Do life insurance policies pay out if a person dies of old age?

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Yes, life insurance companies pay death benefits to beneficiaries if the insured dies of old age. Standard life insurance policies pay out as long as the policy is active at the time of death and the death occurs after the policy’s contestability period.

When won’t a life insurance policy pay out if you die of old age?

Life insurance companies won’t pay out the death benefit when you die of old age if you die within the contestability period, your policy isn’t active, or the life insurance company can prove fraud. These rules apply to policyholders of any age.

If your policy is no longer active when you die — then your beneficiaries won’t get the death benefit. Only active policies pay out.

Insurers also may dispute a claim if you die within the contestability period. A contestability period is the first two years of a life insurance policy. A life insurance company will likely deny a death benefits claim if the death occurs during the contestability period and the cause of death is suicide.

A life insurer will also deny death benefits if the covered person lied or misrepresented information on the life insurance application and the person died during the contestability period. While insurers usually won’t check for fraud after the contestability period, if something suspicious comes up, they can still investigate and deny a claim.

It’s important to be completely honest on a life insurance application because not doing so can jeopardize your family’s financial health. If an insurer finds out you intentionally lied on your life insurance application, they will invalidate your policy.

Does life insurance cover old age?

A life insurance company will pay out a death benefit to a beneficiary regardless of the policyholder’s age as long as your policy is active when you die. The insurer will pay out regardless of the cause of death — whether it be natural causes or an accident.

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