My son died eight months in the past however his employer STILL hasn’t paid out on his £36,000 life insurance coverage: SALLY SORTS IT

My son, an only child, died on May 31, 2025, following a lung cancer diagnosis just a few weeks earlier. 

His employer is refusing to discuss his estimated £36,000 death-in-service payout, even though it appears the money has already been paid out by its insurance company.

This is all quite distressing and I can’t understand the firm’s actions. Please help.

K.H., Stoke-on-Trent.

It was upsetting enough that your son P.H. died aged 61 following a serious illness, but dealing with his employer, the home care company Radis, has added to your anguish.

Having made little progress after five months, you asked for my help at the beginning of November last year.

You are the executor of your son’s estate and as next of kin are in line to receive the payout because he had no dependants.

You were expecting Radis to show some of the same care towards you that your son exhibited in his daily work as a carer by moving quickly to sort out the death-in-service payment.

The benefit, which is also known as group life insurance, is offered by many employers in partnership with an insurance company.

The insurer pays a tax-free cash lump sum, normally to the next of kin or chosen beneficiary. This sum is a multiple of the person’s salary – usually at least two times, but it can be more depending on the employer.

If the insurance is written in trust, a legal arrangement that means payouts are made outside a person’s estate, as in your son’s case, the money does not attract inheritance tax.

Looking at your son’s bank statements, you estimated that his gross earnings were £18,000 a year. As Radis staff receive double their salary should they die in service, you reckoned the payout should be at least £36,000.

You weren’t certain of the sum, however, as Radis failed to provide you with a P60 showing his earnings despite several requests.

Payouts under these schemes are usually made to those left behind within a month or so. Why was this taking so long?

Your son was single at the time of his death and had no children – but imagine if he had left behind a spouse and offspring who depended on his earnings.

You had taken the correct steps, informing the employer about the death just five days afterwards. It is then up to the employer to set things in motion, letting family know what forms need to be completed and documents provided such as the death certificate.

There was no need to provide proof of probate because the money lies outside your son’s estate. You provided plenty of information but there was no request at the start for a death certificate, which I find baffling.

Delays can certainly arise when it is unclear who should be receiving the money – for instance, if an employee didn’t nominate a beneficiary. 

Your son hadn’t named anyone, but as his next of kin and his sole beneficiary in his will it should have been simple to ascertain that you were the person in line for the payout.

His mother, who he had lived with, died in 2023.

I would expect both the employer and insurer involved to make diligent checks to ensure the money goes to the right person, but this should not take five months and counting.

You told me it appeared Radis only submitted the claim to its insurer Canada Life, on August 6.

A few weeks after this you approached the insurer directly but were just told the claim was ‘progressing’. It said it was awaiting information from Radis and, at this point, requested the death certificate, your son’s will, proof of paternity and your ID, which you did immediately. You would have done this at the outset had you known what was required.

Even with this late request for vital information, some of which had been supplied previously, the delays continued. I contacted both Radis and Canada Life.

This prompted action at last and, within a few days, we were both told the payment had been authorised. But more weeks passed.

You and I were then told the trustees were carrying out their final due diligence. It turns out they only got instructions to do this in December and, thanks to Christmas holidays, the process, which involved contacting the witnesses to your son’s will, was dragged out.

Impatience was turning into exasperation for us both.

On January 29 you finally received and signed a mandate from the trustees for the payment of £38,598, to be paid to you within ten working days. You plan to give £10,000 of this to the local Douglas Macmillan Hospice.

You are rightly unhappy with the serious delays endured, having to wait eight months from your son’s death to payment, and will make formal complaints to both Radis and Canada Life.

A spokesman for Radis says: ‘We’re sorry that our communication with the family of the late P.H. about his death-in-service benefits didn’t meet the standard they should have expected from us. We understand how difficult this time has been for his father.’

A Canada Life spokesman says: ‘We extend our deepest condolences to P.H.’s family during this difficult time. 

‘To process a group life insurance claim, we are required to work closely with the employer and a range of third parties to gather and assess all necessary information.’

Your struggle is a stark warning to others to check they have nominated a beneficiary of a death-in-service payment to avoid similar hassle and pain for those left behind.

Amazon sent wrong iPhone but won’t refund me

In November last year I ordered an £899 Apple iPhone Air in sky-blue from Amazon but when the package arrived, a few days later, it contained a black version.

I initiated a return immediately based on the incorrect item being received.

Amazon is refusing to issue a refund because its is saying the item they received back was not the one ordered. Please help.

M.M., Wick, Caithness.

You sent me a copy of Amazon’s receipt clearly stating that the wrong item had been returned so the refund would not be forthcoming. 

It said: ‘We cannot issue a refund for this order until we receive the correct item. Return the correct item to us if you would still like a refund.’

You couldn’t make it up. This left you in the red to the tune of £899 – and no phone to show for it.

I put the situation to Amazon and it soon confirmed it was a mistake. Your refund should not have been denied. It gave the green light for reimbursement.

• Write to Sally Hamilton at Sally Sorts It, Money Mail, Northcliffe House, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5TT or email [email protected] ¿ include phone number, address and a note addressed to the offending organisation giving them permission to talk to Sally Hamilton. Please do not send original documents as we cannot take responsibility for them. No legal responsibility can be accepted by the Daily Mail for answers given.