Vitality is a UK health and life insurance provider known for its rewards-based model, which links premiums to healthy behaviours. If the person you have lost held a Vitality policy, it is likely to be one of three types: life insurance (including critical illness cover and income protection), private health insurance, or a corporate health plan provided through their employer. Many people hold Vitality health insurance without realising it was arranged through their workplace benefits scheme.
Each product type works differently when someone dies. Life insurance policies pay a lump sum to named beneficiaries or the estate. Health insurance policies end at death. Income protection stops paying at death. And the Vitality rewards programme – the points, status levels, and member benefits – ceases on the policyholder’s death.
This guide explains the contact routes for each product type, what documents you need, what happens to each policy, and the things that catch people out. If you also need to notify other organisations, our guide to notifying companies after a death covers banks, utilities, government departments, and other major insurers.
Quick reference:
- Life insurance claims: 0345 601 0072, Monday–Friday 9am–5pm
- Health insurance: 0345 602 3523, Monday–Friday 8am–7pm, Saturday 9am–1pm
- Bereavement support page: vitality.co.uk/support/bereavement-support
- Typical life insurance payout time: two to four weeks from receipt of documents
How to notify Vitality of a death
Vitality has separate contact routes for life insurance and health insurance. It is worth identifying which product type you are dealing with before calling, as the teams are different.
Life insurance, critical illness cover, and income protection
Call 0345 601 0072 to reach the Vitality life insurance claims team. Lines are open Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. When you call, a member of the team will carry out some basic plan checks, take initial information, and post out the relevant claim forms. They will confirm exactly what documents they need for the specific policy and circumstances.
If you are not sure whether the deceased held a Vitality life insurance policy, the team can search their records using the deceased’s name and date of birth. Do not delay calling because you cannot find the paperwork.
Source: Vitality – make a life insurance claim, verified May 2026.
Health insurance (individual and employer-provided)
Call 0345 602 3523 for Vitality health insurance queries. Lines are open Monday to Friday 8am to 7pm and Saturday 9am to 1pm.
If the policy was provided through an employer scheme, the HR department may need to be notified at the same time. Vitality’s corporate health team can be reached at 0345 051 0044 (Monday–Friday, 8:30am–5:30pm).
Source: Vitality – contact us, verified May 2026.
Before you call
Having the following to hand speeds up the first call:
| Information | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| Policy number | On annual statements, policy documents, or welcome letters |
| Deceased’s full name and date of birth | ID documents |
| Date of death | Death certificate |
| Your name and relationship to the deceased | N/A |
| Any trust deed (if the policy was written in trust) | With policy documents or the deceased’s solicitor |
If you cannot find any of this, Vitality can search by name and date of birth.
What documents you’ll need
The documents required depend on the type of policy and the circumstances. The table below covers the most common requirements.
| Document | When needed |
|---|---|
| Death certificate (original or certified copy) | All claims – this is always required |
| Policy number and/or policy documents | All claims – Vitality can locate without it but it speeds things up |
| Completed claim form | Vitality sends this to you after the initial call |
| Your proof of identity | All claims – as the person making the claim |
| Trust deed | If the life insurance policy was written in trust |
| Grant of probate or letters of administration | If probate is required (Vitality will tell you whether this applies) |
| Medical records or GP report | For some complex claims – Vitality will request if needed |
A note on death certificates: You will need certified copies (not originals) for most insurance and estate purposes, and you are likely to need several across different organisations. Order extra copies from the register office when you register the death. Each copy costs £11 in England and Wales (source: gov.uk/order-copy-birth-death-marriage-certificate).
What happens to the policy
Life insurance
When someone with a Vitality life insurance policy dies, the policy pays a lump sum. Who receives that money – and how quickly – depends on whether the policy was held in a trust.
If the policy was written in trust: The payout goes directly to the trustees, who distribute it to the named beneficiaries. This process bypasses probate entirely, which means the money can be paid out once the claim is approved and documents received. It also generally falls outside the deceased’s estate for inheritance tax purposes, which is a significant advantage if the estate is large.
Vitality offers bare trusts and discretionary trusts. Under a bare trust, beneficiaries are fixed and cannot be changed. Under a discretionary trust, trustees decide how and when the money is distributed, guided by any letter of wishes the policyholder left.
If the policy was not written in trust: The lump sum forms part of the estate. Before it can be distributed to beneficiaries, the estate may need to go through probate – the legal process of confirming the deceased’s will and authorising the executor to act. This can add months to the timeline. In England and Wales, straightforward probate applications currently take around 16 weeks from submission. Source: gov.uk/applying-for-probate.
If the estate is below the inheritance tax nil-rate band of £325,000 (source: gov.uk/inheritance-tax/overview), no inheritance tax is due on the life insurance payout whether or not it is in trust.
Source: Vitality – life insurance and trusts explained, verified May 2026; Vitality – life insurance payouts explained, verified May 2026.
Critical illness cover
Vitality critical illness cover pays a lump sum while the policyholder is still alive, following diagnosis of a specified serious condition. It does not pay out on death – that is the purpose of the life insurance element. If the policy had both a life element and a critical illness element, only the life element pays out on death. Check the policy documents to confirm what was covered.
Income protection
Income protection pays a monthly replacement income if the policyholder cannot work due to illness or injury. Payments stop on death – there is no death benefit from an income protection policy. If the deceased had been receiving income protection payments at the time of death, those payments will cease and Vitality should be notified. Call 0345 601 0072.
Health insurance
Health insurance covers the cost of private medical treatment. It ends at the policyholder’s death. If there are dependants – a spouse or children – who were also covered under the same policy, they will need to contact Vitality to discuss continuing their own cover separately.
If the health insurance was provided through an employer, coverage for any dependants on the policy may also cease or need to be transferred. Contact the employer’s HR department and Vitality’s corporate team at 0345 051 0044.
Probate and when it applies
Whether probate is required for a Vitality life insurance payout depends on whether the policy was written in trust and on the overall value of the estate.
If the policy was in trust: probate is not required. The policy sits outside the estate, and the trustees can receive the payment once the claim is approved.
If the policy was not in trust: the payout becomes part of the estate. In England and Wales, if the total estate (including the insurance payout) is modest and straightforward, executors can sometimes deal with assets without a formal grant of probate – banks and insurers each set their own thresholds for small estates. Vitality will confirm their current threshold when you call.
For estates that require formal probate, the executor applies to the Probate Registry using the PA1P form (if there is a will) or PA1A (if there is no will). The application fee is £300 for estates over £5,000, with no fee for estates under that figure. Source: gov.uk/applying-for-probate.
For an explanation of the full probate process, see our guide to probate.
How long does it take?
| Scenario | Typical timeline |
|---|---|
| Life insurance written in trust | Two to four weeks once all documents received |
| Life insurance not in trust, probate not required | Two to four weeks once all documents received |
| Life insurance not in trust, probate required | Probate adds around 16 weeks on top – the total can be several months |
| Health insurance cancellation | Straightforward – processed once Vitality is notified |
| Income protection cessation | Payments stop on death; notify Vitality to close the account |
Source: simpleprotection.co.uk – Vitality review, verified May 2026.
The main cause of delay is missing documentation. If Vitality has to request additional information after the initial claim, each exchange adds time. Sending the death certificate, policy details, and any trust documents at the same time as the first contact makes a meaningful difference.
Things to watch out for
Vitality is often employer-provided – check HR first. Vitality is popular as a corporate benefit scheme, particularly for health insurance and group life insurance (death in service). If the deceased was employed at the time of death, check with their employer’s HR department before contacting Vitality directly. Employer-provided life insurance (death in service) is usually arranged through the employer, not directly with Vitality, and the HR team or pension trustees handle the initial claim. Individual life insurance policies taken out privately are a separate matter and should be notified directly to Vitality.
Check whether the policy was written in trust. This is the most important question for any life insurance claim. Look through the deceased’s papers for a trust deed or any paperwork referring to the policy as “written in trust”. If you find one, it significantly speeds up the payout and may reduce inheritance tax. If the deceased used a financial adviser, the adviser may hold a copy.
The Vitality rewards model stops at death. The Vitality Points, status levels (Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum), and any linked rewards or premium discounts all cease on the policyholder’s death. There is no cash value to any accumulated points. This applies to both life insurance and health insurance products.
Two separate product areas, two separate teams. Vitality operates life insurance and health insurance as separate lines with separate contact numbers. Calling the life team about a health policy, or vice versa, will result in a transfer. Identifying which product type is involved before calling saves time.
The 2027 pension inheritance tax change does not apply here. Vitality does not offer pensions, so the announced HMRC change to bring pension death benefits within inheritance tax from April 2027 does not apply to Vitality policies. However, if the deceased held a pension elsewhere alongside a Vitality life insurance policy, take note: the combined estate value matters for inheritance tax purposes. Source: gov.uk – inheritance tax on pension funds.
Medical evidence may be requested. For some claims – particularly if the death occurred shortly after the policy was taken out, or in unusual circumstances – Vitality may request medical records or a GP report. This is standard industry practice and does not indicate a problem with the claim. Vitality will request this directly if needed.
Summary
Vitality’s life insurance claims team is at 0345 601 0072 (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm). For health insurance, call 0345 602 3523 (Monday–Friday 8am–7pm, Saturday 9am–1pm). For employer-provided corporate schemes, contact 0345 051 0044.
The most important document is always the death certificate. For life insurance, the most important question is whether the policy was written in trust – if it was, the payout bypasses probate and typically takes two to four weeks. If it was not in trust, and probate is required, the timeline is considerably longer.
You can find further information on Vitality’s bereavement support page at vitality.co.uk/support/bereavement-support.
For information on how life insurance policies work at death more generally, see our guide to what happens to life insurance when someone dies. For an explanation of the probate process, see our guide to probate. For inheritance tax thresholds and how they apply to estates, see our guide to inheritance tax.
If the deceased also held life insurance or pensions with another major insurer, see our guides to notifying Aviva when someone dies, notifying Legal & General when someone dies, notifying Zurich when someone dies, or notifying Royal London when someone dies.
If the deceased held a BUPA health insurance policy, a dental plan, or a BUPA cash plan, see our guide to notifying BUPA when someone dies.