The short answer
As the named beneficiary, you claim from the insurer yourself. Life insurance paid to a named beneficiary usually goes outside the will and outside probate.
The insurer will ask for the policy details and proof of the death. If you can't find a policy, the free NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator can look for one. If no beneficiary was named, or the person named has died, the money usually goes to your parent's estate.
This chapter explains how things usually work in the United States. It is not legal, tax or financial advice, and the rules where you live may differ. Before you act on anything here, check it with one of the people named at the end of the chapter.
What to do
- Find the policy, or search the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator.
- Call the insurer's claims line, on a number from the policy or its letters.
- Send what the insurer asks for, including the proof of death it names.
- Ask how the money can be paid before you choose.
- Ask about interest if the claim is slow.
- Keep a copy of everything you send, with the date you sent it.
What can wait
- Deciding what to do with the money once it arrives. That decision doesn't have to be made at the same time as the claim.
Who can help
The insurer's claims department can tell you what your claim still needs. The NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator can search for policies nobody knew about. Your state insurance department answers questions about how insurers must handle claims where your parent lived.
For a policy through a job, the Labor Department's benefits advisors answer at 1-866-444-3272. If the estate is the beneficiary, or people disagree, a probate lawyer or your local legal aid office can help.
The rules, phone numbers and web addresses in this book were checked against the agencies’, courts’ and organizations’ own pages in October 2026. Where a rule differs by state, the book names one state as an example. Check anything you rely on with the office itself.
From Book 3: Their Money
This page has the short answer and the closing lists from chapter 3. The full chapter explains, in plain words, what exists, what to ask, and who can answer. The book covers months 1 to 12 after the death.
Questions near this one
Other questions on related subjects, from this book and the others.
- How do I find all of their accounts? Book 2, Being in Charge
- How do I find the will and the papers, and what if I can't? Book 1, The First Month
- Who tells Social Security and the other offices? Book 1, The First Month
- What do I tell my employer, and what about me? Book 1, The First Month
Hear when Their Money is out
A short note when each book is out. Five or six emails a year at most. You can unsubscribe whenever you like.