To complain about a life insurer, tell the insurer first what went wrong and what you would like it to do; it then has up to eight weeks to send a final response. If you are unhappy with that response, or the time passes without one, the Financial Ombudsman Service can look at the complaint free of charge.

That route covers most life insurance complaints, whether they are about a declined claim, a changed policy or answers given on an application. There is no need to take it all in at once. Some of these disputes turn on an answer given on an application, so for new cover it can help to have an FCA-authorised broker walk through the questions first; you request that call through the quick form on this page, and it costs nothing.

Who do you complain to first, and what should you say?

The insurer comes first. The Ombudsman's consumer guidance says the provider "should have the chance to sort things out", and that most complaints are resolved directly with the business. The insurer's complaints route is usually in its terms and conditions, on its website, in letters it has sent you or through its customer service team. The FCA register also lists contact details for regulated firms.

Say what happened, in your own words, and what you would like done: a claim looked at again, a payment made, a cancelled policy put back.

Keep a note of dates, calls, emails and letters with the insurer, because that record helps the Ombudsman work more quickly if the complaint goes to it later.

If the death is recent, or money is tight, say so at the start. Tell the insurer as soon as you can if you are severely ill, in financial difficulty or need help urgently; depending on the circumstances, it may be able to look at the complaint more quickly.

How long does the insurer have to answer?

For most complaints, the Ombudsman says a business has up to 8 weeks to consider a complaint. At the end it sends a final response, which should give the outcome and explain how to take the complaint further if you remain unhappy.

Read that letter carefully and keep it, because the Ombudsman will ask to see it. It should also tell you that you have the right to refer the complaint on for the next 6 months, a limit covered in the last section below.

When can the Financial Ombudsman Service step in?

There are two starting points: you have a final response and are not happy with the outcome, or the insurer has had its time and you have not had a reply. The Ombudsman describes itself as a free service set up by Parliament to resolve complaints about financial businesses, and says you do not need to pay a lawyer or claims management company to represent you.

You can bring a complaint online or by phone. The online form checks you are ready to send it and gives an idea of whether the Ombudsman can help. If the policyholder has died, you can still complain. The FCA's rules on who can use the Ombudsman (DISP 2.7 in its Handbook) let a person "authorised by law" bring a complaint for someone who has died and would have been eligible, so the executor or administrator of the estate can take it on; the FCA has said a personal representative would normally show that authority with a grant of probate or letters of administration. The same rules also count as eligible a person "for whose benefit a contract of insurance was taken out", so a beneficiary may be able to complain in their own name. The Ombudsman decides first whether it can look at a complaint, and the online form's questions are where that check starts. If you would rather talk it through, the helpline is 0800 023 4567.

The Ombudsman aims to set up a case within seven days. An investigator then asks the insurer for its side and writes to both of you. It aims to answer complaints within 90 days, but complex cases can take longer, and it will say if it expects that. If you need it handled urgently because of severe ill health or money worries, tell it when you send the complaint.

Most cases are settled at that stage: if both you and the business agree with what the investigator says, the complaint is settled. The questions below cover what happens if you disagree.

What can the Ombudsman order, and is it final?

If it finds the insurer treated you unfairly, the Ombudsman says it will tell the business to put you back where you would be if it had not made a mistake. That can mean correcting an error, such as reinstating a policy that was cancelled unfairly, or paying compensation for financial loss or for distress and inconvenience.

On complaints about a declined claim linked to a pre-existing condition, the Ombudsman says it may recommend that the insurer reconsider the claim in line with the policy terms, or pay the claim and add interest from the date of the claim to the date of payment.

There is a ceiling on what it can tell a business to pay. For cases referred to it on or after 1 April 2026, about something that happened on or after 1 April 2019, the award limit is £455,000; for those referred on or after that date about something before 1 April 2019 it is £205,000. Different limits apply depending on when the case was brought. Above its limit it can recommend that a business pays more, but cannot make it.

If you accept the Ombudsman's findings, the business must follow its instructions. Accepting an award in a final decision also makes it unlikely you can take the business to court for more later, and court time limits keep running while the Ombudsman handles your case. The Ombudsman cannot give legal advice, so take independent advice before accepting if court is a possibility.

Which life insurance complaints does the Ombudsman look at?

Two kinds come up again and again. The first is a declined or reduced claim. The second is a dispute over what the applicant told the insurer, where the insurer says an answer was wrong and so changes the policy or refuses to pay. For this, the Ombudsman says consumers complain that they did not make a misrepresentation, or that the insurer treated them unfairly by not meeting their claim or by altering the terms of their policy.

It reaches its view on the evidence from both sides, and where an insurer says a wrong answer was deliberate or reckless, it expects the insurer to show why. How it tests an application answer, and the law behind that test, are set out in what life insurers can ask you to disclose.

For the grounds an insurer can rely on when it declines, see when a life insurer can refuse to pay. Claims on illness cover have their own reasons in why critical illness cover is not paying out, and income protection is covered in what to do when an income protection claim is rejected. A policy ended by the insurer is a separate question, answered in whether a life insurer can cancel your policy, and a refusal at the application stage has its own page, on being turned down for cover. The wider topic of reviewing and moving cover sits in the reviewing and switching guide.

Is there still time to complain?

Two clocks apply. The first runs against the insurer: a complaint to it usually needs to be made within 6 years of what went wrong, or within 3 years of when you realised, or could reasonably be expected to have realised, there was cause for a complaint. Once the insurer's final response is dated, 6 months are left to bring the complaint to the Ombudsman, and after that it usually will not be able to help.

There are exceptions. The Ombudsman can still take a complaint if exceptional circumstances caused the delay and it is satisfied they prevented you from referring it in time (it gives a period of serious ill health and a bereavement at the time in question as examples), if the business did not send a valid final response, or if the business agrees to it getting involved. If grief or illness kept you from acting in time, explain that when you complain.

Whenever cover for your own family is back on your mind, a short phone conversation with a broker is one form away on this page.

Frequently asked questions

Is there an ombudsman just for life insurance?

The Financial Ombudsman Service is the one to use: it handles complaints about insurance companies, among other financial businesses. The same free route applies to a life policy as to a car or home policy.

What if I disagree with the investigator's answer?

If either side does not accept it, you or the business can ask for an ombudsman to review the case and make a final decision. The Ombudsman aims to resolve 90% of cases within six months of accepting them as complaints.

Can a relative or friend help me complain?

Yes. The Ombudsman says you can ask a family member, friend or someone else to help, and can ask it to talk to someone you trust about your complaint. Its helpline is the place to arrange this.

Which complaints can the Ombudsman not take on?

It may be unable to help if the complaint is outside the time limits, belongs with a different organisation, has already been looked at by the Ombudsman or has been dealt with by a court. It decides first whether it has the power to investigate, and tells you if it does not.

Where can I see how many Ombudsman complaints a life insurer has had?

The Ombudsman publishes data every six months on the number and outcome of the complaints it handles about financial businesses. A firm's figures can take in products other than life cover, so they say little about any one claim; see also life insurance claims statistics for the share of claims paid.

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