The Life Insurance Policy Locator is a free online request service run by the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC), the standard-setting organization governed by the chief insurance regulators of the 50 states, the District of Columbia and five U.S. territories. It helps families find out whether someone who has died had a life insurance policy or annuity with a participating company. It is worth using, and it is worth knowing what it does and does not check before you rely on it.
What the Locator Does
The locator is not a database of policies. The NAIC says it has no policy or beneficiary information of its own. Instead, your request is stored in a secure, encrypted database, and participating life insurance and annuity companies check it against their own records.
It has been busy. The NAIC reports that since it launched in November 2016 it has received more than 1.5 million search requests, insurers have reported more than 780,000 matches, and more than $16.9 billion in benefits had been matched through July 31, 2026.
How to Use It
- Open the request form from the NAIC's website (it is also listed under Consumer tools on naic.org) and agree to the terms.
- Enter your own name, mailing address and email.
- Enter the details of the person who died, from the death certificate: their Social Security number, legal first and last name, date of birth and date of death. The form also asks for your relationship to them.
- Submit the request. You receive an email confirming what you entered.
There is no charge. Keep the confirmation email and a note of the date you submitted, since you may be waiting a while.
What Happens After You Submit
If a participating company finds a policy and you are the beneficiary, that company contacts you directly. The NAIC says searches may take 90 business days or more to complete. To collect the money, you then send the insurer a certified death certificate and its claim form.
If no policy is found, or a policy is found but you are not the beneficiary, you are not contacted. That second case matters in families: a policy that names a sibling, a surviving spouse or the estate will not produce a call to you. So silence is not proof there was no policy. It only means no participating company found a policy naming you.
What It Does Not Check
- Companies that do not participate. The request reaches participating life insurance and annuity companies only.
- Coverage through a job. Group life insurance is arranged by the employer, so ask the employer's HR or benefits office directly whether there was coverage and who insured it. Our guide to life insurance through work after a death explains what to ask, including for former employers and retirees.
- Military and federal programs. SGLI, VGLI, the VA's own policies and FEGLI each have their own office and claim form. See SGLI, VGLI and FEGLI after a death.
- Money already turned over to a state. Benefits an insurer could not pay are eventually sent to a state as unclaimed property, which you search separately (it is free). Our unclaimed life insurance guide covers how.
- People who are alive. The locator only searches for policies of people who have died.
None of this is a reason to skip it. It is one good step among several, and our complete guide to finding a lost life insurance policy after a death lays out the others.
If You Would Rather Have the Search Done for You
Some families do all of this themselves. Others would rather not spend the next few months on it, or want one result that covers work and military coverage as well as individual insurers.
To have it done for you, there is Policy Locate, a paid policy search that finds out whether there was a life insurance policy, from $59, paid once before we start. Not refunded if nothing is found. If a policy is found, Claim Assist files it, 20% of that payout only when the insurer pays. We cannot promise a policy exists.
- Individual insurers. Life insurance companies that sell policies to people directly.
- Employer and union group plans. Coverage through a job, a union, or a federal civilian job.
- Military and federal programs. Coverage from military service. Offered when they served, or you are not sure.
- Price. $59 for one search, $79 for two, $99 for all three. Paid once, before we start. Not refunded if nothing is found.
- Who can ask. Immediate family or the person handling the estate can request a search. You do not need to be a named beneficiary. A certified death certificate is required.
- How long. Timing depends on insurer responses. We cannot promise a policy exists.
You can use both: the regulators' tool costs nothing, and a paid search does not stop you from filing one. See the two side by side.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does it cost anything to use?
No. The regulators describe the tool as free, and anyone can submit a request for a person who has died.
How long does a search take?
The NAIC says searches may take 90 business days or more to complete. Insurers contact a beneficiary directly when they find a match, so there is no single date when results arrive.
What does it mean if I never hear back?
Not necessarily that there was no policy. You are only contacted if a policy is found and you are the beneficiary. If no policy is found, or a policy exists but names someone else, you will not be contacted.
Does it cover life insurance through work or the military?
The request goes to participating life insurance and annuity companies. Coverage through a job is worth checking with the employer's benefits office directly, and military and federal programs such as SGLI, VGLI and FEGLI have their own offices. MedaSynq Policy Locate is a paid search that finds out whether there was a life insurance policy across individual insurers, employer and union group plans, and military and federal programs: $59 for one search, $79 for two, $99 for all three, paid once before we start and not refunded if nothing is found. If a policy is found, Claim Assist files it, 20% of that payout only when the insurer pays.