Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver — licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Last updated 2026-10-20

Partners Life Claims NZ: Forms and Claim Steps

To claim on a Partners Life policy after a death, complete its Life Claim form and email it with the supporting documents to [email protected]. For help, phone 0800 145 433 (8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday). The form asks for an original or certified copy of the death certificate, and for probate or letters of administration if they are required.

In short

• Contact: 0800 145 433 (8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday) or [email protected] (Partners Life).
• Each claim type has its own form. Private Medical claims can be lodged online; the other types, including life cover claims after a death, are lodged by emailing the completed form with supporting documents.
• For a life cover claim Partners Life lists the policy number, bank account details, the death certificate (original or certified copy), probate or letters of administration if applicable, and a coroner's report if applicable.
• Who is paid depends on who owns the policy and who is named. A payout to an estate under $40,000 can sometimes be made without a court grant.
• If a claim is declined, you can ask for it to be reviewed, and you can then use an external complaints scheme.

If you are reading this soon after a death, there is no need to do everything today. This page sets the steps out in the order they usually come.

Step 1: Find out whether there is a policy

Partners Life sells through financial advisers, so the first people to ask are the person's adviser and the executor or family. If there is no adviser, look through email and paper post for a policy schedule, and bank statements for regular premium payments to Partners Life. BNZ says Partners Life provides and underwrites certain life insurance policies for BNZ customers and gives 0800 145 433 as the claims line (BNZ), so a BNZ-branded policy may be a Partners Life claim. If you cannot find anything, see unclaimed life insurance.

Step 2: Contact Partners Life

Partners Life's contact details, as published on its claims page and in its claims brochure:

Sources: Partners Life: Claims and its Life Claim form (version v6 1025), read 20 October 2026; Partners Life claims brochure 2025, read 20 October 2026. The brochure says "Filling out your claim form is the first step in the process" and asks you to "find the right form for the claim you'd like to make". For a death, the form is headed "Life Claim" and is completed by the person making the claim. Forms are updated from time to time, so download the current version from the claims page.

Step 3: Gather what the form asks for

Partners Life's claims page lists what you need for a Life Cover claim, and the Life Claim form ends with a checklist for personal life cover, life income or a funeral plan. In both:

• The policy number, and the bank account details for the direct credit. The payout is made by direct credit to the nominated account.
• An original or certified copy of the death certificate. The official New Zealand certificate costs $35, and a printout (not an official copy) costs $26. Most people get a certificate in one to two weeks (govt.nz: Get a death certificate). Registering the death is free (govt.nz: Registering a death).
• Probate or letters of administration, if they are required. Step 4 explains when.
• An original or certified copy of the coroner's report, if there is one.
• Details of who is making the claim and how they relate to the person insured. The form's examples are the policy owner, the executor, a nominee (a copy of the nomination form is needed) or an assignee (a copy of the deed of assignment is needed). If you cannot find the original policy document, the form has a declaration you sign instead.

For a claim where the person is alive (trauma, income, medical or disability), the form is different. Ask your adviser or Partners Life which one applies.

Step 4: Who is paid, and when a grant is needed

For a life cover claim, the insurer pays according to the policy: the policy owner, a named beneficiary, or the estate. Community Law notes that life insurance proceeds are estate property only if they are payable to the estate (Community Law). See who gets a life insurance payout.

If the money is payable to the estate, the administration rules matter:

• Partners Life's form asks whether you are the policy owner. If you are not, it asks whether the claim is for no more than $40,000; if it is, a grant is not needed. If you are a surviving spouse, the test is whether your late spouse left an estate worth more than $40,000. Otherwise probate or letters of administration are required, and Partners Life reserves the right to ask for a grant in any case. If you are not the owner and give no grant, the form says it must pay the next of kin in the order the law of intestacy sets: spouse, children, parents, siblings. The same $40,000 line comes from the Administration Act: a life insurer may pay sums due to an administrator without a court grant if the amount is $40,000 or less. That limit rose from $15,000 on 24 September 2025 (Administration Act 1969, s 65; Public Trust). It is the insurer's choice, not a right.
• Above that, or for land, expect to need probate (with a will) or letters of administration (without one).
• The probate fee is $275, plus a lawyer's costs. The Ministry of Justice guide gives a typical 15 working days when nothing more is needed, while govt.nz says a grant usually takes six to eight weeks (Ministry of Justice; govt.nz).

See probate in New Zealand and how long probate takes.

Step 5: How long Partners Life takes

Partners Life publishes no payment deadline that we could find. Its claims page says it aims to assess all claims as quickly as possible, although sometimes it may take up to 15-20 working days. Its brochure says that for medical, life and trauma claims its approach is "to assess and pay eligible claims as quickly as possible". It also says that if all available evidence has been received, and it is still unclear whether the claim should be accepted, "Partners Life undertakes to accept the claim", unless in its sole opinion the policyholder or life assured prevented access to clarifying evidence. Speed depends on how quickly the medical records and forms arrive. Our guide to how long a life insurance claim takes explains the usual stages.

If you need money for the funeral before a payout

A bank can release money from the deceased's account to pay for a funeral without waiting for probate (govt.nz). Some life policies include an early funeral payment; we found no published figure for Partners Life, so ask when you phone. The Work and Income Funeral Grant has a maximum of $2,697.43 and its own tests (Work and Income). See paying for a funeral.

Others to tell

myTrove is a free service, supported by the Department of Internal Affairs, that lets you tell more than 200 participating organisations at once (myTrove). Our who to notify after a death checklist covers the rest.

Why a claim may not be paid

Partners Life's brochure lists five common reasons: the person recovered before the waiting period ended, the condition did not meet the policy definition, relevant information was not disclosed, the treatment was not medically necessary, or the condition was excluded. It paid 95% of the claims it assessed between 1 April 2024 and 31 March 2025, and that figure counts assessed claims, not every claim lodged. Every insurer measures this differently, so do not compare the percentage across insurers.

If a claim is declined

1. Ask for the reasons in writing and the policy clause relied on.
2. Ask for a review. Partners Life's Customer Outcomes Review Committee reviews complaints and investigates claims declined because of incorrect or non-disclosed information.
3. Every business offering retail financial services must belong to an approved dispute resolution scheme, which is free for you. Complain to the provider first, then to its scheme. The Insurance & Financial Services Ombudsman (IFSO) is one of the four approved schemes; ask Partners Life which one applies to your policy (FMA; IFSO).
4. A lawyer or Community Law centre can explain your options.

QuoteHub is not Partners Life and cannot see or decide any claim. For background, see our Partners Life page, our Partners Life review or our general guide to making a life insurance claim.

Frequently asked questions

What is the Partners Life claims phone number?

0800 145 433, 8:30am to 5pm, Monday to Friday, according to Partners Life's claims page and claims brochure.

Can I claim without my adviser?

The Life Claim form is completed by the person making the claim, and it can be emailed to [email protected]. It has a box to tick if you do not want your adviser kept informed. If your situation is unusual, phone 0800 145 433 and ask.

Is there a deadline to make a claim?

We found no deadline on the Partners Life pages we could read. The policy document governs, so contact Partners Life promptly and ask.

References

• Partners Life: Claims, retrieved 20 October 2026
• Partners Life: Life Claim form (PDF, v6 1025), retrieved 20 October 2026
• Public Trust: Probate threshold rises to $40k, retrieved 20 October 2026
• Partners Life: This is Partners Life 2025, claims brochure (PDF), retrieved 20 October 2026
• Administration Act 1969, retrieved 20 October 2026
• Ministry of Justice: Probate information and guidance, retrieved 20 October 2026
• govt.nz: Wills, probate and estates, retrieved 20 October 2026
• govt.nz: Get a death certificate, retrieved 20 October 2026
• myTrove, retrieved 20 October 2026
• govt.nz: What to do when someone dies, retrieved 20 October 2026
• Community Law: Dealing with the deceased's property, retrieved 20 October 2026
• Work and Income: Funeral Grant, retrieved 20 October 2026
• Financial Markets Authority: Disputes and consumer protection, retrieved 20 October 2026
• BNZ: Life and funeral insurance, retrieved 20 October 2026

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