How to notify NFU Mutual when someone dies

NFU Mutual is one of the UK’s largest mutual insurers, with around 900,000 members and a network of over 300 local agencies. Many of their customers are farming families, landowners, and rural households who hold multiple policies – car, home, farm, equine, and life cover – sometimes all in one place. Dealing with all of these after a bereavement can feel overwhelming, but NFU Mutual has a dedicated bereavement process, and you only need to notify them once.

This guide explains how to reach the right team, what you’ll need to have ready, and what happens to each type of policy. If you need to notify other organisations at the same time, our complete guide to notifying companies after a death covers banks, utilities, pensions, and government departments.

Quick reference:

• General insurance (car, home, farm, equine): 0800 072 5569, Monday–Friday 8am–8pm, Saturday 9am–12:30pm
• Life insurance (pre-April 2016 policies): 0800 622 323, Monday–Friday 9am–5pm; email Life_Claims_Mailbox@nfumutual.co.uk
• Life insurance (August 2016–November 2025 policies): Aviva Protection, 0345 600 6815
• Life insurance (after November 2025 policies): Aviva Life & Pensions, 0800 015 1142
• Online notification: nfumutual.co.uk/contact-us/passing-away-of-a-customer

How to notify NFU Mutual of a death

NFU Mutual operates through a network of local agencies, and your first step should be to check the policy schedule for the name of your local agency. If you know which agency issued the policy, you can contact them directly – they often offer a more personal service than a central helpline, which is particularly valuable for rural and farming customers with complex arrangements.

If you don’t have the policy documents or don’t know which agency to contact, call the central number: 0800 072 5569. This line covers general insurance (motor, home, farming, equine, and commercial policies). Lines are open Monday–Friday 8am–8pm and Saturday 9am–12:30pm. Calls from UK landlines and mobiles are free.

For life insurance, pensions, and investments, the contact route depends on when the policy was taken out (see the life insurance section below).

NFU Mutual also has an online bereavement notification form at nfumutual.co.uk/contact-us/passing-away-of-a-customer, where you can submit the notification and they will contact you to progress the claim. This covers both general insurance and financial services policies – if the person held both, one submission handles both.

Before you get in touch, have ready what you can:

You don’t need everything before making the first call. NFU Mutual will tell you what else they need once they’ve identified the policies held.

NFU Mutual has committed to not charging administration fees for cancellations, changes, or claims that arise because of a death. They will also stop promotional communications within 3–4 weeks of notification.

What documents you’ll need

The documents required depend on the policy type. For general insurance (car, home, farm), the process is relatively straightforward. For life insurance claims, more formal documentation is needed.

For general insurance policies:

• Deceased’s full name, date of birth, and address at time of death
• Date of death
• Policy number(s), if available
• Your contact details and relationship to the deceased
• Details of any ongoing claims (if relevant)

A death certificate is not always required for cancelling or transferring a general insurance policy, but having it to hand is advisable. NFU Mutual may request it if there is any ambiguity about the claim.

For life insurance claims:

• Original death certificate or a certified copy
• Policy document or policy number
• Completed claim form (NFU Mutual will send this)
• Grant of probate or letters of administration, if the policy is not written in trust and forms part of the estate

Ordering additional death certificates: When registering the death, ask for several certified copies. Each organisation you notify may require its own copy, and requesting them later through the General Register Office takes longer and costs more. Most people dealing with a complex estate need between five and ten copies.

What happens to each type of policy

NFU Mutual covers a range of products, and each works differently after a death. Understanding which policies the person held is the most important first step.

Car and motor insurance

Any vehicle that is still being driven or moved after the death must be insured. Contact NFU Mutual as soon as possible to arrange continued cover for whoever will be using or moving the vehicle. If the vehicle is being kept and driven by a surviving spouse or family member, they may be able to take over the policy in their own name.

If the vehicle is not being driven – for example, it is parked on private land while the estate is being administered – you should still notify NFU Mutual. A car that is parked on a public road must legally be insured, even if unused, unless it has a Statutory Off Road Notification (SORN) registered with the DVLA.

If the policy is cancelled, NFU Mutual will calculate any refund due for unused premium. This will typically be paid to the estate.

Home insurance

Buildings and contents insurance continues to cover the property after a death, but there are important conditions to be aware of if the property becomes unoccupied.

Most home insurance policies include an unoccupied property clause – typically after 30 or 60 consecutive days of no one living in the property, coverage restrictions may apply. NFU Mutual’s policy will specify the inspection frequency required (they typically recommend weekly checks), and the executor or family member should arrange these.

Notify NFU Mutual promptly, and they will advise on what adjustments are needed to keep cover in place during the estate administration period. Do not assume the policy continues unchanged just because it has not expired.

If the property is jointly owned and a surviving spouse or partner is still living there, the policy can usually be transferred to their name with relatively little disruption.

Farm and agricultural insurance

This is where NFU Mutual’s specialisation matters most. A farming insurance policy is likely to be significantly more complex than a standard home or car policy. It may cover:

• Farm buildings and contents
• Livestock
• Agricultural machinery and vehicles (tractors, harvesters, ATVs)
• Liability cover for farm operations
• Crops and produce in storage

All of these may need urgent attention after a death. Agricultural vehicles being driven on public roads must be insured. Livestock must remain covered. If seasonal work is under way – planting or harvesting – farm operations may need to continue while the estate is being settled.

Contact your local NFU Mutual agency as a priority. Local agents are experienced in farming estates and can help you understand which coverages need to continue, which can be paused, and what changes the executor will need to authorise.

Equine insurance

If the deceased held an equine insurance policy covering horses, NFU Mutual’s equine team will need to be notified separately. Contact through the main bereavement notification route and specify that the policy involves horses. They will advise on whether the policy can continue under a new name (for example, if other family members are keeping and riding the horses) or needs to be cancelled.

Life insurance

NFU Mutual has sold life insurance policies over many years, but the underwriter for these policies has changed, and the contact route depends on when the policy was taken out:

If you are unsure which period applies, check the policy document or call NFU Mutual on 0800 622 323 and they will direct you.

Policies written in trust: If the life insurance policy was written in trust, the payout goes directly to the named beneficiaries and does not form part of the estate. This means no probate is needed for that payout, and inheritance tax does not apply to it. Payment to beneficiaries is typically faster than an estate-based claim.

Policies not written in trust: The payout forms part of the estate and may be subject to probate before it can be distributed. It may also be included in the estate for inheritance tax purposes.

To understand more about how life insurance works at death, including the difference between trust and non-trust policies, see our guide to what happens to life insurance when someone dies.

Probate and life insurance claims

Whether probate is required for a life insurance claim depends on how the policy was set up. NFU Mutual – or their appointed administrator – will advise you once you have made contact.

In general:

• Written in trust: No probate needed. The claim is paid directly to trustees or named beneficiaries.
• Not written in trust, small estate: In some cases, the insurer may settle a claim without requiring a full grant of probate, particularly for lower-value policies. The threshold is at their discretion.
• Not written in trust, larger estate: Grant of probate or letters of administration will be needed before the insurer releases the funds.

NFU Mutual will send a claim form once notified. This must be completed and returned with the death certificate and any other documents requested. For pre-2016 policies, postal address for claims is: Financial Services, NFU Mutual, Tiddington Road, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, CV37 7BJ.

How long does it take

For general insurance policies (car, home, farm, equine), NFU Mutual aims to process notifications promptly. Cancellations and policy transfers are typically confirmed quickly once they have the information they need. Any premium refund will take a few weeks to process.

For life insurance claims, the timeline depends on the administrator and the complexity of the claim:

• Simple claims with all documents received: typically a few weeks
• Claims requiring probate: however long probate takes (often 3–6 months for a straightforward estate), plus the insurer’s processing time
• Complex estates with multiple policies or disputed claims: longer, and legal advice may be appropriate

NFU Mutual will keep you informed of progress. If you are dealing with Aviva as the administrator, their claims teams are reachable on the numbers above.

Things to watch out for

Farming and agricultural policies need urgent attention. If the person who died was the named policyholder on a farm insurance policy, the executor or a family member should contact NFU Mutual within days of the death – not weeks. Farm vehicles, livestock, and agricultural operations all carry insurance requirements that cannot safely wait.

Agricultural vehicles on public roads must be insured. A tractor driven on a public road without valid insurance is an offence, regardless of the circumstances. If farm operations are continuing during the estate administration, arrange appropriate cover before any vehicle moves.

Local agencies can be more helpful than central lines. NFU Mutual’s local agent network exists precisely for situations like this. If the person held farm cover, a relationship with a local agent who understands the property may save significant time and stress.

Check for multiple policy types. NFU Mutual customers – particularly farming families – often hold several policies at once. Use the online notification form at nfumutual.co.uk/contact-us/passing-away-of-a-customer to cover all of them in one submission.

Life insurance administrator depends on policy date. Do not assume the life insurance claim goes directly to NFU Mutual. Check when the policy was issued – post-2016 policies are administered by Aviva, not NFU Mutual.

Keep the property inspected. If the deceased’s home is unoccupied, standard home insurance policies restrict cover after a period (often 30–60 days). Arrange for someone to check the property regularly and tell NFU Mutual it is being looked after.

Summary

To notify NFU Mutual after a bereavement:

• General insurance: Call 0800 072 5569 (Monday–Friday 8am–8pm, Saturday 9am–12:30pm) or use their online notification form
• Life insurance (pre-2016): Call 0800 622 323 or email Life_Claims_Mailbox@nfumutual.co.uk
• Life insurance (2016–2025): Call Aviva Protection on 0345 600 6815
• Life insurance (post-November 2025): Call Aviva Life & Pensions on 0800 015 1142

Have the death certificate, policy number(s), and the deceased’s date of birth and address ready. For farming estates, contact the local NFU Mutual agency directly if possible – they are better placed to handle complex agricultural cover arrangements.

For more guidance on what to do when someone dies, visit our complete bereavement notification guide, or read about what happens to car insurance after a death and what happens to home insurance after a death.