To make a SunLife Over 50 Plan claim after a death, the family or executor can phone SunLife, send its online claim form or write to it, and will need the death certificate details and the bank account the money should go to. The plan is SunLife's Guaranteed Over 50 Plan, and this page walks through the three ways to claim, what to have to hand and what to expect on payment.

If you are here to claim, the steps below are what you need. Wondering about a plan for yourself? Add a few details to the form on this page, then the free chat that follows with an FCA-authorised broker can cover plans like this one.

Who to contact: the Guaranteed Over 50 Plan, not the other SunLife plan

SunLife is a trading name. The plan's terms name the provider as Phoenix Life Limited, trading as SunLife, so the claim is made to SunLife and paid under that policy. Check the name on the policy schedule first, because SunLife has run a separate product, the Guaranteed Inheritance Plan, which has its own claims page and its own contact details. SunLife says that plan "closed to new applications on 30 June 2026" and that existing plans continue, and a claim on it does not go through the numbers below.

The Guaranteed Over 50 Plan is life insurance, not a prepaid funeral plan. It pays a cash sum to the person entitled to it; it does not arrange or pay for a funeral directly, apart from the optional benefit covered further down.

Three ways to make the claim

SunLife's claims page for the plan (read 27 October 2026) offers phone, online and written claims.

By phone

The number is 0800 008 6060, and SunLife says lines are open Monday to Friday, 8am to 8pm. The person making the claim will be asked to:

  • confirm the death has been registered and the death certificate has been received;
  • give the death certificate entry number and registration district;
  • confirm that the death occurred on the UK mainland.

SunLife then says its team "will then guide you through the rest of the claims process." Having the certificate in front of you before you ring means those details are to hand.

Online

SunLife's page offers a secure online claim form. It adds: "You only need to raise one bereavement claim through our website, which we’ll process for you as soon as possible." Any queries come back to you directly, so give a phone number you will answer.

By post

A written claim goes to SunLife, PO Box 1395, Peterborough, PE2 2TR. SunLife's page lists what to send:

  • the name of the person making the claim;
  • the name and date of birth of the policyholder;
  • the original death certificate;
  • the account number and sort code of the bank account where the cash sum is to be paid;
  • a copy of the policyholder's will, if there is one.

The plan's terms and conditions ask for a little more: the policy schedule to be returned, and "evidence of their entitlement to the policy proceeds" for the person claiming. If any of the documents cannot be found, ring 0800 008 6060 and say so. What happens to life insurance when someone dies covers the wider picture for policies in general.

Who can claim, and where the money goes

The terms ask the person claiming to show they are entitled to the proceeds. What that evidence is in your case is a question to put to the claims team when you ring or write. On tax, the terms say: "The amount paid on your death will normally form part of your estate, so may be subject to inheritance tax, unless you write your Plan subject to an appropriate trust." What a trust changes is set out in whether life insurance needs a trust.

On payment, SunLife's page says: "Once we have everything we need, payment will be made via direct credit into the bank details you give us." From the date of death to the date of payment, interest is added to the cash sum at a rate "0.5% per annum lower than the Bank of England Base Rate, subject to a minimum of 0.5% per annum."

How long a SunLife claim takes to pay

Payment is made once SunLife has everything it needs, so having the certificate details and bank details ready when you start is the part you control, and clear contact details let the claims team reach you if something is missing. If you want to know where a claim has got to, the claims page invites questions along the way on 0800 008 6060. Interest is added to the cash sum for the time between the death and payment, as described above.

What the plan pays, and when the first year matters

After the first year, the plan pays a fixed cash sum on death, whenever that comes, as it is whole of life cover. The cash sum is shown on the policy schedule. Three features of the plan decide what a claim produces:

  • Dying in the first year. The terms say the full cash sum is not payable in that year. If the death in that year was not the result of an accident, all premiums paid are returned. If an accident caused it, and the death came within 90 days of that accident from the injuries, the cash sum is paid. The terms list exclusions for the accident benefit, including natural causes, illness or disease.
  • A fixed amount. The sum stays the same throughout the plan, so inflation will, over time, reduce what it buys.
  • Premiums. They stop on the policy anniversary on or after the 95th birthday, or on death if that comes first. Depending on how long the person lived, the premiums paid may have been greater than the cash sum.

If the death was within the first year, or you are not sure how long the plan had run, the policy schedule shows the start date. How the SunLife over 50 plan works covers those rules from the buyer's side.

If the plan includes the Funeral Benefit Option

SunLife's claims page says that if the plan comes with the Funeral Benefit Option, the claim for that benefit goes to the relevant funeral director rather than to SunLife. Depending on the plan provider that is Dignity, Co‑op Funeralcare or Golden Charter, and the name is in the Welcome Pack sent when the option was chosen. The numbers, as read on 27 October 2026:

  • Dignity: 0800 456 1047, lines open 24 hours a day, seven days a week;
  • Co‑op Funeralcare: 0345 602 0075, Monday to Friday, 8am to 9pm, and Saturday and Sunday, 9am to 5pm, excluding public holidays; or visit a local Co‑op Funeralcare funeral home;
  • Golden Charter: 0800 833 800, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.

Each will ask for the policyholder's full name and address, the SunLife policy number, its own reference number and the original death certificate. If you are unsure which company holds the option, SunLife says to ring 0800 008 6060 and it will help you get in touch with the right one. If the bill for the funeral is due before any claim has been paid, how to pay for funeral expenses sets out what help exists.

Frequently asked questions

Where is the SunLife over 50 claim form?

The online claim form is on SunLife's Guaranteed Over 50 Plan claims page, and the same page describes the written route, where you post the listed documents to the Peterborough address. If you would rather talk it through, the claims line takes the details by phone.

Can I claim if I do not have the policy documents?

The terms ask for the policy schedule to be returned and tell policyholders to keep their documents safe and let their next of kin know where they are. If they cannot be found, the claims line is the place to say so; SunLife's page tells you to ring it when any document is unavailable.

Does SunLife stop the premiums when someone dies?

Yes. The terms say premiums stop on the policy anniversary on or after the 95th birthday, or on death if that comes first, so none falls due after the death.

What if I am unhappy with how the claim is handled?

The terms say to contact SunLife first, in writing or on its call centre line. If it cannot settle the complaint, it can be referred to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The terms also say SunLife is a member of the Financial Services Compensation Scheme.

Do other over-50s providers use the same claims route?

No. The route on this page is for SunLife's Guaranteed Over 50 Plan only. Claims on British Seniors and Post Office plans are explained on their own pages.

Once the claim is behind you, you may want to look at cover for yourself or a relative. Details left on this page's form reach an FCA-authorised broker, and the call that follows is free.

More on this kind of cover is in guaranteed life insurance and how life insurance works.

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