Chitra’s husband was the sole breadwinner of the family; however, her world came crashing down when he was suddenly diagnosed with COVID-19 and passed away in just one week. With two small children and a hefty home loan, many financial needs were worrying Chitra and her family, apart from being struck by the grief of losing a loved one. In such a situation, the only ray of hope that Chitra had was to receive a payout from the life insurance policy that her husband had purchased a few years back. The problem that Chitra now faced was that she had absolutely no idea about where to go and what to do about filing a claim with the insurer. To avoid such a situation we must educate ourselves about the way that life insurance works and where can you approach to receive benefits of a life insurance policy. In this piece of writing, we have outlined the process that most insurers recommend for going about filing a life insurance claim.
How does life insurance payout work in India?
There are two types of payouts offered by the life insurance policies; one is to the policyholders and the second is to the beneficiaries. If you are a policyholder and pass away within the policy tenure, the payout of the policy will include death benefits which will be paid to the nominee whose name you added to the policy. However, if you survive through the policy tenure, you will receive maturity benefits and bonuses, provided your insurance policy has maturity benefits. Some policies such as term life insurance policies do not offer any survival or maturity benefits.
The amount to be paid as death benefits or maturity benefits is mentioned clearly in the policy document. This helps the policyholders have an idea of the minimum amount that they will get at a later date. However, the problem comes while raising a claim since the majority of us are not aware of the process that is involved in claiming the life insurance payouts at the right time.
How to file a claim with an insurance provider?
The foremost thing that you have to do to get a life insurance payout is file a claim with the insurance company. There are three ways to do it, as listed below:
- Filing a claim online using the web portal of the insurance company
- Contacting the insurance company over the phone to file a claim
- Visiting the branch office of the insurance company and filing a claim in person. You have to submit a written request for the same.
Documents that are needed to get death benefits
If you are the nominee of the policy and the policyholder has passed out, you would be required to submit the following documents to validate your claim. Here are the documents mentioned below:
- Death certificate of the deceased policyholder
- Copy of the life insurance policy on which the claim is based
- A duly filled in claim form that has been provided by the insurance company
- An identity and address proof of the claimant
- Bank details of the applicant
- A seccession certificate
- Statement of the physician, certificate of the employer, or a hospital certificate
The different payout options available
The majority of the insurance companies offer two options for life insurance payouts. Mentioned here in below are the details.
Lump-Sum Payouts
As the lump sum payout is concerned, the sum assured as death or even maturity benefit is paid to the policyholder or the nominee as a single payment. The lump-sum payout may also come with loyalty additions as well as bonuses. When it is about the single payments, it is ensured that the policyholder and the beneficiaries receive a good amount of money in a single transaction. This can help them to invest the money in other plans or they can also use it for taking care of the sizeable expenses like repayment of debts, paying the education fees of the children, or making down payments for housing loans. The details of the lump sum cash benefit claimed, have to be confirmed by the insurance provider.
Periodic Payouts
In a few of the cases, the insurance companies offer the option of periodic payouts of a life insurance policy. In this, one part of the benefits are paid out as a lump sum amount and the rest of the benefits can be converted into installments or even annuities. These are paid by the insurance companies in some predetermined period. This helps the policyholder or the nominees to enjoy a steady stream of income which will help them to meet regular expenses such as utility bills, rent, payments of EMI, etc.
When will life insurance not payout?
You may not get a life insurance payout in some of the circumstances, which include:
- Suicide
- Illegal activities
- Act of war
- Fraud, etc.
Now that you know about how a life insurance policy payout work in the country, you can accordingly choose the option.
