LIC has roughly 30+ crore policies in force and pays out over ₹2 lakh crore in claims annually (LIC Annual Report 2023-24). It settles 98.5% of all death claims (industry-leading), and 99.7% of maturity claims, mostly without dispute. The remaining 1-2% are where Meena's story lives — and where this guide is written for.

LIC's three main claim types:

1. Death claim — when life assured dies during the policy term. Sum assured + bonuses + (if applicable) accident/disability rider + interest under §45A IRDAI rule for delay.
2. Maturity claim — when the policy completes its term. Maturity sum assured + final additional bonus + loyalty addition.
3. Surrender claim — policyholder voluntarily exits before maturity. Reduced “surrender value” — typically 30-90% of premiums paid depending on the year of surrender and product type.
4. Survival benefit — money-back / endowment-with-payouts plans (Jeevan Anand Money Back, Komal Jeevan, Bal Vidya, etc.) pay periodic survival amounts. Filed by the policyholder via discharge form.

Key legal anchors:

• Insurance Act, 1938 — §45 (the most important): no policy can be repudiated after 3 years from risk-commencement / revival on grounds other than fraud. After 3 years a policy is “incontestable” except for proven fraud. Even within 3 years, repudiation must be in writing with reasons and proof.
• Insurance Act, 1938 — §45A (per IRDAI Master Circular 2024): if claim settlement is delayed beyond 30 days from completion of all formalities, insurer pays interest at 2% above prevailing bank rate (typically 8.5-10% p.a.) for the delay period.
• Life Insurance Corporation Act, 1956 — establishes LIC; classifies LIC as a corporation owned by the Government of India.
• IRDAI (Protection of Policyholders' Interests) Regulations, 2017 — Reg. 14 — claim settlement TAT: 30 days for life claims after receipt of last document; 15 days for maturity/survival claims.
• IRDAI Master Circular on Health & Life Insurance 2024 — consolidated norms.
• RTI Act, 2005 — LIC is a public authority under §2(h)(d)(i) (a body owned/controlled by Government); confirmed in RBI v. Jayantilal Mistry, (2016) 3 SCC 525.

Within 7-15 days of death, gather:

• Death certificate issued by the Municipal Corporation / Gram Panchayat (the legal certificate; not the hospital one alone).
• Hospital records — discharge summary, last prescription, ICU notes, treating doctor's certificate of cause of death (especially for medical-cause deaths).
• FIR + post-mortem report — for accidental, unnatural, or suspicious deaths (suicide, drowning, road accident, electrocution, snake-bite, etc.).
• Original policy bond (or duplicate; see Step 5).

• Online intimation: licindia.in → “Customer Services” → “Claim Intimation” → policy number + DOB → email + mobile OTP → “Death Claim” → upload death certificate.
• By phone: 022-6827-6827 (LIC Customer Care, 9 am - 9 pm). Or SMS LICHELP to 9222492224.
• At branch: policy-servicing branch (printed on the bond) is preferred but any LIC branch can accept.

The branch will hand you the form. Filled and signed by the nominee (or by legal heirs with Succession Certificate / Letters of Administration if no nominee was registered).

• Personal details of nominee.
• Cause + date + place of death.
• Relationship to life assured.
• Bank account details (with cancelled cheque).
• Declaration of truth.

Standard checklist for a normal (non-early) death claim:

• Form 3783 (claim form, signed).
• Original policy bond.
• Death certificate (municipality).
• Hospital records + medical certificate of cause of death.
• Nominee's Aadhaar + PAN.
• Cancelled cheque / bank passbook of the nominee's account.
• Age proof of life assured (only if age was not “admitted” at policy stage — check the bond).
• NEFT mandate form (Form 5180).

• Original policy bond lost. Need: (a) Indemnity bond (Form 3815) on stamp paper, (b) Newspaper advertisement in one English + one local-language daily + 30-day waiting, © affidavit of loss. Branch issues a duplicate policy bond, then claim is processed.
• No nominee registered. Need: Succession Certificate from civil court (3-9 months) or Letters of Administration / Probate. For sums up to ₹2 lakh some branches accept an Indemnity Bond + No-Objection from legal heirs.
• Nominee details outdated. If nominee changed addresses / phone but not informed LIC, submit a fresh KYC + sworn affidavit.
• Bank account not Aadhaar-seeded. LIC's NEFT pipe insists on a seeded account; otherwise the credit fails. Get the bank to seed Aadhaar first.
• Death within 3 years of policy commencement (early death). LIC mandatorily investigates: (a) verifies medical history declared on proposal form, (b) cross-checks with hospital records, © sometimes interviews neighbours / employer / family doctor. Investigation takes 45-180 days. §45 of the Insurance Act protects the nominee — repudiation is permitted only on proved fraud / mis-statement within these 3 years.
• Suicide. Standard policies pay full sum assured for suicide after 1 year of policy commencement / revival; suicide within 1 year — only premiums refunded.

Branch issues a claim registration number (CR No.). Track on:

• licindia.in → “Customer Portal” → “Claim Status”.
• SMS LICCLAIM <CR No.> to 9222492224.
• Branch helpdesk.

• Branch's Senior Branch Manager sanctions normal claims up to ₹5 lakh.
• Beyond that → Divisional Manager sanctions.
• Payment via NEFT to nominee's account, typically 5-7 days after sanction.

If settlement is delayed beyond 30 days from the day all documents were submitted, LIC pays interest at 2% above bank rate for the delay. Many citizens don't know this and accept payment without interest. Always ask in writing: “Has §45A interest been computed?”

LIC sends the discharge form (Form 3825) by post to your registered address roughly 6 months before maturity. If you've moved, intimate the new address well in advance.

• Sign the discharge form in your own hand (witness signature for some products).
• Attach: original policy bond, cancelled cheque, PAN, Aadhaar, NEFT mandate (Form 5180).
• Submit at policy-servicing branch (or any branch).

• Maturity payout = Sum Assured + Final Additional Bonus + Loyalty Addition (or Reversionary Bonus depending on plan).
• NEFT to your account in 15 working days of complete document submission (IRDAI norm).

+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Death claim — Form 3783           | FREE. At branch or download from     |
|                                   | licindia.in.                         |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Maturity claim — Form 3825        | FREE. Sent by LIC 6 months before    |
| (Discharge Voucher)               | maturity.                            |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Surrender claim — Form 5074       | FREE. At branch.                     |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Indemnity bond for lost policy —  | Stamp paper ₹100-500 (state-wise).   |
| Form 3815                         |                                      |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Newspaper notice for lost bond    | ₹500-2,000 depending on city + paper |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Succession Certificate            | Court fee ~3-7% of asset value       |
| (when no nominee)                 | (state-wise). Time: 3-9 months.      |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| TAT — death claim                 | 30 days after last document          |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| TAT — maturity claim              | 15 days after last document          |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| TAT — surrender claim             | 10-15 days                           |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Interest u/§45A IRDAI Master      | 2% above prevailing bank rate, on    |
| Circular for delay > 30 days      | delayed amount, from Day 31 onwards. |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| Insurance Ombudsman               | FREE. cioins.co.in. 90-day case.     |
|                                   | Award up to ₹50 lakh (revised 2024). |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+
| RTI to PIO LIC of India           | ₹10 IPO / DD. BPL = free.            |
| (any divisional / zonal office)   |                                      |
+-----------------------------------+--------------------------------------+

• Original policy bond lost — without indemnity bond + newspaper notice + duplicate-bond process, claim is held.
• Nominee details outdated / nominee deceased / no nominee — needs Succession Certificate or Letters of Administration.
• Bank account not Aadhaar-seeded — NEFT credit fails silently.
• Survival certificate outdated — for survival-benefit policies, the periodic survival certificate from a magistrate / gazetted officer must be current.
• Death within 3 years — mandatory early-death investigation; can take 45-180 days. Insurance Act §45 is your shield against unfair repudiation.
• Concealment of pre-existing illness — if LIC proves the policyholder concealed a known illness at proposal stage, claim can be repudiated within 3 years. After 3 years, only proven fraud bars the claim.
• FIR pending in suspicious death — LIC waits for police closure / chargesheet before sanctioning.
• Address mismatch on KYC — Aadhaar address differs from proposal-form address; nominee must explain with affidavit + utility bill.
• Claim form filled by an “agent” not the nominee — branches sometimes flag this for re-verification.
• Branch oversight / file misplaced — Meena's case. The single most fixable cause via RTI.
• Joint policy with sole-payee dispute — partner / second life issues; often goes to Ombudsman.

The SBM at the policy-servicing branch is the immediate authority. Walk in with all your documents, claim number, and chronology. Most “missed file” issues unblock at this rung.

Each LIC division (113 divisions across 8 zones) has a Claims Section with a Manager (Claims). Write a formal letter with: policy number, claim number, all submission dates, branch name, your demand. Email to the Divisional Manager (dm.divisionXXX@licindia.com — exact ID on licindia.in/branch-locator).

• Phone: 022-6827-6827 (9 am - 9 pm, Mon-Sat)
• SMS LICHELP to 9222492224
• Email: co_crmgrv@licindia.com (Customer Relations Cell, Central Office)

• licindia.in → “Customer Service” → “Grievance Registration” → register with policy number + OTP → file complaint.
• SLA: 15 days. Tracked online.

https://pgportal.gov.in → ministry “Department of Financial Services” → “Life Insurance Corporation of India”. Higher visibility — often gets routed to Zonal Manager.

https://bimabharosa.irdai.gov.in → register → file against LIC. IRDAI forwards; LIC must respond in 15 days.

The decisive forum.

• https://www.cioins.co.in → find your zonal Ombudsman (17 offices: Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Chandigarh, Chennai, Delhi, Ernakulam, Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kochi, Kolkata, Lucknow, Mumbai, Noida, Pune).
• Pre-condition: 30 days must have passed since written complaint to LIC, OR LIC must have rejected.
• File Form P-II with all evidence.
• Free. Hearing within 30-90 days.
• Award up to ₹50 lakh (revised 2024) — final and binding on LIC.
• Award must be honoured within 30 days.

See the dedicated guide: How to file an insurance complaint — IRDAI + Ombudsman process.

LIC is a public authority under §2(h) RTI Act 2005 — the Supreme Court settled this in Reserve Bank of India v. Jayantilal Mistry, (2016) 3 SCC 525: any body substantially financed or owned by Government is a public authority, and confidentiality cannot be claimed for information held in fiduciary relationship if larger public interest is involved. Every LIC Divisional Office has a designated PIO; Zonal Offices have a First Appellate Authority.

RTI helps here when:

• Your claim file is stuck without explanation beyond the 30-day TAT (Meena's exact case). RTI questions to ask: (1) date of receipt of claim, (2) name + designation + email of dealing officer, (3) status / stage of file, (4) date of completion of investigation (if early-death), (5) basis on which payment is being delayed, (6) §45A interest computation as on date.
• The Senior Branch Manager / Divisional Manager has signed a sanction but payment has not credited — RTI for the cheque-issuance / NEFT log.
• You suspect arbitrary repudiation — RTI for the basis of repudiation + medical opinion / investigator's report that LIC relied on (you can use it in Ombudsman).
• For comparable cases — RTI to LIC for similar early-death / similar-cause claims settled by that branch in the last 12 months. Aggregate data helps Ombudsman see a pattern.
• Your sub-agent / development officer is unresponsive — RTI to LIC for officer's posting, performance, complaints.

RTI does NOT help here when:

• You want LIC to decide your claim — RTI gives information, not adjudication. The claim itself is decided by LIC under contract; the appeal is Ombudsman, not RTI.
• You want LIC's underwriting algorithm / actuarial reserves — commercial information; routinely denied under §8(1)(d).
• You want another nominee's claim file — third-party personal information bar under §8(1)(j).
• The amount in dispute is large and you're past Ombudsman jurisdiction (above ₹50 lakh) — go to Consumer Forum / Civil Court instead.
• You're within the 30-day TAT — wait. Premature RTI gets a “claim under processing” reply that wastes your fee.

For the citizen, the order is: branch SBM → Divisional Office → Bima Bharosa → Insurance Ombudsman. RTI is the lateral lever — it doesn't replace the Ombudsman, it unblocks the file so the Ombudsman doesn't even become necessary. In Meena's case, the RTI made the Ombudsman unnecessary; in others, the RTI gives the Ombudsman the documents needed to win.

Q. Can I file a death claim at any LIC branch or only at the servicing branch?
Any LIC branch can accept the claim documents. The file then transfers to the policy-servicing branch. Submit at the nearest branch and ask for an acknowledgement copy with the claim number.

Q. The original policy bond was destroyed in a flood / fire. What now?
File FIR / Police complaint (in case of fire/theft) or affidavit of loss (in case of natural calamity). Then submit indemnity bond (Form 3815) + newspaper notice (1 English + 1 local-language daily) + 30-day waiting → branch issues duplicate bond → claim proceeds.

Q. The nominee on the policy passed away before the life-assured. Who gets the claim?
The “alternate nominee” if registered. Else the legal heirs as per personal succession law (Hindu Succession Act, Indian Succession Act, Muslim personal law) — typically requires Succession Certificate from civil court.

Q. LIC has held my early-death claim for 14 months citing “investigation”. Is that legal?
Investigation is permitted, but not indefinitely. IRDAI norms expect early-death investigation to conclude within 90-180 days. Beyond that, escalate via Bima Bharosa + RTI for status. Insurance Act §45 bars repudiation after 3 years from risk-commencement on grounds other than fraud.

Q. What is the difference between “Sum Assured” and total payout?
Sum Assured is the basic amount. Total payout = Sum Assured + Vested Bonuses + Final Additional Bonus + Loyalty Addition (if any) + Interest under §45A (if delayed). Endowment plans typically pay 1.5x-2.5x of sum assured at maturity.

Q. I want to surrender mid-term. How much will I get?
Depends on (a) product type, (b) years premium paid (minimum 2-3 years for most products to have any surrender value), © “guaranteed surrender value” vs “special surrender value” — LIC pays whichever is higher. Typical: 30% of premiums paid (year 3) → 60-90% (year 10+).

Q. Tax implications?
Death claim — fully tax-free under §10(10D) of Income Tax Act for life-assured's nominee. Maturity claim — tax-free if premium ≤ 10% of sum assured (15% for disabled life), else taxable. Surrender — tax-free in same conditions; taxable if surrender within 2 years (with 80C reversal).

• How to file an insurance complaint — IRDAI + Ombudsman process
• How to claim vehicle insurance
• RTI in 12 simple steps
• All Indian government helplines — one master directory
• RTI forms + state-wise fee chart

Last reviewed: 26 April 2026 by RTI Wiki editorial team. LIC procedures and IRDAI rules update periodically — verify on licindia.in / irdai.gov.in / cioins.co.in or write to admin@bighelpers.in if you spot a stale figure.