How to claim a Phoenix Group pension when someone dies

Phoenix Group is the UK’s largest long-term savings and retirement business — but millions of people with Phoenix pensions do not realise it. If the original policy paperwork says Standard Life Assurance, ReAssure, Abbey Life, Pearl Assurance, or one of several dozen other names, the pension is almost certainly now administered by Phoenix.

This guide covers how to identify whether a pension is held by Phoenix, which brand to contact, what documents you will need, and how the claim process works from first notification to payment. It also covers the legal distinction between Standard Life Assurance (Phoenix) and Standard Life (abrdn), which confuses many people dealing with a bereavement.

Pensions are different from most estate assets. A Phoenix pension pot does not automatically form part of the estate. Instead, it passes outside probate under a discretionary trust structure, guided by any expression of wishes nomination the deceased left. Understanding this is the most important thing before you make your first contact.

Which pension providers did Phoenix Group acquire?

Phoenix Group is a closed life fund specialist — it acquires pension and insurance books from other providers and manages those existing policies without selling new ones. Over the past three decades it has absorbed a large number of well-known pension and insurance brands.

This is why the Phoenix branding surprises people. A policy bought with Pearl Assurance in 1985, or an NPI personal pension from 1995, or a Standard Life Assurance annuity from 2005 — all are now administered by Phoenix Group entities, even though the policyholder may never have received any communication with the Phoenix name on it.

Source: Phoenix Life — Our history, verified May 2026; Phoenix Group — Our history, verified May 2026.

Standard Life Assurance vs Standard Life (abrdn) — the key distinction

This is the most important distinction to understand before you make any calls, and one that causes significant confusion.

Standard Life Assurance Limited — the old mutual life insurer — was acquired by Phoenix Group in 2018 for £2.9 billion. Policies underwritten by Standard Life Assurance before 2018 (personal pensions, annuities, with-profits policies, and many older workplace pensions) are now part of Phoenix Group and are administered through Phoenix Life Limited.

Standard Life — the brand — continues to exist and is used by abrdn for its pension and investment platform. If the deceased held a SIPP, a workplace pension on the Standard Life platform, or a pension opened after 2018, that is likely administered by abrdn (Standard Life), not Phoenix. The abrdn version of Standard Life has its own bereavement team and a separate contact number; see our guide to claiming a Standard Life pension when someone dies.

How to tell them apart:

• Old paperwork (pre-2018) from Standard Life, especially annuities, guaranteed income products, or old-style personal pensions — likely Phoenix
• Post-2018 SIPPs, modern workplace pensions, investments on the Standard Life online platform — likely abrdn (Standard Life)
• If you are unsure, contact Phoenix Life first. If the policy is not on their system, they will direct you to the correct organisation

This matters in practice because the contact numbers are different and both teams will be able to confirm quickly whether they hold the policy.

Source: Phoenix Group acquisitions; abrdn Standard Life bereavement, verified May 2026.

How to notify Phoenix Group of a death

Phoenix Group operates through several separate brands, each with their own customer-facing process. The right approach depends on which brand holds the policy.

Phoenix Life (most policies)

For policies with Phoenix Life — covering most former Standard Life Assurance, Abbey Life, Pearl Assurance, NPI, and AXA Wealth pension products — Phoenix Life asks that you notify them online in the first instance.

Online notification: Visit phoenixlife.co.uk/customer-centre/manage-my-policy/contact/death-claim-notification-form. The form asks you to select the name of the company the policy was previously held with (for example, “Abbey Life”, “Pearl Assurance”, or “Standard Life”). It is important to select the correct original provider, as this routes your notification to the right team. If you are unsure, use “Phoenix Life” or call their general customer line.

MyPhoenix portal: Existing policyholders can also notify online through the MyPhoenix portal at myphoenix.co.uk/bereavement/relation-notification.

By phone: Phoenix Life’s general customer service number is 0345 9600 900 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm). You will be guided through a selection process to reach the correct team for your policy type.

Online notifications only apply to UK deaths. If the deceased died outside the UK, contact Phoenix Life by phone.

ReAssure (separate brand, separate contact)

ReAssure is a Phoenix Group company but operates as a distinct brand. If the policy was with any of the brands ReAssure administers — including Guardian, Barclays Life, HSBC Life, Zurich, GE Life, or Old Mutual Wealth Life Assurance — contact ReAssure directly.

By phone: 0800 073 1777 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm, excluding bank holidays). Overseas: +44 1952 292929. Former Barclays Life policyholders should call 0800 197 5616 (or +44 1708 678 832 from overseas).

Online: Bereavement notification form at reassure.co.uk/notify/.

Funeral pledge: ReAssure offer up to £10,000 in advance of final settlement to help cover immediate funeral costs. This is deducted from the final payment.

Source: ReAssure — Making a pension death claim, verified May 2026.

Phoenix Wealth (self-invested policies)

Phoenix Wealth administers self-invested and adviser-placed pension products, including those that came from AXA Wealth. Contact: 0345 129 9993 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am to 5:30pm).

Source: Phoenix Wealth contact page, verified May 2026.

What to have ready

If you have lost all the original policy documents, do not delay. Phoenix Life and ReAssure can search their records using the deceased’s name, National Insurance number, and date of birth. The original paperwork is useful but not a barrier to making a claim.

What documents you will need

The death certificate is the foundation of every pension claim. This is the certified copy issued by the register office after registering the death — not the medical certificate issued by a doctor or hospital. If a coroner’s inquest is underway, Phoenix / ReAssure will generally accept an interim death certificate to start the process, though the final certificate is typically required before any payment is authorised.

Order more copies than you expect to need. Each financial institution requires its own original or certified copy — they cannot be shared between providers. Four to six copies is a reasonable starting point if the deceased held pensions and other accounts with multiple organisations. Each copy costs around £12.50 in England and Wales from the register office. Source: gov.uk — register a death.

Do not wait for probate before contacting Phoenix or ReAssure. Pension death benefits are typically paid outside the estate at the trustees’ discretion, so the pension claim and probate process can run in parallel.

What happens to the pension

Expression of wishes and the trustee decision

Most defined contribution pension plans — including personal pensions, SIPPs, and workplace pensions now held by Phoenix Group — are held under a discretionary trust. When the member dies, the remaining pot becomes a death benefit and the trustees decide who receives it.

The deceased’s expression of wishes form (sometimes called a nomination of beneficiary form) is the strongest guide the trustees have. It is not legally binding — the trustees have discretionary power — but in practice trustees almost always follow a clear, up-to-date nomination, particularly when there is a named beneficiary and no competing claims.

The discretionary structure serves a deliberate purpose. Because the trustees decide — not the will — the death benefit generally sits outside the estate. It does not require probate to release, and under current rules (for deaths before 6 April 2027) it also sits outside the estate for inheritance tax.

If no expression of wishes form was completed, the trustees will investigate family circumstances — dependants, immediate family, and any indication of intent in correspondence or the will — before making their decision.

Pensions in payment (annuities)

If the deceased was drawing income from a Phoenix Life annuity rather than holding a pension pot, the position is different. There is no remaining pot to pass on. What the beneficiaries receive depends entirely on the options chosen when the annuity was purchased:

• Single life, no death benefit: Payments stop on death. Nothing passes to beneficiaries.
• Joint life annuity: A continuing income — typically 50% of the original amount — is paid to the named surviving partner for the rest of their life.
• Guarantee period: Payments continue for the remaining duration of the guarantee (commonly 5 or 10 years), paid to the estate or nominated beneficiary.
• Value protection: A lump sum is paid equal to the original purchase price minus income already paid.

Contact Phoenix Life to confirm which options the deceased’s annuity included. These terms were set at the point of purchase and appear in the original policy documents.

Important for Pearl Assurance and older with-profits policies: Older with-profits policies from Pearl Assurance, NPI, or earlier Phoenix-era brands may include a terminal bonus — an additional amount added to the policy’s declared sum assured on death or maturity. Ask about this when making the claim. It can add materially to the final payment.

Tax on pension death benefits

The age of the deceased at death determines how the death benefit is taxed.

Died before age 75: Beneficiaries can generally receive the pension pot tax-free — either as a lump sum or as income drawn from an inherited drawdown fund — up to the lump sum and death benefit allowance (currently £1,073,100). Amounts above this allowance are taxed as income at the beneficiary’s marginal rate. There is also a two-year rule: if the pension scheme is not notified within two years of the date of death, any lump sum becomes subject to income tax regardless of age. The two-year clock runs from when Phoenix / ReAssure are notified, not from the date of death.

Died at age 75 or over: All pension death benefits are taxed as income at the beneficiary’s marginal rate. There is no tax-free treatment for deaths at 75 or over, whether the benefit is taken as a lump sum or drawn down over time.

Source: gov.uk — tax on a private pension you inherit.

The April 2027 pension IHT change

Until 5 April 2027, most pension pots — including those held by Phoenix Group entities — sit outside the estate for inheritance tax. The trustees hold the pension under a discretionary trust, so it is not legally part of the estate and does not attract IHT. This made pensions one of the most efficient assets to pass between generations.

From 6 April 2027, this changes. The Finance Act 2026 (Royal Assent: 18 March 2026) brings most unused pension funds and defined contribution death benefits within the scope of inheritance tax. Pension pots will count towards the total value of the estate, and inheritance tax at 40% will apply on the value above available nil-rate bands.

Key points:

The spouse and civil partner exemption continues. If the pension is paid to a surviving spouse or civil partner, the full spouse exemption applies — no IHT on those transfers. Directing the pension to a surviving spouse via the expression of wishes nomination remains important.

Death in service lump sums are excluded from the change. These continue to sit outside the estate after April 2027.

Annuities paid as a continuation of a lifetime annuity (for example, joint life annuities) are also excluded from the new IHT charge.

For deaths before 6 April 2027, the current rules apply in full — pension pots outside the estate, no IHT. For deaths on or after that date, the pension’s value must be factored into the estate’s IHT position. If the values are material, taking advice from a solicitor or pension specialist is worth considering.

Source: Finance Act 2026 — inheritance tax on unused pension funds and death benefits, gov.uk.

How long does it take?

Phoenix Life’s bereavement pages note that the team will “make every effort to deal with your claim as quickly and smoothly as possible.” There is no statutory deadline by which pension trustees must pay; if a case is taking a long time, it is reasonable to follow up and ask for an update.

The most common cause of delay is incomplete documentation. Providing the death certificate, policy or NI number, and nomination form as early as possible is the most effective way to keep the process moving.

Tips and common pitfalls

Check who holds the policy before calling. Phoenix Group operates multiple brands with different contact numbers. Using the wrong contact — for example, calling the ReAssure number for an Abbey Life policy — will get you redirected. If you are unsure, start with the Phoenix Life online notification form and select the previous provider from the dropdown.

Lost policy documents? If you cannot find original documents, contact the Pension Tracing Service — a free government service that helps you find contact details for pension schemes using the deceased’s employer name or National Insurance number. It does not confirm whether a pension exists, but provides the administrator’s contact details so you can ask. See gov.uk/find-pension-contact-details. Separately, Phoenix Life and ReAssure can search their records using a full name, NI number, and date of birth.

Old with-profits policies may have a terminal bonus. Older Pearl Assurance, NPI, and London Life with-profits policies accumulated bonuses over their lifetime. When such a policy matures on death, a terminal (or final) bonus may be added on top of the basic sum assured and reversionary bonuses already declared. Ask about this when making the claim — the amount is not confirmed until the policy closes.

The two-year clock starts from notification. For deaths under age 75, the tax-free treatment of lump sum death benefits depends on Phoenix / ReAssure being notified within two years of the date of death. Do not delay while waiting for other parts of the estate to be settled.

Update nominations when the policy moves to Phoenix. If you are the policyholder reading this, ensure your expression of wishes form is current and on file with Phoenix. Nominations made with the original provider (Pearl Assurance, NPI, Standard Life Assurance) should have transferred, but it is worth confirming.

The ReAssure funeral pledge is worth asking about. For larger pension death benefits held with ReAssure, the £10,000 funeral pledge can cover costs immediately rather than leaving the family out of pocket for weeks. Ask about this when you make the first contact.

Summary: who to contact

Immediate steps:

1. Search the deceased’s papers for pension documents, annual statements, and any expression of wishes form
2. Identify which original brand held the policy — and therefore which Phoenix entity to contact
3. Order multiple certified death certificates from the register office (around £12.50 each in England and Wales)
4. Contact Phoenix Life or ReAssure as soon as possible — the two-year clock for tax-free treatment (deaths under 75) starts from notification, not the date of death
5. Do not wait for probate — pension death benefits are paid outside the estate at trustees’ discretion
6. If you cannot identify the provider, use the Pension Tracing Service or contact Phoenix Life, who will redirect you if the policy is with another entity

For a full explanation of how pension death benefits work across all provider types, see our guide to what happens to pensions when someone dies.

If you suspect a Standard Life investment or SIPP held on the abrdn platform, see our guide to claiming a Standard Life pension when someone dies.

For other major pension providers, see our guides to claiming an Aviva pension and claiming a Legal & General pension.

Sources

• Phoenix Life — death claim notification form — verified May 2026
• Phoenix Life — contact us — verified May 2026
• Phoenix Life — our history — verified May 2026
• Phoenix Group — our history — verified May 2026
• ReAssure — making a pension death claim — verified May 2026
• ReAssure — bereavement notification form — verified May 2026
• ReAssure — our business (acquired brands list) — verified May 2026
• Phoenix Wealth — contact us — verified May 2026
• gov.uk — tax on a private pension you inherit
• Finance Act 2026 — inheritance tax on unused pension funds and death benefits
• gov.uk — register a death