How to Find a Lost Life Insurance Policy: NAIC Policy Locator and More

How the NAIC Policy Locator works

The NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator helps people find life insurance policies and annuity contracts of a family member who has died. The NAIC calls it a free online tool. Here is how it works, based on the NAIC's own instructions:

1. Go to the NAIC Life Insurance Policy Locator and agree to the terms of use.
2. Enter your name, mailing address and email address, and your relationship to the person who died.
3. Enter details from the death certificate: the person's legal first and last name, Social Security number (or ITIN), date of birth, date of death, and veteran status.
4. Submit the request. You get a "Do Not Reply" email confirming it was received.
5. Participating insurers search their records. If a policy or annuity is found and you are the beneficiary, the insurer contacts you directly.

The NAIC says: if no policy is found, or you are not the beneficiary, you will not be contacted. The NAIC itself has no policy or beneficiary information, so it cannot tell you what a policy says. The tool does not search for policies on people who are alive.

The NAIC reports that since the tool launched in November 2016, insurers have reported more than 780,000 matches totaling about $17 billion, through July 31, 2026.

Search state unclaimed property for unclaimed life insurance

When an insurer cannot find a beneficiary for a long time, state law can require it to turn the money over to the state. The money then waits for the rightful owner in the state's unclaimed property program.

• MissingMoney.com is run by the National Association of Unclaimed Property Administrators (NAUPA). It searches the databases of participating states at no cost.
• Unclaimed.org, also run by NAUPA, links to each state's official unclaimed property program.
• Search the person's name in every state where they lived or worked, and the names of likely beneficiaries.

Searching official state sites costs nothing. Be careful with lookalike sites or "finders" who ask for a fee or a percentage to claim money you could claim yourself.

Check the person's records

Ordinary paperwork often holds clues. Look for:

• Bank and credit card statements. Look for regular payments to an insurance company.
• Mail and email. Watch for premium notices, annual statements or letters from insurers for a few months after the death.
• Tax records. Interest income from a policy or annuity may show up on tax forms.
• Address books, files, safe deposit boxes and desk drawers. Look for policies, business cards from insurance companies, or receipts.
• Past advisors. Ask a financial advisor, accountant or attorney the person used.

Ask employers, unions and banks

• Current and former employers. Many employers offer group life insurance. Call human resources or the benefits office, including for past jobs and pensions.
• Unions and professional groups. Some offer life insurance or a death benefit to members.
• Banks and credit unions. Some offer small accidental death policies to account holders.
• Veterans. If the person served in the military, ask the VA about any VA life insurance.

Group policies tied to a job often end when the job ends, but some people keep or convert them. It is worth a call.

The MIB Policy Locator Service (paid)

MIB runs a separate, paid Policy Locator Service. It searches records of applications for individually underwritten life insurance submitted to MIB member companies. According to MIB:

• Only a deceased person can be searched, and only certain people can request a search, such as an estate representative or surviving spouse, then a child, then the closest relative.
• It does not find employer group life insurance, and guaranteed-issue policies typically won't appear.
• Policies issued before 1996 may not be in its records.
• It reports the company and the date of an application, not whether a policy was issued or is still in force.
• The fee is not refunded if nothing is found. Check the current fee on MIB's site before you apply.

Because the NAIC tool costs nothing, it is a natural place to start.

What to do when you find a policy

1. Call the insurer's claims department and ask whether the policy was in force at death and who the beneficiary is. The insurer may need proof of death before it shares details.
2. Order certified death certificates. See how to get a death certificate.
3. File the claim. See how long life insurance takes to pay out for the steps and a documents checklist.

Example (hypothetical, not real data): After her mother dies, a son sees a yearly payment to an insurer on an old bank statement. He calls the insurer, which confirms a small burial insurance policy and sends a claim form. He also submits an NAIC Policy Locator request in case there are other policies.

If you are planning ahead, tell your family where your policies are, and keep a list with your important papers. Our end-of-life planning checklist can help.