Making term insurance policy claims smooth for your family in your absence

Item 1 -Policy details and document

The first thing is to make your family aware of the policy.  Attach the policy document PDF to the mail and call it out in the email. Share the password of the file with your spouse and another trusted family member (in case, both you and your spouse are impacted).

You can also add a link to an article or document to help your family understand the exact steps they need to be aware of. Understand that grieving family members may need exact steps at such a difficult time when thinking can be difficult.

Item 2 - Step by step procedure of making the policy claim

Step 1 - Your family should inform the insurance company: It is obvious that your family would be despondent in such an unfortunate situation. However, to avoid complications on claim settlement, they will need to inform the insurance company about the death of the policyholder as early as they can.

They can do so by calling the insurer, through their website, or by sending a mail. The basic details they will need to send will include the following.

• Policy number


• Name of policyholder


• Birthdate of policyholder


• Reason and place of death


• Name of beneficiary

Here’s what they should have ready before they raise the claim.

What they will need In case of a natural death:

• Policy claim documents


• The policy document (original)


• Copy of death certificate

Documents required if the cause of death was a medical emergency

• Hospital certificate


• Certificate of attendant doctor


• Complete medical report stating date and time of admission and discharge, tests, and death summary.

Post mortem report

• FIR report noted by the police officer


• Final investigation report conducted by the police

Once your family submits the documents, the insurance company will undertake the assessment of whether to pass your claim or not. If all the documents provided are up to the mark and satisfy all the conditions, the passed claim will be paid out to the beneficiary’s bank account. The insurance policy will have the details of which account exactly or how the insurance amount will be paid if not directly to beneficiary’s account.

Finally, something you can do to avoid claim rejections

As the saying goes, prevention is better than cure, make sure that you have taken precautions for your claims process to avoid the rejection. This largely depends on you so be sure to follow these.

• Always share complete and correct information related to health. If any discrepancies are found at the time of claim, your family may lose the settlement amount.


• You can also take the option of medical examination provided by the insurer so they have less to say at the time of claim processing.


• You must update details on the nominee if changed.


• Paying all the premiums on time is important and a basis for not just term life insurance.


• The claim should be filed on an urgent basis after the death of the policyholder.


• Instead of the insurance agent, weigh on filling the claim form on your own to avoid any minor errors.


• In case there are specific risks that you might want to consider, take additional cover for the same from insurers who might cover the same. For example, if you are into adventure sports, check what level of adventure is covered and if there is another provider who can cover the additional scenarios.

This email can provide your family with all they need to know and do, to ensure they receive their due.

While you may not be there for  your loved ones the way they need you the most, you can make sure that your insurance policy does all it was meant to do for them.