What Is a Life Insurance Beneficiary? (2025)

FAQs

What Is a Life Insurance Beneficiary? ›

A life insurance beneficiary is the person or entity that will receive the money from your policy's death benefit when you pass away. When you purchase a life insurance policy, you choose the beneficiary of the policy.

The options can differ between carriers, but the most common ones across the industry include: Lump sum payment. This is a common choice, especially when multiple beneficiaries are designated. Your beneficiaries will receive a single payment that includes the entire death benefit.

Immediate family as beneficiaries

Anyone who will suffer financially by your loss is likely your first choice for a beneficiary. You can usually split the benefit among multiple beneficiaries as long as the total percentage of the proceeds equal 100 percent.

As a standard life insurance beneficiary rule, you must explicitly identify each beneficiary with their full name and Social Security number. Pro tip: Do you live in a community property state? If so, you'll need your spouse's consent to designate a primary beneficiary other than them.

Most life insurance companies require you to name at least one beneficiary. If beneficiaries are not named, the life insurance proceeds will go to your estate. If you don't have a will, your estate, including the death benefit, may need to go through probate court.

You typically have two choices: Lump sum: This option gives you the entire death benefit all at once. Annuity: This option pays you the death benefit over a set number of years. The benefit is invested during that time, leading to a higher overall pay out (so long as you live long enough to collect the entire benefit).

There is no time limit for beneficiaries to file a life insurance claim. However, the sooner you file a claim for a death benefit, the sooner you will receive your money. Filing as soon as possible makes sense because the insurer could need a month or longer to investigate the claim before paying out.

Whatever you do, don't name the child as the beneficiary—the law prohibits anyone from receiving a life insurance payout if they aren't the age of majority (which could be 18 or 21 depending on your state). Consult with an attorney if you have a disabled or special needs child.

If you've lost a family member or close friend, you may be listed as a beneficiary without even knowing it. Suppose the deceased didn't have a partner or children to name on their policy; they might have branched out to other relationships when choosing the beneficiary of their life insurance policy.

A will cannot override a beneficiary designation because the policy is a contract between the person who purchases it and the issuer. The only way anyone can override a beneficiary other than the policyholder is if a court determines there's a conflict between named beneficiaries and state laws.

Do life insurance companies contact beneficiaries? ›

Now, what? Many life insurance companies try to contact beneficiaries if the beneficiaries don't contact them first.

If a policyholder dies and no beneficiaries can accept the death benefit, the money is paid out to the insured's estate and a probate court distributes the money. Does life insurance go to next of kin? Your next of kin can get the death benefit if you make them the beneficiary — or if the benefit goes through probate.

In general, life insurance beneficiaries generally overrule a will. For instance, if your will states that you want your partner to receive your death benefit, but the policy itself lists your sibling as the only beneficiary, your sibling will be eligible to receive the death benefit and your partner will not.

The easiest way to learn if you are a life insurance beneficiary is to talk to the policyholder if they are still alive. They can tell you whether you're a beneficiary and provide information necessary to claim the death benefit when they pass away.

But it's important to be aware that there are a few instances where life insurance won't pay out. Top reasons life insurance won't pay out may be because the policyholder lied on their application, their death was the result of suicide, or they passed away during the waiting period.

Select a beneficiary based on the likelihood of a permanent relationship with you. Many people may select a girlfriend or boyfriend in lieu of a spouse. While at the time this may seem like an excellent decision based on your undying love for one another, be aware that all relationships are subject to change.

Some may choose a surviving spouse as a named beneficiary while others may name a child or a parent. One substantial reason people purchase a life insurance policy is for peace of mind when it comes to family, knowing that life insurance protection is in place in the event of your death.

If you are single, you may designate anyone you choose as your beneficiaries, such as a family member, friend, charity, or organization.

Your primary beneficiary is the person or entity you select that is entitled to the policy's benefit upon your death. The Insurance Information Institute (III) recommends you also select a contingent beneficiary as next in line for the benefits in case your primary beneficiary cannot be found or dies.