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Prepare the letter of instruction Lincoln Financial requests during estate or death-claim processing — addressed to its verified claims department with the required enclosures. PDF.
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Which institution holds the account, and the capacity you are writing in.
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Send it to Lincoln Financial's estate/claims department: Claim Dept. - 5310, P.O. Box 21008, Greensboro, NC 27420-1008 (Overnight: Lincoln Financial Group, Claim Dept. - 5310, 100 N. Greene St., Greensboro, NC 27401). You can reach the department at 1-800-487-1485.
Lincoln Financial lists these among its required documents: Completed Claimant's Statement and claim forms (sent in i-Claim package); Certified death certificate (translated into English if applicable); Government-issued ID for the beneficiary; Policy or contract number and deceased's information. The prepared letter includes an enclosure checklist drawn from Lincoln Financial's recorded requirements.
30-60 days from filing to payout, depending on documentation completeness and claim review. Payout typically within 30 days of claim approval as required by state law. Claims within the two-year contestability period may require additional review.
Lincoln Financial 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.
