How to File a Life Insurance Claim with Northwestern Life
We’re nationally recognized experts. Here we explain how to file a life insurance claim with Northwestern Life.
To file a life insurance claim with Northwestern Mutual Life you’ll need a death certificate even if it’s a preliminary certificate. With this and a phone call to Northwestern you’ll notify them of the death. This will stop any premium payments and withdrawals from the cash value.
Northwestern will then review their records to determine if the policy was in effect on the insured’s death and whether or not it is subject to a contestability investigation.
If the policy was in good standing Northwestern will send you their Claim forms. If the policy wasn’t in good standing they’ll refuse to let you file a claim. If the policy was in good standing and not subject to a contestability review, your claim should be paid within the state Fair Claims rules.
If the policy was in good standing but IS subject to a contestability review, get ready for a long process. This is when you’ll want your own claim expert working on your behalf against Northwestern Mutual. Because, let’s be honest, life insurers don’t want to pay claims and they do what they can to not pay.
If you want to be sure your claim gets paid be as prepared as possible and contact us by phone or email for help.
Phone: 1-888-428-4868
How to File a Life Insurance Claim with Northwestern Mutual Life
- Contact Northwestern Mutual Life and inform them of the death. They’ll confirm the policy was active and send you their Claim Form. This will also stop NWM Life from billing for premiums.
If they determine the policy was not active on the day the insured died they’ll refuse to provide you with their Claim forms. Just because they say the policy wasn’t active doesn’t mean they’re correct. There are many reasons why the policy may have been active and Northwestern Life doesn’t recognize it initially. Read: Six Reason Your Contestable Life Insurance Policy May Not be Contestable.
- Get an original Final Death Certificate and mail it to Northwestern Mutual Life. They will want an original death certificate, not a copy. These can be purchased from the funeral home. If there is an open investigation about the death by Law Enforcement, or if the County Medical Examiner hasn’t finished determining the Cause of Death, the Final Death Certificate won’t be available. Life insurers won’t pay claims without Final Death Certificates.
- Northwestern Life will ask you to return the Policy. We strongly suggest you maintain a copy in the event there’s a dispute over the claim or who is the correct beneficiary. Read: Wrong Beneficiary.
- Submit the Claimant’s Statement. This form asks for information about the beneficiary such as name, address, social security number and the form of payment requested.
The beneficiary must provide a social security or tax payor number. While most death claims are not taxable, an insurer is still responsible for notifying the IRS a claim has been paid.
- Choose the form of payment you want. Depending on the insurance company and the size of the claim, several different payment options are available:
The most common form is a check made out to the beneficiary. Once deposited, most banks will hold funds for 10 days before making them available.
Another option is to be paid with a checking account set up in the name of the beneficiary. The beneficiary is mailed a check book tied to an account immediately funded with the full death claim. There are two benefits to this form of payment: the money is immediately available, and funds in the account earn a much higher interest rate than banks offer.
A third option, rarely chosen, is to receive regular periodic payments until the full claim amount has been paid.
If your claim is approved you’ll receive your payment 7 to 10 days after the final approval.
If your claim is denied you’ll be given a written explanation why it was denied. Usually, the insurer will refund all the premiums that were paid. You can appeal denied death claims, for this we strongly urge you to contact us to be your appeal representative.
Denied life insurance claims are usually from policies that were less than 2 years old when the insured died. For a full explanation of Contestable Life Insurance Investigations please read: Life Insurance Claim Investigation.
Northwestern Mutual Group Life Claims for Employees
Submitting a claim to Northwestern Life for a group life insurance policy is a little different than individual life claims. For a group life claim you’ll need to contact the employer who sponsored the plan and inform them of the death. Ask that they contact the insurer. They’ll have to contact Northwestern Life and confirm the person was employed and the coverage was in effect on the date of death.
You’ll still need a Claim Form, Death Certificate and Claimants Statement, but all information must go thru the employer and Northwestern Life’s Group Life Claims Department.
NORTHWESTERN MUTUAL CLAIM FORMS (click here)
Northwestern Mutual Life Claims Department phone number 1-800-388-8123
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