If someone covered by their employer's Legal & General group life assurance has died, the claim is made by the employer, as the policyholder, rather than by the family, and, where the cover sits in L&G's Mastertrust, the family is then asked for details that help its trustees decide who receives the money. Nothing about the claim has to be done in the first days of a bereavement, and the employer's HR or payroll team is the natural first contact.
Separately, policies you hold yourself can be reviewed by an FCA-authorised broker when the time feels right, with no charge; to arrange that, use the form on this page.
Who tells Legal & General about the death?
L&G's claim form for its Group Life Mastertrust splits the work into parts. In its words, "PART A is filled in by the policyholder. It allows us to confirm the death and check the claim against the insurance policy cover." The policyholder is the employer, so the family's usual task is to let the employer know and ask them to start the claim.
L&G lists a claims team for group life: 0345 026 0094, choosing option 3, and groupprotection.benefitsmanagement@landg.com. The claim form gives that email address for help with completing it, so a relative filling in the family section can use it too.
The form we describe is the one for L&G's Group Life Mastertrust and Relevant Life Mastertrust. Which arrangement a particular workplace uses is something the employer will know, so ask them early.
What details and papers are asked for?
The next of kin, the employer or the legal representative looking after the estate can fill in Part B, which asks about the person who died and their family: partner, parents, children, and the date of the funeral if known. L&G adds that "If you don't know an answer, please tell us and we'll investigate further."
Part C lists the documents. The core ones are the death certificate, any Expression of Wish form the person completed, and a copy of any will. It also asks for papers that show family relationships, such as a marriage or civil partnership certificate, or birth certificates for children; for an unmarried partner, L&G asks for proof of financial dependency. L&G also says "If you don't have all the documents just yet, you can submit the claim form with the remainder to follow." It adds that it cannot pay until it has what it needs, but "we can start validating your claim and identifying beneficiaries."
Listing someone on the form does not decide anything: "Inclusion of a person's details on this form does not indicate they will be a beneficiary."
Who decides who gets the money?
Under the Mastertrust, L&G pays a valid claim to trustees, and "Our Mastertrust rules let the trustees choose who to pay benefit to." The trustees take into account the Expression of Wish form, the claim form and any investigation into the person's circumstances. A wish form is therefore weighed, not a binding instruction; L&G says the trustees "will consider the deceased's wishes when they decide who to pay benefit to."
L&G says the time this takes depends on the member's circumstances: "The level of information we need and the time it takes to investigate will depend on how simple or complicated the member’s personal circumstances were at the time of death." It also says its team is sensitive to the loss and tries to keep contact to a minimum.
Once the trustees have decided, each person receiving a share is asked for bank statements showing their name, account number and sort code, and for a payment instruction confirmation form. Payments then go directly to them.
Who receives a share depends on the family's circumstances, and the trustees decide each case on its own facts, so questions about a particular claim are best put to L&G's claims team on the number above. The guide to group life assurance covers the scheme side.
Is there a time limit, and is the payout taxed?
L&G's technical guide for its group life policy says the employer needs to "fill in a claim form and send it back to us within two years of the member’s death", and that if the form arrives later "we have the right not to pay the claim." Asking the employer to start in the first weeks is simply the practical way to stay well inside that.
On tax, L&G's claim form says benefits under its Group Life Mastertrust are subject to the lump sum and death benefit allowance, "currently £1,073,100", and that the beneficiary pays tax at their marginal rate on any amount above it. GOV.UK gives the same £1,073,100 figure for that allowance. Tax rules can change, and that is L&G's general description, not tax advice for your family. The page on tax on life insurance paid to a trust goes into trust payouts.
Where else can you look for help afterwards?
L&G's group life product page describes the cover as paying "a lump sum, or a dependants’ pension to the family of an employee who dies whilst covered by the policy", with "Additional emotional and practical help provided free through our range of wellbeing services." The employer, or L&G's claims team, can say what is available to the family.
Group life is separate from any policy a person bought themselves, and a family may find both. If you are unsure what else was in place, the guide to death in service and personal life insurance explains how they sit side by side, and death in service for employers is written for the business side. Later, when it feels right, a broker can ring you about protection for the people who depend on you; just ask through this page's form.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Legal & General group life mastertrust?
It is a trust L&G has set up so that group life benefits are paid to trustees appointed to look after it, who then decide who receives the money. L&G's claim form describes the trustees as experienced and appointed to look after the Mastertrust.
What does Legal & General say its average death in service payout is?
L&G's web page for group life claims shows an average claim payout of £201,032 for payments made in 2025, with £284m paid in total. That is an average across all claims, not a guide to what any one family will receive.
Who do I contact at Legal & General about a group life claim?
L&G's group protection claims team is on 0345 026 0094 (option 3), or at groupprotection.benefitsmanagement@landg.com. The employer is the usual first contact.
Is group life through work a different thing from a policy I buy?
Both pay out on a death, but group life is arranged by the employer for its staff rather than bought by the person. The wider picture is in how life insurance works.
What if the person had recently left work or been off sick?
Part A asks the employer for the date the person was last actively at work and the reason for any absence before the death, and L&G checks the claim against the policy cover, so the former employer is the one to ask whether cover still applied.
Sources
- Legal & General, Death claim notification – Mastertrust (claim form and process overview, undated), read 27 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Legal & General, Group life assurance and dependants’ pensions: technical guide (edition code 05/25, undated), read 27 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Legal & General, Group Life Assurance claims (undated), read 27 October 2026. group-protection.legalandgeneral.com
- GOV.UK, Tax on your private pension contributions: Lump sum allowance, read 27 October 2026. gov.uk
- Legal & General, Group Life Assurance (product page, undated), read 27 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com