Life insurance can cover suicidal death, but many policies exclude a death by suicide for an initial period; in the terms of the four insurers quoted below, that period is 12 months.

If things feel very hard right now, Samaritans answer free from any phone, any time, day or night, on 116 123. If someone close to you has died by suicide, Cruse Bereavement Support's free helpline, 0808 808 1677, is open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 9.30am to 5pm and Tuesday from 1pm to 8pm (closed at weekends), and its website has a section for people bereaved this way. The Support After Suicide Partnership's website lists organisations and local groups that support people bereaved by suicide.

What follows sets out what the policy documents say, how a claim is looked at, what changes once the first period has passed, and how mental health history comes into it. Nothing here needs deciding today.

What do the insurers' suicide exclusions say?

These are the insurers' own words from their policy documents. Your own policy and schedule are what apply to you.

Legal & General's Life Insurance Policy Terms and Conditions (QGI12849 2026/10, page 8 of 46) say: "The policy will be cancelled if within the first year of the policy, the life insured dies as a result of:" suicide, intentional and serious self-injury, or an event where, in its reasonable opinion, the life insured took their own life.

Aviva's Life Insurance+ Policy Conditions (AL50002 02/2026, page 5 of 51) say: "We won’t pay this if the life covered dies because of suicide or intentional self-inflicted injury within 12 months of the policy start date. If this happens, the policy will end." On a joint policy that pays on the second death, the same conditions say the policy will continue if the first death of the two lives is by suicide or intentional self-inflicted injury in those 12 months; if the second death is of that kind within the 12 months, Aviva won't pay and the policy ends.

Royal London's direct terms and conditions for life insurance (reference D2C TTC 1223139355, page 8 of 32) say: "During the first year of your policy, which begins on the start date shown on your policy schedule, we won’t pay a claim for suicide." In that same first year, the clause also reaches a death that follows later: "We also wouldn’t pay a claim if your death is a result of your own intentional actions. This would include if you attempt suicide and survive, but later die from complications relating to your attempt." If it reasonably believed that to be the cause, Royal London says it would cancel the policy, pay no claim and not refund the payments made.

Zurich's Key Features for its Life Protection policy (NP720500009 02/25, page 12 of 16) call it an important exclusion where the policy includes Life Cover: "We won’t pay a claim if you die as a result of suicide or intentional self-inflicted injury within 12 months of the start date or the date you increase your cover."

So all four tie the clause to the start of the policy, and Zurich also ties it to an increase in cover. Other insurers may use a longer period: Aviva's guide to the subject (last updated 12 June 2026) says "For most insurers, this exclusion clause applies 12 to 24 months after taking out the policy." For a death in the first period under the wording above, no death benefit is paid; Legal & General's policy summary puts it as the policy being cancelled and the claim declined. The waiting-period guide explains why this limit differs from a wait before cover begins, one of the basics in our guides to how life insurance works.

How does an insurer look at a claim after a death by suicide?

Aviva's guide says an insurer "should treat any instance of suicide with care and compassion". It also says the insurer may ask for the death certificate or coroner's report, and that a claim of this kind may take longer to assess for that reason.

A coroner's conclusion is not always the end of the matter. For a death in the first year, Legal & General's terms say that if no suicide verdict is given, it "may decide in our reasonable opinion that the life insured has taken their own life", and that it weighs the timing and method of the death, evidence from the time and place, anything the person left or others can supply, and medical history it is reasonably entitled to obtain. Royal London says: "We won’t necessarily rely on what is shown on a death certificate or coroner’s report". Aviva's guide likewise says that even where a coroner decides the cause of death was not suicide, an insurer could look at the timing and any relevant documents or evidence to draw its own conclusions.

If you are the person making the claim, what happens to life insurance when someone dies follows the steps, and when an insurer can refuse to pay covers what to do if a claim is turned down.

What happens after the first 12 months?

Once the clause's period is over, Aviva's Head of Claims Strategy and Governance, Jackie Kerwood, is quoted in the guide saying: "After the exclusion period, as long as the person is keeping up with the premium payments, life insurance policies will normally cover suicide like any other cause of death." So a later death is a claim to be tested against the rest of the policy: that it was in force, and that the application was answered accurately. Legal & General's policy summary (QGI14786 2026/10, page 9 of 18) says "You are not covered if you don't give us full and accurate answers to the questions we ask you before the policy starts." The same page says cover ends 60 days after the first missed premium, unless the policy expires within that period.

Where a claim is payable, Aviva's conditions say it pays the cover amount shown in the policy schedule. Who receives it depends on how the policy was set up; see who the beneficiary is.

Changing cover is different. Zurich's clause counts the 12 months from the date you increase your cover as well as from the start date. For the others, the documents describe the extra cover as a separate policy. When cover goes up under Legal & General's life-event option, a second policy is created, carrying the premiums and conditions current on its issue date. Aviva says that when you increase cover, "your original policy will remain in force and we will issue a new policy for the further amount"; it may ask more health questions, and if it can make the change, the conditions then in force govern the new policy. Royal London's terms rule out raising cover on an existing policy, while allowing that a customer could apply for another Life Cover policy under whatever terms apply at that point. Should extra cover or a replacement policy be on your mind, how an insurer would apply its first-year clause to it is something an FCA-authorised broker will explain free of charge; ask for that conversation in the form on this page, if and when it suits.

Ways to add cover are in increasing term life cover, and switching insurers sets out what a new policy involves.

Does a mental health condition affect a life insurance claim?

Aviva's guide ties mental health history to two moments: the application and, in some cases, the claim. It says you need to tell your insurer about any mental health conditions when you apply, that this does not necessarily mean you will be denied cover because most insurers review individual cases, and that a claim may see "an impact on claim payouts, if the mental health condition is a contributing factor to your death." It also says that if you are not truthful, the policy may be voided or payments reduced if the insurer finds out about the condition.

What counts as a fair, complete answer, and what an insurer can do about a wrong one, are covered on the disclosure requirements page, so they are not repeated here. How applications for depression, anxiety and similar are assessed is in life insurance with mental health issues, and critical illness is in critical illness cover and mental health.

Mind's guide to insurance cover and mental health (information published February 2022) explains what to expect when applying, your legal rights with insurers, and what could happen if you need to make a claim.

Frequently asked questions

Does life insurance pay out for suicide after the first year?

Aviva's guide says policies will normally cover suicide like any other cause of death once the exclusion period has passed, provided premiums are being paid. The claim still has to meet the policy's other terms.

Does Aviva life insurance cover suicide?

Not for a death by suicide or intentional self-inflicted injury within 12 months of the policy start date, according to the Life Insurance+ conditions quoted above. Aviva's guide says that after the exclusion period, with premiums kept up, a claim is normally treated like any other cause of death; check the conditions for your own policy.

Does Zurich life insurance cover suicide?

Zurich's Key Features say it will not pay for a death by suicide or intentional self-inflicted injury within 12 months of the start date or of an increase in cover. They also say a claim may not be paid in full, or the policy may be cancelled, if questions were not answered fully, honestly and accurately when applying.

How much does life insurance pay out after a suicide?

Where a claim is payable, Aviva's conditions say it pays the cover amount shown in the policy schedule. Inside the first-year exclusion under the wording above, no death benefit is paid.

Does funeral cover or an over-50s plan pay out after a suicide?

Those plans work differently. Royal London's Over 50 terms (reference D2COFTC122078100) say that in the first year a suicide is not classed as accidental death and the payments made up to that point are returned. Check your plan's own terms, and see life insurance over 50 and funeral insurance.

There is no rush. Should you want it, sending the form on this page prompts a free call about your own situation; the broker who rings is authorised by the FCA.

Sources

  • Legal & General, Life Insurance Policy Terms and Conditions (QGI12849 2026/10), read 21 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
  • Legal & General, Life Insurance and Critical Illness Cover Policy Summary (QGI14786 2026/10), read 21 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
  • Aviva, Life Insurance+ Policy Conditions (AL50002 02/2026), read 21 October 2026. aviva.co.uk
  • Aviva, Does life insurance cover suicide? (published 20 November 2025, last updated 12 June 2026), read 21 October 2026. aviva.co.uk
  • Royal London, Terms & conditions: Life insurance with optional Serious Illness Benefits (D2C TTC 1223139355), read 21 October 2026. royallondon.com
  • Royal London, Over 50 Life Insurance Terms and Conditions (D2COFTC122078100), read 21 October 2026. royallondon.com
  • Zurich, Key features of the Zurich Life Protection policy (NP720500009 02/25), read 21 October 2026. zurich.co.uk
  • Samaritans, Contact a Samaritan, read 21 October 2026. samaritans.org
  • Cruse Bereavement Support, Helpline and Coping when someone dies by suicide, read 21 October 2026. cruse.org.uk
  • Mind, Insurance cover and mental health (information published February 2022; archived May 2026), read 21 October 2026. mind.org.uk (archived copy)
  • Support After Suicide Partnership, Find support, read 21 October 2026. supportaftersuicide.org.uk