Death certificate

A death certificate is the legal record of a death, filed with the vital records office of the state or county where the death occurred. It lists the decedent's identifying details, the date, time and place of death, the cause and manner of death (natural, accident, suicide, homicide, undetermined or pending), and the certifying physician, medical examiner or coroner.

Life insurers almost always require a certified copy, one bearing the issuing office's official seal, as proof of death. The funeral home usually files the certificate and can order copies for the family; later copies come from the vital records office for a fee. Hypothetical example: a family dealing with two life insurance policies, a pension, a bank account and a car title might need six or more certified copies, so ordering several at once saves time.

The cause and manner of death matter to the claim. A pending cause, common while an autopsy or toxicology report is underway, can delay payment, and an accidental death benefit or a death within the contestability or suicide-exclusion period often draws extra review. Errors on the certificate can be fixed through the state's amendment process. See documents you need for a life insurance claim and the life insurance claim checklist.