Does Life Insurance Go To Estate? 
If you choose the beneficiary of your life insurance policy to be your estate , or if none of your beneficiaries are alive when you pass , your life insurance proceeds will go to your estate . Other than those circumstances , your policy proceeds go to the person or other entity that you chose to be your beneficiary , bypassing your estate . This allows the benefit to not be tied up in probate and avoids unnecessary fees . However , the value of your life insurance is considered part of your estate value . If the total value of your estate is over the federal or state exempted amount , and if your spouse has passed , estate taxes on the excess may apply . 