Claiming on an Aviva life policy after a death

To tell Aviva that someone with a life insurance policy has died, you can fill in a notification form on Aviva's website or phone its bereavement line on 0345 268 2194 (Monday to Friday, 9:00am to 5:00pm). Aviva prints two life claims numbers: 0800 015 1142 on its claims page and in its Life Insurance Plan and Over 50s Life Insurance documents, and 0800 158 3467 on its life insurance contact page and in its Life Insurance+, Whole of Life Insurance+ and Simple Life documents. If the policy papers give a claims number, ring that one. A policy number helps, but Aviva says not to worry if you do not have one, because it can usually find the customer's details.

If you are dealing with a death at the moment, the steps below are in the order Aviva asks for things. If you are also weighing up cover for yourself, the form on this page can wait until you want it; an FCA-authorised broker then calls, with no charge to you.

How do you tell Aviva about a death?

Aviva's bereavement page gives two ways in: a notification form on its website, with a separate form for each kind of product including life insurance, or a phone call, where Aviva takes the details over the phone. Its claims page describes the same choice for a life policy and says what follows: Aviva may ask for a death certificate and any other documents it needs, then gets in touch about the claim and explains what happens next.

Aviva asks how you are connected to the person who has died, and says that if it cannot confirm your identity there may be details of the policies it cannot share, though it will still do everything it can to support you.

The bereavement line also has a number for calls from abroad, +44 160 360 3851, with the same weekday hours. Aviva's claims page lists +44 1603 603 277 for claims from abroad, with weekday hours of 8:00am to 6:00pm, and its life insurance contact page gives the same number. Both UK claims lines keep those hours too. The pages were read on 27 October 2026. Aviva says 0800 numbers are free from UK landlines and mobiles, that numbers starting 03 cost national call rates, and that calls may be recorded or monitored.

If it would help to talk to someone other than the insurer, Aviva's bereavement page names Citizens Advice, Mind and Cruse Bereavement Support as organisations that offer emotional and practical support.

What should you have ready, and which documents will Aviva ask for?

Aviva's claims page suggests having these to hand before you start:

• the name of the person who has died;
• your relationship to them;
• the cause of death;
• the policy number, if you have it;
• your contact details.

The bereavement page asks for the person's full name, date of birth and home address and, for life insurance, the date and cause of death, whether they left a will, whether they were married and whether they had children. It says that as part of notifying Aviva it "may need some more information, such as details from the death certificate or the grant of probate."

Before any money is paid, Aviva's policy conditions for its Life Insurance Plan (DA03011; the wording sent with your own policy is the one that applies) say the claim has to be assessed first. Among the things it may ask for are evidence that the death happened, evidence of who legally owns the policy, and written permission to look at the medical records or reports of the person who died. It may also talk to coroners, attending consultants and the police, with the cost of those requests falling on Aviva. A general Aviva guide to claiming across insurers says the documents usually include the death certificate (or a coroner's interim certificate), proof of your identity and the claim form, and suggests keeping copies of whatever you send.

Which of these is wanted for one particular policy is something Aviva will tell you when it replies.

What happens after you have told Aviva?

Aviva says it will get in touch about the claim and explain what happens next. Once it accepts a claim, its conditions say it makes payment to the person with the legal right to it. Who that is turns on how the policy was set up. Aviva's payouts guide says that with a trust, the trustees are paid and hand the money on; without one, the payout usually goes into the estate, and whoever is dealing with it may need probate before distributing the money. What a life insurance trust is explains the first case, and what happens to life insurance when you die covers both.

For how long an Aviva claim can take, see Aviva life insurance payout time. Whether the money is taxed is answered on whether a life insurance payout is taxable.

If the funeral has to be paid for before the claim is settled, Aviva's guide suggests checking what bereavement support you may be eligible for before committing to costs, and how to pay for funeral expenses sets out the options.

Which number or form is right if the policy has another name on it?

Aviva's claims page sends people to different lines according to the name on the papers. For a policy marked Aviva, use a number from the opening paragraph. For the others it lists:

AXA policies have more than one line, chosen by how the policy number begins, so read the number on the paperwork against the list on Aviva's page before ringing.

A policy that began with AIG Life has its own route. Aviva's help page for them says they sit with Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited and are not visible on MyAviva, and its claims page sends AIG customers to separate information; AIG life insurance, now with Aviva explains the change. A critical illness claim, made while the person is alive, has its own page on Aviva's site. If you are not sure which company issued the policy, finding an Aviva life insurance policy and Aviva life insurance in the UK can help narrow it down.

When might Aviva not pay a claim?

Whether a claim is paid is a separate question from how long payment takes. Aviva's guide to payouts lists the situations where a payout may not be made:

• the policy had ended, or the death happened outside the policy term;
• premiums were not paid, so the cover stopped;
• the information given on the application was not complete or accurate;
• death by suicide within the first 12 months, with a note to check the policy wording.

On the last point, the Life Insurance Plan conditions (DA03011) say: "We won’t pay if the life covered dies because of suicide or intentional self-inflicted injury within 12 months of the policy start date." On premiums, they allow 60 days from each due date to pay: a claim made within those 60 days has the unpaid premium taken off the benefit, while a premium still unpaid after those 60 days ends the policy, and with it any right to claim. On the information Aviva relies on when it assesses a claim, they say that if any of it is untrue or incomplete, "it could affect whether we pay a claim or not, and may mean we won’t pay a claim."

These are the terms of one plan, and other Aviva products have their own conditions, so the papers sent with the policy are what count. For how another insurer handles a claim, see claiming on a Royal London policy after a death or claiming on a Zurich policy; how many claims insurers pay is on life insurance claims statistics.

Frequently asked questions

Where do I find the Aviva life insurance claim form?

It is on Aviva's claims page, as an online claim notification form, and Aviva's bereavement page also has a notification form for each kind of product, life insurance among them. You can phone instead if you would prefer to give the details out loud.

Can I make a claim without the policy number?

Aviva says a policy number is helpful but not to worry if you do not have one, as it can usually locate the customer's information. The person's full name, date of birth and address are what it asks for first.

Can I start an Aviva claim from outside the UK?

Both Aviva pages list a number for calls from abroad, with weekday hours only. The online forms are the other way to start.

Must I have a certificate in hand before I ring Aviva?

Aviva's claims page says it may ask you to send a death certificate and any other documents it needs, and that you should try to have the cause of death ready when you start. If the certificate is not yet to hand, the phone line is the place to ask what Aviva wants first.

Which Aviva line do I ring for a policy that was with AIG?

Aviva's claims page lists AIG Life as an entry of its own and points to separate claims information for life insurance bought through AIG Life, so start with that information.

Choosing your own life cover can wait for another day; a broker is happy to ring you then if you fill in the form here.

Sources

• Aviva, Make a life insurance claim (undated), read 27 October 2026. aviva.co.uk/help-and-support
• Aviva, Let us know when someone dies (undated), read 27 October 2026. aviva.co.uk/help-and-support
• Aviva, Life insurance payouts and how to claim (published 10 July 2026, last updated 19 May 2026, as printed), read 27 October 2026. aviva.co.uk/knowledge-centre
• Aviva, Life Insurance Plan policy conditions (DA03011), read 20 October 2026. static.aviva.io
• Aviva, Contact us about your life insurance (undated), read 27 October 2026. aviva.co.uk/help-and-support
• Aviva, Life Insurance+ Policy Conditions (AL50002), Policy Summary of Whole of Life Insurance+ (AL50007) and Policy Summary of Simple Life Insurance (AL20001), claims numbers read 21 to 27 October 2026. aviva.co.uk/documents
• Aviva, Over 50s Life Insurance Policy Conditions (DA03016), read 20 October 2026. static.aviva.io
• Aviva, Manage your Aviva life insurance policy, Former AIG (undated), read 27 October 2026. aviva.co.uk/help-and-support