Lost Life Insurance Policy Finder

What you'll need (from the death certificate):

• Deceased's Social Security Number
• Legal first and last name
• Date of birth
• Date of death
• Your name, address, and email (as the requester)

What to expect: Results take up to 90 business days. If an insurer finds a match and you're the beneficiary, they'll contact you directly. If no match is found, you won't hear anything — silence after 90 days means no match was found.

Good to know: You only need to submit one request — it searches all participating companies nationwide. The match rate is approximately 52%. Not sure what type of policy you're looking for? Our glossary explains the differences between whole life, universal life, and term life policies.

Start with a nationwide search:

This searches 49 states at once (Hawaii must be searched separately). All you need is a first and last name.

Then search individual state sites for every state they lived in — select your state above to get the direct link.

Important search tips:

• Search under maiden name (very common for women who married after buying a policy)
• Try common nicknames — "Bill" vs. "William," "Bob" vs. "Robert," "Peggy" vs. "Margaret"
• Try with and without middle name/initial
• Check misspellings and name variations
• Search every state they ever lived in, not just the most recent

Good to know: Searching and claiming are completely free. Never pay a third-party "finder" service — you can do everything yourself at no cost. Learn more about what a policy might be worth once you find it.

What to do: Call the HR or benefits department of every employer they worked for — even decades ago.

What to say: "I'm calling about a former employee, [name], who passed away. I'd like to find out if they had any group life insurance coverage during their employment."

Things to ask about:

• Basic group life insurance (often 1-2x annual salary, provided free)
• Supplemental/voluntary life insurance they may have purchased
• Whether the policy was converted to an individual policy when they left (employees have a 31-day window to convert group policies)

Also check: Pay stubs for deduction codes like "GTL" (Group Term Life) or "Vol Life" (Voluntary Life Insurance).

Tax returns — Look for:

• Form 1099-R — shows distributions from insurance or annuity contracts
• Form 1099-INT — interest earned on cash value policies
• Deductions for insurance premium payments
• You can request IRS transcripts (last 7 years) using Form 4506-T — it's free

Bank and credit card statements — Look for recurring monthly or annual payments to insurance companies.

Physical documents — Search through:

• Filing cabinets and desk drawers
• Safe deposit boxes (contact the bank — you may need legal authority to access)
• Old mail — premium notices, annual statements, and dividend notices may arrive for up to a year after death
• Address books — look for agent or company names and phone numbers
• Checkbook registers — look for payments to insurance companies

People to reach out to:

• Insurance agent or broker — may have sold the policy or have records of it
• Financial advisor — may have recommended or reviewed the policy
• Attorney — especially one who drafted a will, trust, or irrevocable life insurance trust (ILIT)
• CPA or accountant — may have seen premium deductions or 1099 forms
• Banker or trust officer — may have been involved in policy loans or premium payments
• Family members — siblings, in-laws, or close friends may remember conversations about a policy

Email keywords to search:

• "life insurance" or "policy"
• "premium" or "premium due"
• "beneficiary"
• "annual statement" or "policy anniversary"
• "death benefit" or "face amount"
• Names of major insurers (MetLife, Prudential, New York Life, Northwestern Mutual, etc.)

Also check:

• Browser saved passwords and bookmarks for insurance company portals
• Password managers (some have emergency access features)
• Financial aggregator apps (Mint, Personal Capital, etc.)

Contact the VA Insurance Center:

• Phone: 1-800-669-8477 (Mon–Fri, 8:30am–6pm ET)
• SGLI/VGLI: Contact the Office of Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance at 1-800-419-1473

Types of VA life insurance:

• SGLI — Active duty coverage (up to $500,000)
• VGLI — Converted SGLI for veterans after separation
• NSLI — National Service Life Insurance (WWII-era)
• USGLI — United States Government Life Insurance (WWI-era)
• S-DVI — Service-Disabled Veterans Insurance
• VALife — VA Life Insurance (newer program)

Select your state above to see the direct contact information for your state's insurance department.

States with their own policy locator services:

• Illinois
• Louisiana
• Michigan
• New York
• North Carolina
• Oregon

If you're in one of these states, contact the insurance department directly to access their locator — it may find policies the NAIC tool doesn't.

Often-missed sources of life insurance:

• Mortgage protection insurance — Contact the mortgage lender; a policy may have been purchased when the home loan originated
• Credit card AD&D — Many premium credit cards include accidental death & dismemberment coverage (e.g., $100K–$500K on some Chase and Amex cards)
• Credit union life insurance — Credit unions often provide small life insurance policies to members through CMFG/TruStage
• Fraternal organizations — Knights of Columbus, Elks, Moose Lodge, Masons, Odd Fellows, Woodmen of the World, and others offer group life insurance to members
• Union or professional associations — Many unions and professional groups offer group life benefits
• Pre-need funeral insurance — A small policy purchased through a funeral home to cover burial costs
• Bank-sold policies — Banks sometimes sell or bundle life insurance with accounts

How it works: MIB (formerly Medical Information Bureau) maintains a database of life insurance applications. For $75, they'll search their records and tell you which companies the person applied with.

Limitations:

• Only finds individually underwritten policies with face values of $100,000+
• Does not confirm whether a policy is still in force — only that an application was made
• Results take approximately 21 business days
• Not available for California residents

We recommend trying all the free options first. Use MIB as a last resort if the free searches haven't turned up anything.