Does Life Insurance Need To Go Through Probate? 
One of the big advantages of life insurance is that it does not have to go through probate . My father died about a year ago , and he had several small life insurance policies . My mom was truly surprised that she had quick access to those funds to pay for Dad 's funeral , without having to wait for probate -LRB- which still has not been completed , as far as I know -RRB- . And surprised again when she just found out for sure that she did not have to pay any taxes on them . No matter how much you trust your agent , it is collecting on life insurance that can make believers of anyone . 