Sell Your Life Insurance Policy in New Hampshire | 2026 Life Settlement Guide

Life insurance is usually purchased to solve a specific problem at a particular stage of life. Protecting family. Supporting a business obligation. Planning for estate liquidity. Years later, circumstances change. Healthcare bills go up. The policy stays in force. Premiums continue. What once made sense can quietly stop fitting the rest of your financial picture.

If you own a life insurance policy in New Hampshire that no longer aligns with your goals, you are not limited to surrendering it back to the insurance company for a modest cash surrender value or letting it lapse. New Hampshire allows policyowners to sell qualifying life insurance policies to third parties for cash payout (generally lump sum payment) through the secondary market, commonly known as a life settlement.

These transactions are regulated by the state and structured to provide liquidity while maintaining clear consumer protections.

Is It Legal To Sell My Life Insurance Policy in New Hampshire?

Yes. New Hampshire regulates life settlements under its insurance laws and oversees these transactions through the New Hampshire Insurance Department. Licensed life settlement providers may purchase policies, and licensed brokers may represent policyowners.

New Hampshire is a regulated life settlement state. Buyers and brokers must be licensed, and required disclosures must be provided before a transaction is completed.

Who Actually Buys New Hampshire Policies?

In a New Hampshire life settlement, the buyer is a licensed life settlement provider. That provider becomes the new owner and beneficiary of the policy, assumes responsibility for future premium payments, and ultimately receives the net death benefit.

Behind these providers are institutional investors, life settlement funds, family offices, and other professional capital sources. When a licensed broker is involved, the broker represents the policyowner and markets the policy to multiple providers to generate competitive offers to effectuate the sale of a life insurance policy.

Safety Concerns And The Hitman Question

Every once in a while someone asks the blunt question. If I sell my policy to a fund that gets paid when I die, does that put a target on my back?

It is a natural worry, but it does not line up with how this market actually works. For a deeper look at why this concern is unfounded, see our article on the "hitman" question.

Real buyers are regulated institutions. Think pension funds, asset managers, specialist life settlement funds, and family offices that live under compliance, audits and regulators. They buy large pools of policies, not one or two bets on a single person. Your policy is a tiny piece of a diversified portfolio. No one is sitting in a room watching your file and waiting for news.

More importantly, crime would completely destroy the investment. If someone were foolish enough to try something like that, the claim would be frozen, law enforcement would be involved, and the policy would become radioactive. The buyer would lose their capital, their license and their business, and the people involved would be looking at serious prison time. That is the exact opposite of what professional investors want.

There are plenty of real risks in life. Selling a policy through a regulated life settlement process does not meaningfully change your exposure to violent crime. The buyer wants a clean, boring actuarial outcome, not drama. If this were a real world problem you would see patterns of cases and headlines over the last few decades. You do not, because serious firms do not play games with that line.

If this worry is on your mind, it is better to treat it as something to acknowledge and then put aside, not as a deciding factor in whether to explore a settlement.

Retained Death Benefit And What Happens If The Buyer Stops Paying

In some transactions you do not sell the entire policy. Instead, you take part in cash today and keep a slice of the future death benefit. That structure is usually called a retained death benefit. The buyer agrees to carry the full premium load and, when the insured passes away, your family gets the retained portion without ever having to write another check.

The obvious follow up question is what happens if the fund or buyer stops paying premiums in ten years. If the policy lapses, your retained benefit disappears with it. That is a real risk, and it belongs in the contract, not swept under the rug.

Well structured deals handle this with clear protections. Common approaches include giving you the right to step in and assume the policy if premiums are not paid on time, or if the fund winds down or fails. In practice that can mean a clause that says if premiums are not funded by a certain date, ownership can revert or you can elect to take over and keep the policy in force by paying premiums yourself. Serious buyers also use professional servicing companies and advance notice requirements so you, your adviser, or your lawyer get notified long before coverage is at risk.

The point is that you do not have to simply hope the fund behaves. You can ask, in plain language, what happens if premiums are not paid, when you are notified, and what your rights are to step back in. If you are doing any kind of retained death benefit, those answers should be written into the settlement documents before you sign, so your family is not relying on a handshake twenty years from now.

Wondering what your policy might be worth in New Hampshire? Check out our life settlement calculator

How Much Is My Policy Worth In New Hampshire?

New Hampshire does not regulate pricing. Value is determined by the market.

Buyers typically evaluate:

• Age of the insured
• Health and realistic life expectancy (terminally ill insureds will fetch more than healthy ones)
• Type of policy (term life insurance is different than whole life or universal) and issuing carrier
• Face value
• Premium structure and long-term cost

For policies that qualify, settlement offers are typically higher than surrender value but below the full death benefit. Final pricing depends on underwriting results, premium efficiency, and buyer demand at the time the policy is marketed.

Holding Period In New Hampshire

New Hampshire imposes a five year holding period before most life insurance policies may be sold in a life settlement transaction.

In practical terms, a life settlement contract generally cannot be entered into unless the policy has been in force for at least five years from its issue date. This rule is intended to prevent policies from being purchased primarily for resale.

New Hampshire law does allow limited, narrowly defined exceptions that may permit a sale inside the five year window, such as specific life events or health changes that occur after issuance. These exceptions are not automatic and must be supported with documentation.

For standard planning purposes, New Hampshire should be treated as a five year holding state.

Rescission Rights In New Hampshire

New Hampshire provides a statutory rescission right after a life settlement contract is completed.

You may rescind the transaction before the earlier of:

• Thirty calendar days after the contract is executed by all parties, or
• Fifteen calendar days after the settlement proceeds have been sent

To rescind, you must return the settlement proceeds and any premiums or loan interest paid by the provider during the rescission period. If the insured dies during the rescission window, the transaction is treated as rescinded, subject to repayment requirements.

Escrow And How Funds Are Handled

Life settlement proceeds in New Hampshire are handled through an independent escrow arrangement.

In practice:

• The buyer wires settlement funds into escrow
• Ownership and beneficiary changes are processed by the insurer
• After the carrier confirms the transfer, escrow releases funds to the seller

You should not be transferring ownership based on a promise of later payment. The funds are intended to be secured while the insurer completes the transfer.

Broker And Provider Licensing

New Hampshire separates the buyer side from the seller side.

A life settlement provider is the buyer and must be licensed with the New Hampshire Insurance Department.

A life settlement broker represents the policyowner and must also be licensed. Brokers are responsible for disclosures, marketing the policy, and presenting offers.

Licensing is how New Hampshire enforces consumer protection in the life settlement market.

How The Process Works In New Hampshire

A typical New Hampshire life settlement follows this sequence:

Typical timeline: 60 to 90 days depending on medical record retrieval and carrier response times.

Next Steps

If you're considering selling your life insurance policy in New Hampshire, here's how to get started:

Check your eligibility

Review your age, health status, policy type, and face amount to determine if you may qualify.

Get a personalized estimate

Understand your policy's potential value based on your specific situation.

Gather your documents

Request your policy documents and authorize medical records retrieval to speed up the underwriting process.

Review offers carefully

Compare offers from licensed providers and review all disclosures before making a decision.

Disclaimer: The information provided in this article is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, financial, or professional advice. Life settlement regulations vary by state, and this content should not be relied upon as a substitute for consultation with a licensed professional. Please consult with a qualified attorney, financial advisor, or licensed life settlement broker before making any decisions regarding the sale of a life insurance policy.