Life Insurance Contestability Period: What You Need to Know
April 14, 2026 by Kimberly Lankford
Wink’s Moore on the Market: If you are trying to increase your knowledge of life insurance, this article will helpful.
One of the first things that I learned about life insurance was that there is a two-year contestability period. In short, this period allows the insurance company to do an investigation on a death claim, to see if there were any errors on the life insurance application.
If the insurer does find an error or omission during an investigation, the life insurance policy may be rescinded. Or, an adjustment could be made to the death benefit paid.
Kimberly Lankford– you did a great job on this piece! I am grateful to have a journalist with integrity and an eye for detail, representing The Wall Street Journal.
Check it out- -sjm
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When you fill out a life insurance application, the insurer expects you to do so in good faith, answering questions honestly. But what happens if you lie, misrepresent yourself or intentionally omit important information? The insurer has two years after you buy the policy to scrutinize your application, known as the contestability period. If you die within those two years and the insurer finds that you made a material error or committed fraud, it can deny your beneficiaries’ claim.
