Depending on the type of policy, it can take as little as three to five days to receive a death benefit payment once you've filed a life insurance claim if you're a named beneficiary.
Note that if the insured's death occurred during the policy's contestability period, or if there's any question about the cause of death, the insurance company is most likely required to conduct a contestability investigation. This may delay the payout of the death benefit. If fraud is discovered or the cause of death isn't covered by the policy, the claim may be denied.