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Prepare the letter of instruction Guardian requests during estate or death-claim processing — addressed to its verified claims department with the required enclosures. PDF.
Step 1 of 5
Which institution holds the account, and the capacity you are writing in.
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Send it to Guardian's estate/claims department: The Guardian Life Insurance Co. of America, P.O. Box 981590, El Paso, TX 79998-1590. You can reach the department at 1-866-452-4542.
Guardian lists these among its required documents: Completed Request for Benefits claim form; Certified copy of the death certificate; Government-issued ID for beneficiary or trustee; Beneficiary Social Security number and contact information. The prepared letter includes an enclosure checklist drawn from Guardian's recorded requirements.
30-60 days after all required documentation is received
Guardian provides its own letter-of-instruction/claim form. We prepare a transmittal cover letter and an enclosure checklist to accompany that form.
It depends on the capacity you are acting in. An executor or administrator encloses Letters Testamentary (when there is a will) or Letters of Administration (when there is not); a successor trustee encloses a certificate of trust; a successor under a small estate encloses that state’s small estate affidavit. The prepared letter lists the proof-of-authority document for your role alongside the institution’s required documents.
A letter of instruction is the written request an institution asks for when settling a deceased customer’s account. It identifies the decedent and the account, states the capacity you are acting in, and tells the institution what to do with the account.
