Living benefit - Advance Payment of Death

Living Benefit Overview

The following information explains:

  • what the living benefit is,
  • who is eligible for the living benefit,
  • how much the living benefit is, and
  • how the living benefit is administered.

What is a living benefit?

Living benefits are non-contractual benefits where a portion of the insurance is paid while the insured person is still living. Interest accrues on the amount advanced until the date of death.

If an insured person is diagnosed with a terminal illness, the policy owner may be eligible for a lump sum advance of 50% of the death benefit to a maximum of $100,000. This is a non-contractual benefit offered by Sun Life, at our discretion. Sun Life determines whether or not an insured person's prognosis meets the requirements of the program.

An insured person who is diagnosed with a terminal illness and has a life expectancy of two years or less.

  • Up to 50% of the insurance coverage up to a maximum of $100,000.
  • Interest accrues on the amount advanced to the life insured from the date of payment to the date of death.
  • For the current interest rate, please contact Life Claims Services.

We must confirm the insured person's terminal diagnosis and shortened life expectancy.

To release this information

Have the Client complete and sign form E72 (Authorization for advanced payment of death benefit) to authorize a request for information from the doctors the Client named on the authorization.

Using Service Requester

  1. Select Claims
  2. Select Death claim
  3. Select Life Insurance policies
  4. Select Living death benefit
  5. Select Authorization for advance payment of death benefit - E72
  6. Complete and send the form.

Requirements

Please note: Living benefits are not processed or submitted through the eClaim application. Please submit all requests for a Living Benefit directly to the Life Claims team at LFCLM@sunlife.com. 

If the Client is eligible for the living benefit

  • An agreement must be signed by the policy owner. We will send it to you.
  • To protect all those concerned, agreement to the living benefits payment must be obtained from all primary beneficiaries. They and the policy owner must sign a loan agreement which assigns the policy owner's interest in the policy to Sun Life for the loan amount plus accumulating interest.
  • Before we can release the cheque the signed agreement must be sent to us by either:
    • fax to 1-866-487-4745 or
    • Email to LFCLM@sunlife.com or
    • mail to Life Claims Services address listed on form

Note: The loan Agreement describes the interest rate that applies on the amount advanced. After the insured person's death, we subtract the amount advanced plus the accrued interest from the death benefit payable.