How to Fill Out and Submit the MetLife Claimant’s Affidavit Form

The MetLife Claimant’s Affidavit is a sworn, notarized statement that identifies you as a beneficiary and authorizes MetLife to pay out life insurance or accidental death benefits. You complete three sections covering your own information, the insured’s information, and a state-specific fraud warning, sign it in front of a notary, and mail it with the death certificate and any supporting documents to the address printed on your claim packet. MetLife reviews a complete submission within five business days and contacts you within ten if anything is missing.¹

Request the Claim Packet First

You cannot download a generic affidavit and expect it to route correctly. MetLife sends the form as part of a claim packet tailored to your policy type, and the packet lists the specific mailing address you’ll need later.

For an individual policy, call MetLife at 1-800-638-5000, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Eastern. You can also start the claim online.²
For a group or employer-sponsored policy, contact the plan administrator at the policyholder’s workplace. Some employer plans use MetLife’s MyBenefits portal, which allows filing and uploading online, though not every group has that option.³

If you cannot find the policy number for an individual policy, MetLife’s free Policy Finder searches its database using the insured’s name, date of birth, last four digits of their Social Security number, approximate date of death, and last known address. It does not cover group policies; for those, go through the employer’s benefits department.⁴

What to Gather Before You Start Writing

Fill out the affidavit in one sitting with everything in front of you. Going back to hunt for a Social Security number or a policy digit is how claims stall.

Information About the Insured

You need the deceased person’s full legal name as it appears on their Social Security records, date of birth, date of death, Social Security number, state of residence at the time of death, and the MetLife policy number or group certificate number. For employer coverage, the group number usually appears on benefits enrollment paperwork or pay stubs.

Your Own Information

As the affiant, you provide your full legal name, Social Security number, date of birth, mailing address, phone number, and your relationship to the deceased. MetLife uses your Social Security number for federal tax reporting and to confirm you match the beneficiary designation on file.⁵

Supporting Documents

Every claim needs the completed affidavit and a death certificate. For a death inside the United States, a photocopy of the certificate is acceptable.³ Depending on who is claiming, MetLife may ask for more:

If the beneficiary is a minor, a court certificate naming the guardian of the minor’s property or estate. Without one, MetLife can hold the funds in an interest-bearing minor-on-deposit account until the minor reaches the age of majority or you provide the court certificate.
If the estate is the beneficiary, court papers listing the executor or administrator, plus a tax identification number. Smaller estates may qualify to use a small estate affidavit or summary of administration.
If a trust is the beneficiary, a certification of trust form, which comes in the claim packet.
If you want MetLife to pay the funeral home directly, the funeral home’s assignment form.³

A note on foreign deaths: if the insured died outside the United States, MetLife requires the original death certificate (not a copy), separate documents showing cause and manner of death, and everything must be mailed rather than uploaded.³

Filling Out the Three Sections

MetLife’s instructions on the form ask you to complete it “to the best of your ability,” so that the company can determine who should receive the proceeds under the policy terms.⁵ The form is clearly labeled, but a few details matter more than others.

Section 1: About You

This is where you enter your identifying information and your relationship to the insured. Write your name exactly as it appears on your government-issued photo ID. The notary will verify your identity against this section, and a mismatch will stop the signing. If you’ve used other names, for instance a maiden name that may appear on the beneficiary designation, note those as aliases.

Section 2: About the Insured and the Claim

Enter the deceased person’s full name, date of death, residence at the time of death, and the policy or group number. Check the policy number against your paperwork digit by digit. A single transposed number routes the claim to the wrong file. If you are claiming accidental death benefits rather than basic life insurance, make sure the form reflects the correct coverage so MetLife pulls the right policy.

Section 3: Fraud Warning and Signature

The last section carries a state-specific fraud warning. The wording differs by state, but the message is the same: knowingly providing false information on a claim can lead to criminal prosecution, fines, and imprisonment.⁵ Read the warning for your state before you sign. Your signature is a sworn statement under penalty of perjury that everything on the form is true. Do not sign yet.

Getting the Form Notarized

Sign the affidavit only in the notary’s presence. The notary must witness the signature, verify your identity against your government-issued photo ID, and then apply their seal and signature. If you sign first and bring in a completed form, the notary cannot acknowledge it.

Notaries are available at banks, UPS stores, shipping centers, and many law offices. Some banks waive the fee for their account holders. State caps on notary fees are typically modest, often $15 or less per signature.

A number of states allow remote online notarization, where a licensed notary notarizes the document over a video call. MetLife’s own materials reference online notarization availability “in some states.”⁶ If you plan to use remote notarization, confirm with MetLife that they will accept it for your specific claim before you schedule the session.

Submitting the Completed Package

After notarization, send the affidavit together with the death certificate and any beneficiary-specific documents to the address on your claim packet. Use that address, not a general MetLife mailing address. For federal employee group life insurance (FEGLI) claims administered by MetLife, standard mail goes to OFEGLI, P.O. Box 6080, Scranton, PA 18505-6080, and overnight deliveries go to OFEGLI, 10 Ed Preate Drive, Moosic, PA 18507.⁷ For other policies, the correct address is on your form.

If your employer plan uses the MyBenefits portal, you may be able to upload scanned copies and receive an immediate confirmation number. Either way, send mail with tracking and keep copies of everything. Death certificates are not easy to replace mid-claim.

What Happens After You Submit

MetLife reviews claims within five business days of receiving all required documents. If anything is missing, MetLife contacts you within ten business days to tell you what’s needed.¹ Once the claim is approved, you choose how to receive the money:

A check mailed by USPS within five business days of approval. Delivery time depends on the postal service.¹
A Total Control Account, an interest-bearing retained asset account held by MetLife in your name. You get a Visa debit card and a book of drafts, and you can withdraw the full balance at any time without penalty.⁸

The Total Control Account is not a bank account. Once you withdraw funds, you cannot put them back. If you want the money in your own bank right away, request a check or withdraw the full balance from the TCA as soon as it’s funded.

If MetLife Denies the Claim

Denials happen for specific reasons: a policy that lapsed for unpaid premiums, a death within the two-year contestability period where MetLife finds a material misstatement on the original application, missing evidence of insurability on supplemental coverage, exclusions in an accidental death and dismemberment policy, or disputes between multiple claimants to the same proceeds.

Federal law requires the denial letter to explain the specific reasons and tell you how to appeal.⁹ For an employer-sponsored plan governed by ERISA, you have at least 180 days from the denial to file a written appeal, and the plan has 60 days to decide a standard life insurance appeal.¹⁰ You also have the right to request copies of all documents the plan relied on, and the plan must provide them.¹¹ For ERISA plans, you generally must exhaust the internal appeal before filing suit. For an individual policy outside ERISA, the appeal follows the policy contract and your state’s insurance regulations. In both cases, keep every document you send and every response you receive.

1
MetLife. Frequently Asked Questions
2
MetLife. Life Insurance Claims Process and Requirements
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MetLife. Claims Information
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MetLife. Policy Finder
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Metropolitan Life Insurance Company. MetLife Claimant’s Affidavit
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MetLife. Estate Planning to Protect Your Family and Future
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MetLife. Contact Information
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MetLife. Total Control Account
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Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 29 USC 1133 – Claims Procedure
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U.S. Department of Labor. Benefit Claims Procedure Regulation FAQs
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U.S. Department of Labor. ERISA