When you purchase life insurance, you receive a policy contract that outlines the premium, benefits, conditions, and the beneficiary who will receive the death benefit. This document is important and should be stored safely for future reference.
Over time, it is possible to misplace this paperwork. If you are in this situation and are not sure what to do, here is how to help find a lost life insurance policy, whether it belongs to you or someone else.
What Happens With a Lost Life Insurance Policy?
Losing your life insurance policy does not affect your coverage. Your agreement stays active as long as you continue making scheduled premium payments. The insurance company keeps a copy of your policy and is required to follow its terms. You do not need to provide your contract as proof.
However, not having your policy can make managing your coverage more difficult. Here are a few reasons why:
- You may not have a clear reference for your policy details. This can make it harder to confirm information and easier to forget certain benefits.
- A lost life insurance policy can make it harder for your beneficiaries to claim the death benefit. Without access to your contract, they may struggle to identify your coverage, which increases the chance that benefits go unclaimed. Each year, millions of dollars in life insurance benefits are left unclaimed.1
If you have lost your life insurance contract, it may help to request another copy for both you and your beneficiaries.
How Can You Find Your Lost Life Insurance Policy?
If you cannot find your life insurance policy, there are a few simple ways to request a copy and share the details with your beneficiaries.
Contact Your Insurance Company
Your life insurance company's customer service department can send you your policy information if you put in a request. They can typically look up your policy using your name, Social Security number and contact information.
In some cases, you may be able to look up your policy on their website. If that's not an option, the insurer will likely need to print another copy and send it to you by mail. So, keep in mind that this could take several days or weeks, depending on their turnaround time.
Store and Share Your Policy Information
Once you have another copy of your policy, put it in a place that's safe and accessible by your beneficiaries, such as a safe deposit box.
You should also share key details with your beneficiaries:
| What to Share | Why It Matters |
|---|---|
| Insurance company name | Helps them contact the correct provider |
| Policy number | Speeds up the lookup process |
| Storage location | Helps them find documents quickly |
| Agent contact information | Gives them a direct point of contact for questions |
Let your beneficiaries know you have coverage and where to find the documents. Introducing them to your agent can also make it easier for them to get help when needed.
How to Find Lost Life Insurance for Someone Else
Finding a life insurance policy purchased by someone who has passed away may take extra research, especially if you do not have the policy details. If you know which life insurance company they used, contact the company’s claims department to file a death benefit claim and provide a copy of the death certificate. If you need a copy of the policy, ask the company about the steps required to request it. If the insurer is unknown, review the deceased’s financial records for clues.
Look for premium invoices, letters from insurance companies, or bank statements that show payments for coverage. If you have access to tax returns, check whether they reported income tied to a permanent life insurance policy's cash value.
You can also contact the deceased’s former employer to ask about any work life insurance. If they worked with a financial advisor, accountant, or other professional, reach out to see if they have information or can guide you on how to continue your search.
Resources That Can Help
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners provides a Lost Life Insurance Policy Locator tool that searches for existing policies under the deceased’s name.2 Your state’s insurance commissioner’s office may also offer a similar tool.
The Medical Information Bureau (MIB) offers a search tool that can show whether the deceased applied for any policies in the past.3 However, this database only shows applications, not active coverage. It is possible the deceased applied and never started a policy, but this information can help you identify which insurance companies to contact.
The National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators website and MissingMoney.com are two ways to search state records for unclaimed property.4,5
The Bottom Line
As you can see, it can take much more effort to find a lost policy after the policyholder passes away. That is why, if you or your loved ones have life insurance, it helps to make sure everyone knows the key policy details and where to find the contracts.
Sources
- Learn How to Use the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator - NAIC. https://content.naic.org/article/learn-how-use-naic-life-insurance-policy-locator.
- Policy Locator. https://eapps.naic.org/life-policy-locator/.
- Fee-based Services - MIB Group. https://www.mib.com/fee_based_services.html.
- National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators. https://unclaimed.org/.
- MissingMoney. https://missingmoney.com/.
