TL;DR
Separate two questions: could a policy support a claim after the death, and does a home or car still have the cover it needs? Contact the relevant insurer to check the actual policy, who may enquire or claim, and the evidence it needs. Old documents or payments are leads, not proof of active cover or a payout. If you were a named driver, do not drive on the assumption that cover continues; obtain the insurer's confirmation for the proposed driver and use.
Every Little Thing's intended role is to connect each policy clue with its unanswered questions, insurer response and next action. That could mean less repeated searching and a clearer handover between people helping. Its planned FAM Record and AI assistant, Everlynne, are explained below. This guide does not search insurer systems, confirm cover or submit a claim.
Home or car cover uncertain now?
Ask the actual insurer what cover continues and who may arrange any change. For a car, do not drive just because a person was previously named on the policy: obtain the insurer's confirmation for the proposed driver and use. You can raise this urgent question before filling in the whole note.
Make a first-pass policy record
Start with one policy or clue, not an assumption that every policy should be cancelled. Fill in what you know and mark the rest unknown until the insurer answers. Use only documents or account information you are authorised to access. Record where the clue came from so someone else can follow it without guessing.
Select and copy the blank note below, then paste it into a secure notes app or document. On a phone, use your device's text-selection controls. There is no copy or download button here. Do not enter private policy details into this guide.
INSURANCE POLICY TRIAGE - ONE NOTE PER POLICY OR LEAD FIRST-CALL ESSENTIALS Possible provider (or unknown): Policy type and reference (or unknown): Clue, source and date: What is confirmed; what is only a lead: My role and authority evidence available: Who may make the enquiry: Question: cover needed now, possible claim, or employer cover: Insurer's answer on cover at death and continuing cover: Exact evidence requested and secure submission route: Response date, contact and reference: LATER CLAIM FOLLOW-UP Who may make the claim: Who may receive payment; arrangement to check: Insurer notified: date/reference (or not yet): Claim submitted: date/reference (or not yet): Decision: accepted / declined / awaiting answer: Payment confirmed: date/evidence (or not confirmed): Missing information, delay/decision reason and next question: Next action, responsible person and follow-up date: Mark unknown items unknown until the insurer answers. A payment or old document is a lead, not proof of active cover or entitlement. This note does not notify an insurer, submit a claim, confirm cover or authorise driving.
An enquiry is not confirmation of cover. Record the insurer's actual answer, not just the fact that a question was sent.
Put each lead in the right category
Life or protection: ask about a possible claim
Ask whether the policy covered the person at the date of death and who can make the enquiry or claim. Request the actual policy terms and the insurer's evidence requirements. Do not assume the person helping, a named relative or the executor is automatically the recipient.
Ask separately how any payment would be handled. If a trust, assignment or estate question arises, ask the insurer to identify the arrangement and seek appropriate professional advice; this guide does not decide ownership or tax treatment. Marie Curie's life-insurance guidance suggests questions about active cover, documents and who receives money. Policies differ.
Home: check continuing protection
Tell the home insurer that the policyholder has died and explain any change in occupancy. Ask whether cover continues, what conditions apply and who may arrange the next policy or change. Do not assume all policies end automatically, or that paying an old premium settles the question.
MoneyHelper recommends checking household policies after a partner's death. Its insurance-after-bereavement guidance explains why ownership and the estate's arrangements can affect who needs to organise cover. If authority or ownership is unclear, ask for advice before making changes.
Car: named driver is not confirmation
If the person who died held the car policy, ask the insurer whether any proposed driver is covered now. Being listed as a named driver before the death does not answer that question. Do not drive until the insurer has confirmed cover for the proposed driver and use. MoneyHelper flags this named-driver check.
Employer cover: a separate enquiry
Ask the employer whether there was life cover or a death-in-service benefit, whether it applied at death, who handles enquiries and how a claim would be made. Do not assume a private policy is the only possible lead, or that employment automatically means a benefit is payable. Marie Curie explains the employer-cover enquiry.
If you do not know the provider
Start with policy letters, correspondence or statements you are authorised to access. Record any company name, reference and source date as a lead. Ask the employer separately whether workplace cover existed and who handles enquiries. Do not access an account speculatively or assume you can use someone else's login.
If no lead emerges, keep the provider marked unknown; do not turn the absence of a name into a conclusion that no policy exists.
If an old provider name is known
The ABI register can help identify which company may now administer an old life-insurance, endowment or pension policy when you know the original provider's name. It is not a search of every policy held by the person, and it does not establish an entitlement. Use the ABI provider register.
Policy letters, authorised correspondence and statement payments can provide a starting name. Keep the original clue and ask the company to confirm what exists and what it may discuss with you. A recurring payment alone does not prove that cover was in force at death. Neither a clue nor a register result confirms the claimant, payment recipient or payout.
Track a reply, not a promised payout
Write down the evidence the insurer actually requests and its secure submission route. Ask about any applicable time limit rather than assuming one deadline or one document list covers all policies.
Keep these states distinct: insurer notified; claim submitted; claim accepted or declined; payment confirmed. If the provider is waiting for information, record what is missing and who will obtain it. If a decision is unclear, ask for the reason and next route in writing. Do not mark a claim paid just because a notification was acknowledged.
How Every Little Thing is intended to help
Every Little Thing is designed as comprehensive practical support before or after a death. The planned FAM Record brings Finances, Arrangements and Memories together. For this task, it could connect a policy letter or payment clue with the insurer's reply, evidence requests and the person following up.
Everlynne is the AI assistant intended to use that record to maintain an action ledger, prepare agreed work for review, and progress approved requests and follow-ups, with human support for exceptions. The customer chooses and approves external actions. Insurers decide what they accept and whether a claim is payable.
The Helper explanation shows fictional and scripted examples of proposed support. It is not available to purchase yet. This link does not upload documents, open a case, contact an insurer, submit a claim or provide financial or legal advice. You can use the policy note without ELT.