How to Find a Deceased Person's Lost Life Insurance Policy or Annuity

Life insurance is one of the easiest assets to lose. There’s no single national list of who is insured, and a policy can sit unclaimed for years because no one knew it existed. The Texas Department of Insurance says it plainly: it has no way of knowing whether a person had life insurance. So the work falls to the family, in two steps: find the coverage, then claim it. Neither is automatic. This guide covers both, with the limits of each tool, because the most common mistake is to run one search, hear nothing, and stop.

Texas is used as a worked example for state-law points, which vary by state. Dated October 7, 2026.

What should I do first?

Before you search anywhere, look for clues, because they tell you where to point the searches:

• Bank statements and check registers. The Texas Department of Insurance suggests looking for payments to life insurance companies. Checks written to pay premiums can point to a policy
• Mail, tax records, and online accounts for statements and notices; see our guide to finding everything a person owned
• Employers, current and former, for group coverage
• Military or federal service, which have separate coverage described below

You’ll also need a certified death certificate for nearly every step; see getting death certificates.

How does the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator work?

The Life Insurance Policy Locator is a free service run by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the organization of state insurance regulators. You submit a request using details from the death certificate; participating life insurance and annuity companies then search their own records, and if one finds a match and you’re the beneficiary, it contacts you directly.

By the NAIC’s own count, the tool had received more than 1.5 million search requests, and insurers had reported more than 780,000 matches worth nearly $17 billion, through July 31, 2026. It’s worth using. But know its limits:

• It’s slow. Searches may take 90 business days or more
• You may hear nothing. The NAIC says a requester gets no response if no matches are found, if they’re not the beneficiary, or if they lack the legal authority to obtain the policy information. “Nothing” can mean any of those, so it does not prove there’s no policy
• Only participating insurers search. A participating insurer describes the service as asking companies to search for an individual life insurance policy or annuity contract in the deceased’s name
• The NAIC holds no policy data. It says it has no policy or beneficiary information, and relays your request
• Insurers shouldn’t charge. A participating insurer notes that companies should not charge a fee for searching their records

Run the NAIC request early, and run the other searches in parallel while you wait. Our Find the Money checklist walks through all of them.

Why check unclaimed property too?

Insurers are supposed to look for deceased policyholders, and benefits they can’t pay out end up with the state. This is a second, independent route to the same money.

• Insurers check the Death Master File. The American Council of Life Insurers (an industry group) says insurers compare their records against the Social Security Administration’s Death Master File. In Texas, the Insurance Code (Chapter 1109) requires insurers to compare their in-force life insurance policies, annuity contracts, and retained asset accounts against a Death Master File at least semiannually. Other states have similar laws, according to CNBC Select, which reports that model legislation now requires insurers to check the Death Master File periodically; details differ by state
• Unpaid benefits go to the state. The Texas Department of Insurance says unclaimed benefits are turned over to the state after three years, and tells families to search the Texas Unclaimed Property website
• You still have to claim. The ACLI notes that state laws require life insurers to pay a benefit only after a claim is received and the death is confirmed, so being matched is not the same as being paid

Search every state where the person lived, using unclaimed.org and MissingMoney.com. Searching and claiming are free.

What if the coverage wasn’t an individual policy?

This is the gap that catches families. Different coverage types have different routes:

Type of coverage	Where to start
Individual life policy or annuity	NAIC locator; state unclaimed property; the insurer if you know it
Employer group life	The employer’s HR or benefits office, former employers too; the NAIC locator searches individual policies, so don’t rely on it for group coverage
Military: SGLI and VGLI	The beneficiary files a Claim for Death Benefits (form SGLV 8283) with the Office of Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance, along with a copy of the death certificate. For a death on active duty, the service branch’s casualty office helps coordinate
Federal employee or retiree: FEGLI	Report a federal employee’s death to their HR office, and a retiree’s death to OPM’s Retirement Office
Pensions with a death benefit	The plan or employer; see lost pensions

Military coverage. VA’s SGLI and VGLI pages say a beneficiary files form SGLV 8283 to receive payment after a death. VA’s handbook adds that when VA is asked to help file a death claim and the survivor has no evidence of the coverage, VA will assist in completing the form. If the person served, also see veterans burial benefits and benefits for surviving spouses and dependents.

Federal coverage. OPM explains that neither it nor an employing agency can release whether the person was enrolled in FEGLI, the amount, or who the beneficiaries are, because of privacy rules. Instead, the insurer (MetLife’s Office of Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance, OFEGLI) mails a claim form to each beneficiary, and all claim questions go to OFEGLI. If you believe you’re a beneficiary, you can download the claim form (FE-6) and send it in with a certified death certificate. FEGLI death benefits aren’t subject to federal income tax, but the interest paid on them is.

Is there a paid way to search?

Yes, with caveats. MIB (formerly the Medical Information Bureau), an insurance-industry membership organization, runs a Policy Locator Service. According to a 2026 CNBC Select report, it has records of life insurance applications dating back to 1996 across roughly 420 member companies, and charges $75 per request. MIB has said its service can’t guarantee that a policy was issued or remains in force, and that it can help trace a policy to a successor company after a merger. Note what it does: it points you to insurers where the person applied. It records applications, so it isn’t designed to find coverage such as group plans that didn’t involve an individual application. Consider it if your other searches come up empty and you suspect individual coverage.

Never pay a “finder” to locate or claim a policy. Searching and claiming through regulators, the state, and insurers is free, and companies that charge a cut are generally using the same public tools.

I found a policy. How do I claim it?

1. Contact the insurer and say you’re a beneficiary of a deceased insured. Ask for a claim form and what documents it needs
2. Complete the claim form and send a certified death certificate. Generally, each adult beneficiary submits their own form, according to Nolo. If the primary beneficiary died before the insured, the contingent (alternate) beneficiary can claim and will need to supply the death certificates of both
3. Keep copies and note dates, since several time limits run from when the insurer receives proof of death
4. Ask about the payout options (see below) before choosing

How long should it take? In Texas, companies must pay a death benefit within two months after receiving proof of death and verifying the beneficiary, and for an individual policy must also pay interest from the time they received proof of death until they agree to pay, according to the Texas Department of Insurance. The Texas Office of Public Insurance Counsel says the same. Other sources report that insurers typically pay 14 to 60 days after a claim is filed, and that rules vary by state. Payment can take longer if the death occurs during the policy’s contestable period, below.

There is generally no set expiration date for claiming a death benefit from an active policy, according to CNBC Select, but don’t wait: the sooner you file, the sooner the clock on the insurer’s duties begins.

What are my payout options, and what is a retained asset account?

Policies may pay a lump sum or other options such as interest-only or fixed-period payments. Some insurers settle a claim through a retained asset account: the insurer holds the proceeds and sends you what looks like a checkbook. The NAIC describes it as a temporary repository of funds meant to give you time to consider your options, and the Nebraska Department of Insurance suggests asking whether the proceeds are held in a bank, which would make them FDIC-insured up to the limit, or in an insurer account, and what interest rate applies. Its consumer alert notes that you can write a single check or draft to access the entire proceeds at any time.

Are the proceeds taxable?

Generally, no. The IRS says life insurance proceeds you receive as a beneficiary because of the insured’s death aren’t includable in gross income, but any interest you receive is taxable. If the policy was transferred to you for cash or other valuable consideration, the exclusion is limited. A tax professional can address your situation; see our guides on taxes after a death.

What if the claim is delayed or denied?

Claims can be delayed or denied if information is missing, the policy lapsed, or the insurer needs to review the cause of death, according to one insurer’s guide. Two points from the Texas Department of Insurance:

• Life insurance policies have a two-year contestable period. If the insured dies within it, the insurer may investigate and can take longer to pay. If the company denies payment, it must return the premiums to the beneficiary
• During the first two years, companies usually won’t pay if the cause of death is suicide, and must return the premiums. After two years, the company must pay regardless of cause. See life insurance after a suicide

If you believe a denial or delay is wrong, one insurer’s guide suggests contacting your state insurance department or consulting an attorney who understands insurance law. In Texas, the Office of Public Insurance Counsel also publishes consumer rights information.

What if I find nothing?

Don’t assume there’s nothing. The NAIC may not have a response because it covers only participating insurers; group, military, and federal coverage need their own routes; and unclaimed property searches can turn up benefits later because states hold them for the owner or heirs. Keep a record of what you’ve searched and when, repeat unclaimed property searches under name variations, and revisit if you find new paperwork. For your own family, the kindest step is to list your policies, insurers, and beneficiaries somewhere your family can find them. Add that to your Final Day Plan.

For the broader picture, see our guides on life insurance and final expense insurance and how to find everything a person owned, and use the Find the Money checklist to track every search.

This is general educational information, not legal or financial advice. Insurance and unclaimed property laws vary by state and by policy; the insurer, your state insurance department, or an attorney can address your specific situation.