Royal London says you can tell it that someone has died online, by phone or by post, and which of those is open to you depends on the kind of policy they held. This page covers Royal London life insurance bereavement claims: what to have to hand, how to find the right route, what is different for policies that began with Aegon, and who the money goes to.

Take it at whatever pace suits you; the claim itself goes through Royal London's own teams. Should cover for yourself come to mind later, an FCA-authorised broker can ring at no cost, on a day you pick, through the form on this page.

What should you have ready before you tell Royal London?

Royal London's Tell us about a bereavement page says it would help to have some details of the person who died. It lists:

  • their full name, last known address and date of birth;
  • the date they died;
  • any policy or plan numbers;
  • the death certificate, and sometimes its certificate number;
  • the name of the executor, if a will was left and you know who it is.

The page also takes your own contact details, so it can send any forms and keep you updated. Missing one item does not have to stop you getting in touch; if the policy number is the gap, tracking down a Royal London policy and its paperwork sets out where to look.

How do you report a death to Royal London?

The same page says: "Let us know someone has died. You can do this online, by phone or by post." It then asks what kind of policy the person had, because the answer decides where you are sent. Its list includes these, each with its own line. Unless shown otherwise, the lines take calls from 8am to 6pm on weekdays, bank holidays excepted:

  • critical illness and protection policies with Royal London or Bright Grey: 0345 646 2108, the online form or post;
  • critical illness and protection policies with Scottish Provident: 0345 646 2096 or post;
  • Over 50s Life Cover, Life Insurance or Serious Illness Benefit taken out after 2014: 0345 646 2094 if bought directly from Royal London (8am to 7pm Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm Saturday, 10am to 4pm Sunday), or 0345 266 1483 if bought through the Post Office, as well as the online form or post;
  • whole of life policies, endowments and savings plans taken out with Royal London, United Friendly or Refuge Assurance before 2004: 0345 646 2101 or the online form;
  • policies taken out with Royal Liver in the UK: 0345 646 2097, the online form or post;
  • policies taken out with the Cooperative Insurance Society (CIS): 0345 646 2107 or post;
  • Pegasus and Pegasus Whole of Life policies: 0345 646 2098 or post;
  • plans taken out with Abbey National, Santander or PLAL (previously Abbey National Life): 0345 646 2110 or post;
  • policies taken out with Aegon Protection: 0345 646 2099 (8.30am to 5.30pm Monday to Friday) or the online form;
  • if you are not sure which: 0345 646 2092.

The online form is headed "Tell us someone has died", and choosing a policy type on Royal London's page brings up the postal address that goes with it. Numbers can change, so check the page on the day you ring. If you cannot tell which kind of policy it was, the page says not to worry and to choose "I don't know", which gives the last number in the list.

For Post Office cover more broadly, which insurer handles a Post Office claim is covered separately.

What is different if the policy began with Aegon?

In April 2023 Royal London agreed to buy the UK individual protection policies of Scottish Equitable plc, which trades as Aegon. A judge ruled on the transfer on 14 June 2024. Royal London says nothing in the policy changed: "Your benefits, conditions, and how much you pay will stay the same."

For a claim, one route is a dedicated online form. Royal London's page for these policies asks you to complete it, with supporting documents, for either a claim or a general enquiry on a protection policy originally taken out with Aegon (Scottish Equitable plc), and says it will then follow up.

The form asks whether you are a customer or an adviser and what you want to do, and one choice is a claims query. It then asks for the policy number, an email address and phone number, and details of your query, and lets you upload files. The policy number, it says, is on statements or policy documents. To report a death by phone, Royal London's bereavement page gives 0345 646 2099 for Aegon Protection policies; its general line for policies previously with Aegon is 0345 600 1402. Both are open 8.30am to 5.30pm, Monday to Friday, excluding bank holidays.

Royal London adds: "Please note that your policy records aren't available online." So the policy will not show in an online account; the form or one of the numbers above is the way to ask about it.

What happens after you get in touch?

Royal London's bereavement page sets out what to expect once you have let it know. On premiums, it says: "We'll let you know when it's ok to stop, and refund any overpaid premiums." Then: "The person handling your claim will let you know if we need any more information."

What the claims team asks for depends on the policy. The July 2025 terms of Royal London's Personal Menu Plan, in its life or critical illness version, say that depending on the claim it will also ask for information that may include a birth, marriage, civil partnership or death certificate, medical information or records, paperwork about a mortgage and proof of a change of name. They add that Royal London will meet what it considers the reasonable cost of any medical reports or evidence it asks for. Other Royal London plans, and the former Aegon ones, have their own wording, so the terms sent with the policy are the place to check.

Royal London's bereavement page also links to its guides on what to do when someone dies, covering wills, funerals and probate, and to money guides for the time after a death. For the bill itself, paying for funeral expenses sets out the options.

Who does Royal London pay?

For its Personal Menu Plan, the July 2025 terms say Royal London will "pay the cover amount to the person who is legally entitled to receive it", and that this depends on whether a beneficiary was nominated or the plan was assigned or put under trust. If the plan has not been assigned or written under trust:

  • joint owners are paid jointly; if one has died the survivor is paid, and if both have died, the personal representatives of whichever died last are paid;
  • if a sole owner has died and named beneficiaries on the application, or later told Royal London of a change, the beneficiaries last named are paid in the shares given;
  • if no one was named, payment goes to the personal representatives, who must send Royal London an original Grant of Representation or Confirmation.

The terms add that a nominated beneficiary can be paid without waiting for a Grant of Representation or Confirmation. If the plan was assigned, the same terms say Royal London pays the assignee, who must send the original Deed of Assignment; if it was written in trust, it pays the trustees, who must send the original Trust Deed together with any original deed that changed it. Whether life insurance needs to be in trust explains the difference, and what happens to life insurance when someone dies covers estates and probate in general.

How long does Royal London take to pay a death claim?

Only Royal London's claims team can say how long a particular claim will take, because it depends on the policy, on what the team has to see and on who is to be paid. Two things from the sections above bear on it: the person handling the claim will say if more information is needed, and, under the Personal Menu terms, personal representatives who claim must send the original grant. To find out where a claim has got to, ask the person handling it, or ring the line for the policy type listed above.

Royal London's published claims figures are covered on Royal London's protection policies, and the wider picture is in life insurance claims statistics.

What support does Royal London offer alongside a claim?

Royal London's Menu Plan comes with Helping Hand, which Royal London describes as including "nurse support for recovery and bereavement". It says a dedicated RedArc nurse can support the planholder, their partner or children through a bereavement, even when no claim is being made. The services "aren't part of our terms and conditions", so Royal London can change or withdraw them, and its team can tell you whether the family can still use Helping Hand now the planholder has died. Royal London Helping Hand covers what is included.

Frequently asked questions

Which papers show the Royal London policy number?

Royal London says a policy number is on statements or policy documents. If those are missing, the guide to finding a Royal London policy suggests where else to look.

Can I report a death to Royal London by post?

For some policy types, yes: its page lists a postal address beside the phone number. Others show only an online form or a number, so choose the policy type on the page first.

What if I do not know which kind of policy it was?

Royal London's list has an "I don't know" option, with its own line, 0345 646 2092. If you can find the paperwork, the policy number is the most useful thing to hand.

Whenever you want to think about cover of your own, a broker can ring you without charge on whichever number you give in the form on this page.

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