How long after someone dies is life insurance paid?

How long after someone dies life insurance is paid depends on claim filing and insurer processing, but typically within 2 weeks to 60 days after claim submitted. Life insurance, which is insurance paying death benefit to beneficiaries upon death of insured, offered by insurers like Legal and General, MetLife, Prudential, and others, has payout timeline including beneficiary must file claim with insurer providing death certificate, policy number, and claim form, which can be done within days after death, with insurer required to process claim within 30 to 60 days in most states and countries after receiving all required documents, with many insurers paying within 7 to 14 days for straightforward claims with no investigation needed. Factors delaying payout include death within 2 year contestability period where insurer investigates medical history, death by suicide within exclusion period typically 1 to 2 years, missing documents like death certificate or beneficiary info, and disputes over beneficiaries or cause of death, which can delay 3 to 6 months. In US, most states require insurer to pay within 30 days of receiving proof of death, with interest accruing after that. So life insurance paid typically within 14 to 30 days after claim filed with death certificate for straightforward claims, with up to 60 days allowed by law, and longer if investigation needed for contestability or suicide exclusion, with beneficiary should file claim promptly with death certificate and policy number to expedite.