Royal London is the UK’s largest mutual life insurance and pensions provider, which means there is a good chance the person you have lost held one of their products – a life insurance policy, a pension, a protection plan, or an over-50s policy. Each of these works differently when someone dies, with separate contact numbers, different documents, and different rules about who receives what.
This guide explains the full process: how to notify Royal London, what documents to prepare, what happens to each type of product, and the things that catch people out. If you need to notify multiple organisations after a bereavement, our guide to notifying companies after a death covers banks, utilities, government departments, and other insurers.
Quick reference:
- Life insurance and protection: 0345 646 2094, Mon–Fri 8am–7pm, Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pm
- Pensions (Royal London/United Assurance): 0345 646 2112, Mon–Fri 8am–6pm
- Pensions (adviser-placed/Scottish Life): 0345 646 2105, Mon–Fri 8am–6pm
- Post Office / over-50s policies: 0345 266 1483
- Online notification: royallondon.com – tell us about a bereavement
How to notify Royal London
Royal London has separate contact routes depending on whether the deceased held a protection/life insurance policy or a pension. The two are handled by different teams, so you may need to make more than one contact if they held both.
Protection and life insurance
Call 0345 646 2094 to notify the protection and life insurance team. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm, Saturday 9am to 5pm, and Sunday 10am to 4pm. This number covers policies taken out directly with Royal London, Bright Grey, and most over-50s life insurance (Post Office policies use 0345 266 1483 instead).
You can also submit an online notification at royallondon.com/existing-customers/help-and-support/make-a-claim/tell-us-about-a-bereavement/. Royal London say this takes around two minutes, and they aim to get back to you within five working days.
Pensions
If the deceased held a pension through Royal London, the contact number depends on how it was arranged:
- Pensions arranged directly with Royal London (or previously with United Assurance before 2004): call 0345 646 2112, Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, excluding bank holidays.
- Pensions arranged through a financial adviser, or previously with Scottish Life: call 0345 646 2105, Monday to Friday 8am to 6pm, excluding bank holidays.
An online notification form is available for both pension types. If you’re not sure which category applies, start with 0345 646 2112 and they will direct you.
What to have ready
You don’t need everything before you call. Royal London will guide you through what they need. But having the following to hand will help:
| Information | Details |
|---|---|
| Deceased’s full name, date of birth, address | Standard identification |
| Date of death | Required across all products |
| Policy or plan number | From any annual statement, welcome letter, or policy document |
| Death certificate | You may need the certificate number; they may ask for the original or a certified copy later |
| Your name, relationship, and contact details | Royal London will need to correspond with you |
| Executor’s name | If a will has been left |
Source: Royal London – tell us about a bereavement, verified May 2026.
What documents you’ll need
The central document for any notification is the death certificate – the certified copy issued by the register office after you have registered the death. This is distinct from the medical certificate of cause of death issued by a doctor or hospital. If a coroner’s inquest is ongoing, Royal London can usually accept an interim death certificate to begin the process.
Order more certified copies than you think you need. Royal London, your bank, HMRC, and other organisations each require their own – you cannot pass a single copy between them. Four to six copies is a reasonable starting point for anyone with multiple financial products. Source: gov.uk – register a death.
For all products:
- Death certificate (original or certified copy)
- Deceased’s full name, date of birth, and usual address
- Date of death
- Your identity and relationship to the deceased
For life insurance claims:
- The policy number (if known – Royal London can search by name, date of birth, and address if not)
- A completed claim form, which Royal London will send once you notify them
- Any trust deed if the policy was written in trust
For pension death benefits:
- The plan or policy number
- Any expression of wishes or nomination form the deceased completed with Royal London
- Details of the deceased’s financial adviser if they held an adviser-placed pension
For estate administration:
- Grant of probate (or letters of administration if there is no will) may be required depending on the type of product and the size of the estate – Royal London will advise when you contact them
Royal London return original documents once they have been reviewed.
What happens to the policy or pension
Life insurance
When a Royal London life insurance policyholder dies, the policy pays a lump sum. Who receives it – and how quickly – depends on whether the policy was written in trust.
If the policy was written in trust: The payout goes directly to the trustees for distribution to beneficiaries. This bypasses the estate entirely, which means no waiting for probate and no inheritance tax on the proceeds. Payment can typically be made once Royal London have approved the claim and received the necessary documents.
If the policy was not written in trust: The payout forms part of the deceased’s estate. It can only be distributed after probate has been granted (or, in Scotland, confirmation from the Sheriff Court). This can add months to the timeline.
Check the deceased’s papers for any reference to a trust deed or “written in trust” on the policy documents. If you find one, share it with Royal London when you call – it can significantly speed up the process and may affect the tax position. If you’re unsure whether a policy was in trust, ask Royal London directly.
Royal London also note that if money is tight in the immediate period, it may be worth asking about options to advance funds towards funeral costs before the full claim is settled.
Pensions
Pensions work differently to life insurance. Royal London does not pay pension death benefits to the estate – it exercises discretion over who receives the money, guided by any expression of wishes or nomination form the deceased completed.
This discretionary approach has an important consequence: under current rules, pension death benefits paid at Royal London’s discretion generally sit outside the deceased’s estate for inheritance tax purposes. Source: Royal London – death benefits: discretion and nomination, verified May 2026.
Age at death affects the tax position significantly:
- If the deceased was under 75, lump sum pension death benefits paid to a nominated beneficiary are generally tax-free, provided Royal London is notified and the payment is made within two years of death. Benefits above the Lump Sum and Death Benefit Allowance (£1,073,100 for the 2025/26 tax year) are taxed at the beneficiary’s marginal income tax rate. Source: gov.uk – tax on a private pension you inherit.
- If the deceased was 75 or over, all pension death benefits are taxed as income at the beneficiary’s marginal rate, regardless of the two-year window.
Expression of wishes forms matter. If the deceased completed an expression of wishes or nomination form with Royal London, this tells Royal London who the deceased wanted to receive the pension. It is not legally binding, but Royal London will strongly consider it. If no form was completed, Royal London must make their own enquiries about appropriate beneficiaries, which takes considerably longer. If you find any such form among the deceased’s papers or held by a financial adviser, provide it to Royal London early.
For a broader explanation of how pensions work after death, see what happens to pensions when someone dies. If the deceased held a Royal London pension, we have a dedicated guide: how to claim a Royal London pension when someone dies.
Protection products
Royal London also provides critical illness cover and income protection policies. Critical illness and income protection policies do not typically pay out on death – they have separate claim triggers. However, if the deceased held a combined life and critical illness policy, the life insurance element would still pay out. Call 0345 646 2094 to confirm what cover was in place and which claims are valid.
For more on what happens to life insurance, see what happens to life insurance when someone dies.
Pension death benefits and the 2027 IHT changes
From 6 April 2027, most unused pension funds and pension death benefits will be included in the deceased’s estate for inheritance tax purposes for the first time. This is a significant change from the current position, where discretionary pension death benefits are largely outside the estate. The government announced this as part of the Autumn Budget 2024. Source: HMRC – inheritance tax on pension funds, verified May 2026.
If you are dealing with a bereavement now – before April 2027 – the existing rules apply: discretionary pension death benefits are generally outside the estate and not subject to inheritance tax.
If you are doing estate planning or a death occurs after April 2027, the estate’s personal representatives will have additional reporting obligations relating to pension assets. Royal London’s adviser technical pages have detailed guidance on this: adviser.royallondon.com – IHT on pension death benefits from April 2027.
Probate and when it’s required
Not every Royal London product requires a grant of probate before it can be paid out.
Life insurance written in trust: No probate required. The policy bypasses the estate entirely and is paid directly to trustees.
Life insurance not written in trust: The payout forms part of the estate. If the estate needs probate to be administered – which depends on its total value and composition – then probate will be required before Royal London can release the funds.
Pensions: Probate is not typically required. Pension death benefits are paid at Royal London’s discretion to nominated beneficiaries, outside the estate.
The general rule in England and Wales is that an estate needs probate if it holds property, or if financial institutions require it to release assets (many banks require probate for accounts above a certain threshold – typically £25,000–£50,000, though this varies). Royal London will tell you whether they require probate when you contact them. Source: gov.uk – applying for probate.
In Scotland, the equivalent process is applying for confirmation from the Sheriff Court. In Northern Ireland, probate is granted by the Probate Office of the High Court.
For a general guide to when probate is and isn’t required, see do I need probate?
How long does it take?
Royal London say they aim to respond within five working days of receiving an online bereavement notification. Full claim timescales vary:
| Product | Typical timeline |
|---|---|
| Life insurance (written in trust) | Payment once claim approved and documents received – no probate wait |
| Life insurance (not written in trust) | Depends on probate – applications currently take around 16 weeks for straightforward estates |
| Pension death benefits | Several weeks once documents received; longer if no nomination form was in place |
| Protection policies | Depends on policy type; Royal London will advise |
The single biggest cause of delay across all product types is incomplete paperwork. Providing the death certificate, policy or plan number, and any expression of wishes or trust documentation as early as possible is the most effective way to keep things moving.
For more on how long probate takes, see how long does probate take?
Things to watch out for
Pensions and life insurance use separate teams. Calling the protection number does not notify the pension team, and vice versa. If the deceased held both, you need to contact both separately. When you call, ask whether they can see any other Royal London products on file.
The expression of wishes form is the most important pension document. If the deceased held a Royal London pension and completed an expression of wishes form – whether recently or years ago – find it. It can make a significant difference to how quickly and to whom the death benefits are paid. Check for it among papers, with a financial adviser, or ask Royal London directly.
The two-year window for tax-free pension payments. If the deceased was under 75, lump sum pension death benefits are generally tax-free if paid within two years of Royal London being notified. Delay in notification can cost beneficiaries a significant sum in income tax. Notify as soon as possible.
Check whether any life insurance was written in trust. A policy written in trust bypasses probate entirely. Look for a trust deed or reference to “written in trust” in the policy documents. If you find one, it changes the whole process.
Royal London may administer older policies from other providers. Royal London has grown through acquisitions and administers policies originally issued under brands including Scottish Life, United Assurance, and Bright Grey. If the deceased held a policy with any of these, Royal London is the right organisation to contact.
Over-50s and Post Office policies use a different number. If the deceased held a Post Office or over-50s Royal London policy, the number is 0345 266 1483, not the main protection line.
Continue direct debits until told to stop. Royal London advise to keep making premium payments until they instruct otherwise. Any overpaid premiums after the date of death will be refunded to the estate.
For broader estate administration tasks, see our guides on notifying HMRC and notifying the DWP, which are typically among the first contacts to make after a bereavement.
Summary
Royal London is the UK’s largest mutual insurer, and their products cover a wide range of what bereaved people need to deal with. The key numbers:
- Life insurance and protection: 0345 646 2094 (Mon–Fri 8am–7pm, Sat 9am–5pm, Sun 10am–4pm)
- Pensions (direct/United Assurance): 0345 646 2112 (Mon–Fri 8am–6pm)
- Pensions (adviser-placed/Scottish Life): 0345 646 2105 (Mon–Fri 8am–6pm)
- Online: royallondon.com – tell us about a bereavement
Have the death certificate, the policy or plan number (if known), and any expression of wishes form to hand before you call. If the life insurance was written in trust, say so immediately – it affects the whole process. For pensions, notify promptly: the two-year window matters if the deceased was under 75.
You do not need to have everything ready before making the first call. Royal London’s teams will explain what they need at each stage.
If the deceased held a Zurich life insurance policy, critical illness cover, income protection, or a Zurich pension, see our guide to notifying Zurich when someone dies.
If the deceased held a Canada Life annuity, workplace group life insurance, or pension – or held an individual protection policy with Canada Life before February 2025 – see our guide to notifying Canada Life when someone dies.