.
USAA Life's Life Insurance Claims can be reached by phone at 1-800-531-8455 and fax at 1-877-435-7099 for questions throughout the claims process.
If the deceased held multiple USAA Life policies, each may require a separate claim or have different documentation requirements. The Life Insurance Claims can confirm which accounts require individual attention and which can be processed together.
Sources
Data sourced from USAA Life primary sources (19 pages reviewed). How we research.
USAA Member Services
Phone1-800-531-8722
Mailing Address
USAA, 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288
WebsiteLearn more→
USAA Member Services
Phone1-800-531-8722
Mailing Address
USAA, 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288
WebsiteLearn more→
Life Insurance Claims
Phone1-800-531-8455
Toll-Free1-800-531-8455
Fax1-877-435-7099
Mailing Address
USAA Life Insurance Company, 9800 Fredericksburg Road, San Antonio, TX 78288
Survivor Relations
Bank Survivor Relations
Alternative fax (San Antonio / international)
Verified Jul 2026
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