Sanlam Funeral Cover

Sanlam Life Insurance Limited is the licensed insurer. Its funeral cover comes in two plans:

• Sanlam Digital Funeral Plan: bought online, with no paperwork, no medical exam and no underwriting. Cover starts at R50 per month and you can add up to 30 people to one policy.
• Sanlam Funeral Cover (adviser assisted): you speak to an adviser, and premiums are quoted per policy.

Sanlam says you cannot hold more than one Sanlam funeral policy. Entry ages, cover amounts and premiums for each plan are in the table below.

• Sanlam Funeral Cover lets you and your spouse each be covered for up to R100 000 at the start of the policy, with up to 30 individuals per policy depending on the product. (sanlamonline.co.za)
• The online-only Sanlam Digital Funeral Plan starts at R50 per month and has no paperwork or medical questions. (sanlamonline.co.za)
• Digital plan policyholders must be aged 18 to 64; family entry ages are spouse 18-64, children 0-25, parents 26-85, other family 0-85. (sanlamonline.co.za)
• Sanlam says you cannot hold more than one Sanlam funeral policy, and funeral cover is legally limited to R100,000 per life per policy. (sanlamonline.co.za)
• Claims can be emailed to [email protected], uploaded online, dropped at a Client Care Centre, or handled through your adviser; Sanlam says it will give the outcome within 10 working days. (sanlamonline.co.za)
• The digital plan's repatriation benefit moves the deceased to a funeral home of choice in South Africa if death occurs in South Africa or a bordering country; transport out of South Africa is at the family's expense. (sanlamonline.co.za)
• Sanlam Client Care WhatsApp self-service (0860 726 526) handles claims and policy queries. (sanlamonline.co.za)

Plans as Sanlam describes them on its own website on 30 September 2026. Premiums depend on your age, the cover amount and who you add, so the published figures are examples, not quotes.

Extra benefits Sanlam lists:

• Sanlam Digital Funeral Plan (online only): Repatriation cover in South Africa (and to a border post/airport for bordering countries); premium break (after 12 premiums, up to 12 months); cashback bonus 10% of premiums back after 3 years; no medical exam or underwriting.
• Sanlam Funeral Cover (adviser assisted): Double accident benefit (additional amount equal to the funeral benefit); grocery benefit from R1,000 monthly for six months up to 36 months depending on product; cash back every three years while paying premiums; yearly cover increases; premium holidays after 24 months.

Sources: sanlamonline.co.za/...l-plans/online-funeral-cover, sanlamonline.co.za/...onal/insurance/funeral-cover.

Checked on 30 September 2026 against Sanlam's official website. Numbers change, so confirm on the linked page before you call. Sanlam will never ask you to pay a claim fee or send money to a new bank account; if a caller does, hang up and phone the official number.

Sources: sanlamonline.co.za/help/contact-us, sanlamonline.co.za/...onal/insurance/funeral-cover, sanlamonline.co.za/help/claims/funeral-cover.

The digital plan suits people who want quick, simple cover and know who they want to add. Family entry ages are published: spouse 18 to 64, children 0 to 25, parents 26 to 85 and other family 0 to 85. Extras include repatriation cover inside South Africa, a premium break and an optional add-on that pays double for accidental death.

The adviser plan suits people who want higher cover and more benefits. It lists a double accident benefit, a grocery benefit, yearly cover increases and premium holidays. Sanlam does not publish an entry age or a premium table for it, so ask the adviser for both in writing.

If you move to Sanlam from another insurer, tell them. Sanlam says that if you had previous funeral cover for you and your loved ones, you might not have a waiting period.

Both Sanlam plans have no waiting period for accidental death. Sanlam does not state the length of any natural-death waiting period on the pages we checked, and we will not guess it. Ask Sanlam what applies to your plan and get the answer in writing.

The law sets limits. A funeral policy may not impose a waiting period longer than six months for natural death, and none may apply to accidental death. You may also cancel a new policy within 31 days of receiving the policy information, provided no benefit has been paid or claimed.

You can email the claim to [email protected], upload it online, drop it at a Client Care Centre or go through your adviser. Client Care on 0860 726 526 also handles claims through WhatsApp. Sanlam asks for:

• A clear copy of the official death certificate from the Department of Home Affairs.
• A clear copy of the deceased's ID. If the ID numbers differ, add a letter from Home Affairs.
• A clear copy of the claimant's ID.
• Proof of a bank account: a stamped bank statement not older than three months, or a cancelled cheque.
• A copy of the BI/DHA 1663 (Notification of Death) or BI/DHA-1680 (Death Report).
• The Funeral Cover Claim form.

For an unnatural or unknown cause of death, add a fully completed police report. Add a road accident report if a motor vehicle was involved.

Sanlam's pages give different payout times. It says valid claims on the digital plan are paid within 4 business hours, and approved adviser-plan claims within 48 hours, subject to documents and validation. Its claims page says it will tell you the outcome within 10 working days. Plan for the longer time and ask Sanlam which one applies to you.

ASISA, the industry body, says the main reasons funeral claims are declined are waiting periods, fraud and unpaid premiums. Ask Sanlam for the reason in writing, and check it against your policy.

If you are not satisfied, take it to the National Financial Ombud Scheme. The service is free. You can lodge a complaint at nfosa.co.za/submit-a-complaint/, call 0860 800 900, or email [email protected]. Try Sanlam first, but that is not a legal requirement. The Ombud can dismiss a complaint if three or more years have passed since you knew, or should have known, there was cause to complain.

Sanlam suits people who want to compare a simple online plan against an adviser plan from the same insurer, and who are happy to ask direct questions about waiting periods. It is less suited to anyone who needs an entry age or a premium table before they call, because the adviser plan does not publish them.

Compare a written Sanlam quote with other providers on our compare funeral cover page.