Pros Explained

• Superior financial stability rating: AM Best gave the insurer an A+ rating for its superior ability to meet its financial obligations. 
• Fewer complaints than expected: Over the last three years, the company received fewer complaints than expected, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC).
• Additional services come with coverage: Services are provided to support policyholders like travel assistance and professional counseling.

Cons Explained

• Only available through participating employers: You can’t get an individual policy. Your employer must offer the benefit, and you must be eligible to get coverage. 
• Few policy types available: The company only offers term coverage.

Complaint Index

The Hartford has received fewer complaints than expected for its group policies, according to the National Association of Insurance Commissioners (NAIC). 

The NAIC data shows how companies fare when it comes to customer complaints. An index of 1.00 means an insurer has a number of complaints that are expected for the market share it holds. An index over 1.00 means an insurer has more complaints than are expected, while an index under 1.00 means they have fewer complaints than are expected. 

In 2021, The Hartford had a complaint index of 0.37 and also had similar indexes in 2020 and 2019, which indicates the company received fewer complaints than expected based on its size. This suggests there aren’t major issues with customer service and satisfaction.

Third-Party Ratings

The Hartford Life and Accident Insurance Company earned high marks for its financial stability from AM Best. AM Best is a credit rating agency that evaluates the creditworthiness of over 16,000 insurance companies worldwide. 

The Hartford earned the second-highest possible rating, an A+ (Superior), which means AM Best believes it has a superior ability to meet its ongoing financial obligations. As a customer, the higher the rating the more confident you can be a company has the ability to pay claims. With a reputable and highly rated company like The Hartford, you don't have to worry.

Out of the 76 insurers we reviewed (with AM Best ratings), about 54% of them earned an A+ rating or higher. 

Policies Available 

The Hartford only offers group term life.

Term Life Insurance

Term life insurance is a type of life insurance that covers you for a certain amount of time—it’s not permanent. With The Hartford’s term group life insurance, you may be covered as long as you remain eligible for your employer’s plan. If you pass away while your coverage is in place, your beneficiary will receive a death benefit.

Available Riders

The Hartford also offers the following riders on its group life insurance policies. 

Child Rider 

A child rider lets you add a small amount of term coverage that covers your children up to a certain age. When the plan is set to expire, the child can often convert it and get more coverage without needing to undergo a medical exam.

Spouse Rider

In addition to letting you add coverage for your children, The Hartford also gives employees the option to add coverage for their spouses. 

Waiver of Premium 

If you become totally disabled, a waiver of premium rider allows you to forego premium payments for a period of time. To qualify, you often must become totally disabled before a certain age and then must continue to be totally disabled for the duration of an elimination period before the benefit takes effect.

Accidental Death Benefit 

An accidental death benefit rider provides your beneficiary with an additional death benefit if you die due to a covered accident, such as a car accident. In short, it enables your beneficiary to receive two death benefits under certain circumstances.

ADB: Terminal Illness Rider

A terminal illness rider enables you to have part of your policy’s death benefit accelerated, meaning you can receive it while you are still alive. To qualify for this accelerated death benefit (ABD), you’ll need to be diagnosed with a terminal illness with six to 24 months or less to live, depending on the insurer.

Customer Service

The Hartford’s main customer service phone number for employee benefits, including life insurance, is (800) 523-2233. Customer service representatives are available Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. ET. You can also email them at gbdustomerservice@hartfordlife.com. If you need to make a claim, you can call the dedicated line for group life and accident (AD&D) claims at (888) 563-1124. Further, employers with Hartford’s group life insurance can also log into the company’s website to manage and administer their employee benefits.

Final Verdict

The Hartford makes a fine choice for life insurance if your employer offers it as a benefit, due to the company's strong financial rating and low incidence of consumer complaints. However, you're limited to term life policies only, so you'll need to choose a different carrier if you prefer other policy types.

Frequently Asked Questions

How Long Does It Take for The Hartford Life Insurance to Pay Out?

Generally, you'll receive a life insurance payout from The Hartford within 30 to 60 days. Be sure to file your claim with The Hartford within 30 days of a covered death. Within 15 days, The Hartford will send you forms to fill out, and if the claim is approved, you should receive your benefits within 30 days of them receiving your forms.

How Do I Contact The Hartford Life Insurance?

To reach The Hartford's customer service department, you can either send an email or call 800-523-2233 between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. ET, Monday through Friday. For questions about specific claims, you'll need to call the appropriate phone number listed on the .

Is The Hartford Good at Paying Claims?

The Hartford is considered good at paying claims. It's a reputable insurance company, with an A+ rating from AM Best for its financial strength.

How Long Does It Take The Hartford to Approve a Claim?

How long it takes The Hartford to approve a claim will depend at least somewhat on how fast you submit the required paperwork. The Hartford encourages people making claims on their employee benefits like life insurance to submit complete and accurate documentation within the specified time window to ensure their claim is processed as promptly as possible. Overall, you can expect the review process to take up to several weeks.

Methodology

We designed a comprehensive ranking methodology based on consumer priorities and life insurance company fundamentals to rank more than 90 insurers across five general categories: financial stability, customer satisfaction, product and feature variety, the overall buying experience, and cost. In order to do this, we collected over 5,000 data points and scored each company based on 55 metrics. We grouped metrics by category to see how insurers performed in each; we then weighted category scores to determine how companies performed overall.

To learn more, read our full Life Insurance Methodology.