Life insurance FAQs

If you’re already registered on our service website, sign in to your account and go to “Communication Preferences,” which can be found in the drop-down menu under your name in the upper-right corner of the homepage.

If you have not yet created a user name and password for our service website, we encourage you to create a profile today. You can elect paperless delivery via the registration process, and you’ll also gain access to other impactful tools and services such as online payments, policy values and online service requests (such as submitting an address change).

You can download a policy summary by signing in or registering for your online life insurance account and clicking "View policy details". To obtain a copy of your policy contract, please call us at 800-732-5543 or make a request through the "Message center" tab of your account.

Note: if your policy was issued prior to 1966, we will not be able to issue a duplicate. You don't need to order a duplicate if you are planning on surrendering or claiming the benefit. In those scenarios, if you no longer have a copy of your policy, you will simply need to fill out the lost policy tab of the appropriate form.

If you're a policy owner, you can find the value of your old policy by calling 800-732-5543 (Monday – Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.) or by signing in or registering for your online life insurance account. Once signed in, you will be able to view any policies that you own. Click "View policy details" to see policy values.

Prospectuses and fund performance can be found in your online life insurance account. Prospectuses are located in the "Policy values" tab under your plan name. Fund performance is located in the "Policy" tab under the "Performance" subtab.

Sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and from the “Policy values” tab, select the "Policy overview" subtab. From there, you can view beneficiaries and request changes.

If you are experiencing issues accessing your online account, contact us at 888-888-8856 Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.

You can update your address on your life insurance policy by signing in or registering for your online life insurance account, selecting your policy, and from the “Policy values” tab navigating to the "Policy overview" subtab.

You can also go paperless and receive notification of new documents via email by updating your Communication Preferences, located under your name in the upper-right corner of your account.

The easiest way to update your name is by signing in or registering for your online life insurance account. Once signed in, select your policy and click on the "Forms & documents" tab. Search for the "Name Change" form and select the option called "Sign digitally".

Note: Processing for name changes usually takes 10-14 business days. You can check the status of the change any time by signing in to your account.

To cancel your life insurance policy, you will need to complete a surrender request. The request can be submitted digitally through your online life insurance account under “Cash Values”. You can also search for and complete the “Surrender Request” form on the Help Center’s Life Insurance Forms page.

You can check the status of your request in your online account by navigating to the “Contact us” tab and clicking “Message History”.  

Please note: if your address has been updated within the last 30 days, the form will need to be notarized.

Policy owners and trustees can make allocation changes and authorize online and phone requests by signing in or registering for their online life insurance account, selecting their policy, navigating to the Policy values tab, clicking the "Fund information" subtab, and looking under the investment option change tab.

For assistance, contact John Hancock at 800-732-5543 on Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.

Some policies only require one trustee to sign (in cases where one trustee has signing authority for all), while others require all trustees to. The latter situation is typical.

Additionally:

• All documents submitted for a trustee change must reference the full name and date of the trust.
• The Policy number must be referenced on the trustee documents or on a separate letter of direction to ensure that the trustee changes are applied to the correct policy.
• Confirmation of the address for the new trustee or trustees must be provided to ensure that the Billing and Correspondence is mailed to the correct address.
• The signature of All trustees is required to process any changes on a policy where multiple trustees are named. If you wish to assign Any trustee or a Designated trustee to make changes to your policy, we will require a John Hancock Trust Certification form to be completed and signed by all the named trustees to confirm the authorization you wish to use for any future changes to your policy.
  
  If you are not sure which signatures you need, call us at 800-732-5543 and make sure that John Hancock has all trust documentation on file so we can determine the required signatures.

Some policies only require one trustee to sign (in cases where one trustee has signing authority for all), while others require all trustees to. The latter situation is typical.

Additionally:

• All documents submitted for a trustee change must reference the full name and date of the trust.
• The Policy number must be referenced on the trustee documents or on a separate letter of direction to ensure that the trustee changes are applied to the correct policy.
• Confirmation of the address for the new trustee or trustees must be provided to ensure that the Billing and Correspondence is mailed to the correct address.
• The signature of All trustees is required to process any changes on a policy where multiple trustees are named. If you wish to assign Any trustee or a Designated trustee to make changes to your policy, we will require a John Hancock Trust Certification form to be completed and signed by all the named trustees to confirm the authorization you wish to use for any future changes to your policy.
  
  If you are not sure which signatures you need, call us at 800-732-5543 and make sure that John Hancock has all trust documentation on file so we can determine the required signatures.

You can check your statuses by signing in or registering for your online life insurance account, selecting your policy, navigating to the “Forms & documents” tab and selecting the "View forms history" subtab. You can also use the chat feature in your account to send a message to and receive quick answers from a John Hancock Customer Service Representative.

If you are unable to access your online account, you can check statuses by contacting us at 800-732-5543, Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours. EST. A John Hancock Customer Service Representative will be happy to give you any status update you need.

To do this, you’ll need to fill out the Policy Loan Request form and/or the Dividend Withdrawal Request form. You can access these forms by signing in or registering for your online life insurance account. Once signed in, select your policy, click the "Forms & documents" tab, search for the forms, and submit via the "Submit forms" subtab.

For loan requests up to $100K, call our Customer Service Representatives at 800-732-5543, Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.. Loan processing times vary by product; however, most requests are satisfied within 5 business days. You can always check the status of your request in your account.

Sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and from the "Payments" tab, click "Manage automatic payments" to change your automatic bank draft information.

You can also submit a Pre-authorized Payment Plan Request form through your account by navigating to the “Forms & documents” tab and selecting the "Submit forms" subtab.

Once we receive your updated information and determine that it matches our files on record, our general processing time is approximately 5 business days.

It's fast and easy to pay your premiums online with John Hancock. Simply sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and navigate to the "Payments" tab to set up your electronic payments.

If you need to mail your payment to us, please include your policy number on your check. You can refer to the mailing addresses below:

Non-New York policies should be sent to:
John Hancock
P.O. Box 7247-0274
Philadelphia, PA 19170-0274

New York policies should be sent to:
John Hancock
P.O. Box 7247-0239
Philadelphia, PA 19170-0239

Your payment amount and date depend on the type of policy you own. There are two ways to find out what you owe:

1. Sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and navigate to the "Payments" tab to view the amount due and due date.
   
2. Every month, you'll receive premium statements that indicate what you owe.

You can also set up or manage automatic payments and view your billing information in the "Payments" tab of your account. If you do not have access to your account, you can search for a Pre-Authorized Payment Plan Request form from our Life Insurance Forms page and send it to us via mail.

If you don’t make the planned premium payment, it may affect the performance of your policy. This impact will vary from policy to policy. To learn more, review your policy contract, contact your agent, or reach out to our Customer Service Representatives at 800-732-5543 from Monday to Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.

To make a payment, sign in or register for your online life insurance account.

Online payments are processed within two business days of submission. The cut-off time for payments to be submitted is 4 p.m. EST. If you're worried your policy will lapse due to non-payment, contact Customer Service at 800-813-2294 for immediate assistance. If we are unable to apply your payment for any reason, a representative from John Hancock will contact you within 5 business days.

Yes. To make an online payment for your Long-Term Care policy, sign in or register for your online long-term care account and go to the Premiums section, where you can make and manage your payments.

If you need assistance from John Hancock, sign in or register for your online life insurance account and submit a question in our chat. A John Hancock Customer Service Representative will review your question and reply to you. You can also reach us by calling 800-732-5543 Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.

To find out the maximum loan amount for your policy, sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and from the “Policy values” tab click “Download policy summary”.

To find out the loan amount currently available on your policy, you can contact our Customer Service Representatives at 800-732-5543, Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.

Report a death to John Hancock via the online Death Claim Notification Request. This will guide you through the process of selecting the proper claim form. Note that claim forms vary from state to state. 
 

You may also report the death to John Hancock by phone at 888-887-2739. Visit the Help Center's life insurance death benefit claim page for more information.

Funds are generally dispersed within 7-10 business days after the claim form and any other required information are received in good order.

Yes. Generally, a funeral home would be an assignee and should submit a statement or funeral assignment completed by all beneficiaries and assignees stating the amount to be paid to each. If any death claim interest will be paid to an assignee, we also require a completed IRS Form W-9 to prevent any interest from being subject to backup tax withholding.

To find out what paperwork you will need to fill out, complete the Death Claim Notification Request. This will determine if you qualify for our paperless express claims process. 
 

You may also report the death to John Hancock by phone at 888-887-2739. Visit the Help Center's life insurance death benefit claim page for more information.

If an estate is opened, the executor or administrator of the estate must provide a court certificate of appointment, also known as letters testamentary, along with the Life insurance claim form. The Claim form should be completed using the tax identification number (TIN) of the estate and signed and dated by the executor or administrator. The fiduciary’s title must be included with all signatures. In the event that no estate is open, it is now closed, or it is not being probated, please consult with a legal professional to determine how proceeds can be claimed based on the specific state filing requirements applicable.

A Claim form completed and signed by the trustees of the trust and a Trustee certification form is required. The form should be completed in the name of the trust, with the employer identification number (EIN) of the trust provided, and signed and dated by the trustees. Generally, when a testamentary trust is a policy beneficiary, the trustee must provide the trust’s EIN. The trustees’ title must be included with all the signatures. 
 

If there was a change in the trust or trustee/successor trustee, we will also require a copy of the trust document pertaining to the change (specifically, we will require the first page of the trust, any pages naming trustees, any signature pages, and any amendments to the trust).

In most cases, only the interest credited on the death benefit is subject to income tax. We report the interest to the IRS and the beneficiary on Form 1099-INT. Please note that part of the death benefit may be taxable if the policy was held in a qualified retirement plan or had been transferred for value. Please consult your own tax professional for further details specific to your situation. 

The John Hancock Vitality Program rewards life insurance customers for their everyday healthy activities, like walking the dog, going to the doctor and buying healthy food. Healthy activities earn points. Points can add up to rewards and savings! John Hancock offers two versions of the program – Vitality GO and Vitality PLUS.

Visit the John Hancock Vitality page to learn about the program's features, savings, and rewards, or request a complimentary consultation with a financial professional.

John Hancock Vitality GO is automatically included with policies at no additional cost. This free version of the program rewards members for the healthy choices they make every day. It includes select rewards from national retailers like REI® and Fitbit®, as well as savings at the grocery store. Note: John Hancock Vitality GO is not available in NY.

John Hancock Vitality PLUS can be added to your policy for as little as $2/month, or, in some instances, may be included in the price of your policy. It offers all the benefits of Vitality GO and access to exclusive rewards from Apple, Expedia®, Amazon, Fitbit, REI and more.

Visit the benefits comparison page to learn the differences between Vitality PLUS and Vitality GO.

Sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and from the “Policy values” tab, select the "Policy overview" subtab. From there, you can view beneficiaries and request changes.

If you are experiencing issues accessing your online account, contact us at 888-888-8856 Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.

You can update your address on your life insurance policy by signing in or registering for your online life insurance account, selecting your policy, and from the “Policy values” tab navigating to the "Policy overview" subtab.

You can also go paperless and receive notification of new documents via email by updating your Communication Preferences, located under your name in the upper-right corner of your account.

The easiest way to update your name is by signing in or registering for your online life insurance account. Once signed in, select your policy and click on the "Forms & documents" tab. Search for the "Name Change" form and select the option called "Sign digitally".

Note: Processing for name changes usually takes 10-14 business days. You can check the status of the change any time by signing in to your account.

To cancel your life insurance policy, you will need to complete a surrender request. The request can be submitted digitally through your online life insurance account under “Cash Values”. You can also search for and complete the “Surrender Request” form on the Help Center’s Life Insurance Forms page.

You can check the status of your request in your online account by navigating to the “Message center” tab and clicking “Message History”.  

Please note: if your address has been updated within the last 30 days, the form will need to be notarized.

Policy owners and trustees can make allocation changes and authorize online and phone requests by signing in or registering for their online life insurance account, selecting their policy, navigating to the Policy values tab, clicking the "Fund information" subtab, and looking under the investment option change tab.

For assistance, contact John Hancock at 800-732-5543 on Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.

If you're a policy owner, you can find the value of your old policy by calling 800-732-5543 (Monday – Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours) or by signing in or registering for your online life insurance account. Once signed in, you will be able to view any policies that you own. Click "View policy details" to see policy values.

Prospectuses and fund performance can be found in your online life insurance account. Prospectuses are located in the "Policy values" tab under your plan name. Fund performance is located in the "Policy values" tab under the "Performance" subtab.

To do this, you’ll need to fill out the Policy Loan Request form and/or the Dividend Withdrawal Request form. You can access these forms by signing in or registering for your online life insurance account. Once signed in, select your policy, click the "Forms & documents" tab, search for the forms, and submit via the "Submit forms" subtab.

For loan requests up to $100K, call our Customer Service Representatives at 800-732-5543, Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours. Loan processing times vary by product; however, most requests are satisfied within 5 business days. You can always check the status of your request in your account.

If you’re already registered on our service website, sign in to your account and go to “Communication Preferences,” which can be found in the drop-down menu under your name in the upper-right corner of the homepage.

If you have not yet created a user name and password for our service website, we encourage you to create a profile today. You can elect paperless delivery via the registration process, and you’ll also gain access to other impactful tools and services such as online payments, policy values and online service requests (such as submitting an address change).

If you’re already registered on our service website, sign in to your account and go to “Communication Preferences,” which can be found in the drop-down menu under your name in the upper-right corner of the homepage.

If you have not yet created a user name and password for our service website, we encourage you to create a profile today. You can elect paperless delivery via the registration process, and you’ll also gain access to other impactful tools and services such as online payments, policy values and online service requests (such as submitting an address change).

You can review your policy details by signing in or registering for your online life insurance account and clicking "View policy details".

If you're unable to access your online account, you can reach out to our Customer Service Representatives at by calling 1-800-732-5543 Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.

You can download a policy summary by signing in or registering for your online life insurance account and clicking "View policy details". To obtain a copy of your policy contract, please call us at 800-732-5543 or make a request through the "Message center" tab of your account.

Note: if your policy was issued prior to 1966, we will not be able to issue a duplicate. You don't need to order a duplicate if you are planning on surrendering or claiming the benefit. In those scenarios, if you no longer have a copy of your policy, you will simply need to fill out the lost policy tab of the appropriate form.

You can check your statuses by signing in or registering for your online life insurance account, selecting your policy, navigating to the “Forms & documents” tab and selecting the "View forms history" subtab. You can also use the chat feature in your account to send a message to and receive quick answers from a John Hancock Customer Service Representative.

If you are unable to access your online account, you can check statuses by contacting us at 1-800-732-5543, Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours. A John Hancock Customer Service Representative will be happy to give you any status update you need.

To find out who is the trustee on your policy, sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and from the “Policy values” tab, navigate to the "Policy overview" subtab. To change your trustee, you must submit the following documentation online or by mail:

If the Current trustee is living:

• A resignation or removal of trustee letter/document
  
• An Appointment of Trustee letter/document or a copy of the trust document which named the successor trustee
• An Acceptance of Trustee letter

If the Current trustee is deceased:

• Certified copy of the death certificate of the current trustee
• An Appointment of Trustee letter/document or a copy of the trust document which named the successor trustee
  
  

Additionally:

• All documents submitted for a trustee change must reference the full name and date of the trust.
• The Policy number must be referenced on the trustee documents or on a separate letter of direction to ensure that the trustee changes are applied to the correct policy.
• Confirmation of the address for the new trustee or trustees must be provided to ensure that the Billing and Correspondence is mailed to the correct address.
•  The signature of All trustees is required to process any changes on a policy where multiple trustees are named. If you wish to assign Any trustee or a Designated trustee to make changes to your policy, we will require a John Hancock Trust Certification form to be completed and signed by all the named trustees to confirm the authorization you wish to use for any future changes to your policy.
  
  Please call us at 800-732-5543 if you have any questions.

Some policies only require one trustee to sign (in cases where one trustee has signing authority for all), while others require all trustees to. The latter situation is typical.

Additionally:

• All documents submitted for a trustee change must reference the full name and date of the trust.
• The Policy number must be referenced on the trustee documents or on a separate letter of direction to ensure that the trustee changes are applied to the correct policy.
• Confirmation of the address for the new trustee or trustees must be provided to ensure that the Billing and Correspondence is mailed to the correct address.
• The signature of All trustees is required to process any changes on a policy where multiple trustees are named. If you wish to assign Any trustee or a Designated trustee to make changes to your policy, we will require a John Hancock Trust Certification form to be completed and signed by all the named trustees to confirm the authorization you wish to use for any future changes to your policy.
  
  If you are not sure which signatures you need, call us at 800-732-5543 and make sure that John Hancock has all trust documentation on file so we can determine the required signatures.

For questions about your Vitality Status and the associated premium, please call us at 888-333-2659.

Visit the John Hancock Vitality life insurance page to learn about participating in the program and the cost of insurance.

Yes. To make an online payment for your Long-Term Care policy, sign in or register for your online long-term care account and go to the Premiums section, where you can make and manage your payments.

Sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and from the "Payments" tab, click "Manage automatic payments" to change your automatic bank draft information.

You can also submit a Pre-authorized Payment Plan Request form through your account by navigating to the “Forms & documents” tab and selecting the "Submit forms" subtab.

Once we receive your updated information and determine that it matches our files on record, our general processing time is approximately 5 business days.

It's fast and easy to pay your premiums online with John Hancock. Simply sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and navigate to the "Payments" tab to set up your electronic payments.

If you need to mail your payment to us, please include your policy number on your check. You can refer to the mailing addresses below:

Non-New York policies should be sent to:
John Hancock
P.O. Box 7247-0274
Philadelphia, PA 19170-0274

New York policies should be sent to:
John Hancock
P.O. Box 7247-0239
Philadelphia, PA 19170-0239

Your payment amount and date depend on the type of policy you own. There are two ways to find out what you owe:

1. Sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and navigate to the "Payments" tab to view the amount due and due date.
   
2. Every month, you'll receive premium statements that indicate what you owe.

You can also set up or manage automatic payments and view your billing information in the "Payments" tab of your account. If you do not have access to your account, you can search for a Pre-Authorized Payment Plan Request form from our Life Insurance Forms page and send it to us via mail.

If you don’t make the planned premium payment, it may affect the performance of your policy. This impact will vary from policy to policy. To learn more, review your policy contract, contact your agent, or reach out to our Customer Service Representatives at 800-732-5543 from Monday to Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.

To make a payment, sign in or register for your online life insurance account.

Online payments are processed within two business days of submission. The cut-off time for payments to be submitted is 4 p.m. EST. If you're worried your policy will lapse due to non-payment, contact Customer Service at 800-813-2294 for immediate assistance. If we are unable to apply your payment for any reason, a representative from John Hancock will contact you within 5 business days.

If you need assistance from John Hancock, sign in or register for your online life insurance account and submit a question in our chat. A John Hancock Customer Service Representative will review your question and reply to you. You can also reach us by calling 800-732-5543 Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.

To access your policy transaction history, sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and from the “Payments tab” navigate to the “Financial history” subtab.

To view your outstanding loan balance, sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and from the “Policy values” tab navigate to the "Policy values and benefits" subtab. Look for the loan payoff value displayed under “Cash values”.

To find out the maximum loan amount for your policy, sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and from the “Policy values” tab click “Download policy summary”.

To find out the loan amount currently available on your policy, you can contact our Customer Service Representatives at 800-732-5543, Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.

Sign in or register for your online life insurance account, select your policy, and from the “Policy values” tab navigate to the "Policy values and benefits" subtab. Look for the surrender amount displayed under “Cash values”.

Loans and withdrawals will reduce the death benefit and the cash surrender value and may cause the policy to lapse. Lapse or surrender of a policy with a loan may cause the recognition of taxable income.

Request an illustration to determine the impact of a loan or withdrawal on your policy values by contacting your financial advisor or our Customer Service Representatives at 888-887-2739 (Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours).

John Hancock employees are not permitted to provide tax advice. Please contact your tax advisor or the IRS for further assistance regarding 1099s and any other tax-related inquiries.

Depending on your policy type and current policy value, you may be eligible to request a policy loan or partial withdrawal. Call our Customer Service Representatives 888-887-2739 (Monday through Friday, Eastern Time Business Hours.) to learn the options for your policy.

You can find the “Policy loan request” and “Partial withdrawal/surrender and excess value request” forms in the "Forms & documents" tab of your online life insurance account. You can also check your account to view the status of your request.

Surrender proceeds delivery timeframes will vary based on your product type and selected delivery option. The standard turnaround time is up to 7 days for Variable requests and up to 10 business days for Non-Variable requests.

After we have received and processed your request:

• If you selected check as your delivery option, the proceeds will be in the form of a check and mailed to your address of record within 5–7 business days.
  • You can also request a check via overnight mail if you provide your existing UPS or FedEx courier account information.
• If you selected electronic funds transfer (EFT) as your delivery option, the proceeds will arrive in your financial institution account within 3–5 business days.