If you have some qualms, know that feeling a little unsure when faced with something like a life insurance application is not uncommon. Take a deep breath, read on, and you’ll be filing yours in no time.

Know Your History

Usually, a life insurance application will require a lot of history: medical, personal, professional, financial, familial, psychological, etc. It can be taxing to try to remember all of this at once, let alone to write it in such a way that you will be eligible for the best premium.

Look over the application before your fill anything out. If there is information that you don’t remember, go back to your records and look it up. If there is information that you don’t have, figure out a plan for finding it. You may need to search out medical records from a former doctor or tax papers from an old accountant.

If you can get as much information as possible before you actually fill out the life insurance application, the whole process will go quicker and much more smoothly than it might otherwise. In addition, you’ll know where your gaps in knowledge are, and give yourself more time to try to fill them in.

Fill Out the Application

Take the insurance application one section at a time. Start with the easy stuff, like your name and address, and go section by section through the application until it is complete.

If you run into something you don’t know or a piece of information that is not in your records, note it on a separate piece of paper and tag the place in the application with a sticky note or a brightly colored piece of paper. That way, when you find the information, you’ll know exactly where it goes.

Get Documentation

A life insurance application usually asks for some external documentation of things like your medical history and status. Medical records can generally be obtained from your doctor, though you may have to go to a previous doctor or doctors to cover the time period the insurance company requests.

You will probably also have to go through a physical, with your doctor recording information on a special form provided by the life insurance company. While this may seem like extraordinary lengths to you, your doctor is most likely used to filling these out and will be able to do so easily.

File Your Application

Once you have filled out the application and have all of the necessary documentation, your life insurance application is ready to file. Be sure to keep a copy of everything you send to the life insurance company, in case something gets lost in the mail or misplaced on someone’s desk.

You should hear something back from the insurance company in several weeks. If you wait that long and don’t have any news on your life insurance application, contact the company and find out your application’s status.

This process does not have to be daunting. There are some straightforward tips that will make your life insurance application process easier and faster than you think it is.

Complete the Application Online

When at all possible, fill out your life insurance application online. Doing this allows you to go back and change an answer easily, without having to get another paper application and copy all of your answers again.

In addition, sometimes life insurance companies will connect online and allow you to fill out one application for several types of insurance at once. This not only allows you to get multiple quotes to ensure you pay the best premium, but means that you only have to go through the process once.

Gather Your Records

Before you start writing anything down, look through the application and determine what records you’re going to need. Usually, you’ll need at least cursory medical records to fill out the application. Sometimes, you’ll also need employment records, physician’s affidavits, or other personal history.

Make a list of the records you need and gather them together before you start. This will streamline the process so you only have to sit down once, instead of having to continually jump up and find another record.

Be Honest

Always answer the questions on a life insurance application honestly, even if you fear your answer might disqualify you from the insurance you want. Though you may not get your insurance, it is better to know this from the start than have your life insurance company find out later in the process and cancel your policy.

If you decide to be honest at the beginning of the process, it will make the application process easier. While you might not be someone who is tempted to lie outright, most people find themselves wondering how to make themselves look better when they fill out a life insurance application.

Ask Questions

If you’re not sure how to fill out a section of the application, don’t waste a lot of time trying to figure it out. Instead, contact your agent, broker, or the insurance company itself and ask for help.

This is especially true when determining whether or not you have to report a particular medical condition given the company’s requirements. In these cases, it might be better to do your own research before contacting the company or any of their representatives. Try looking for help in the internet or from a friend.

Copy Your Final Application

Once you’ve completed your life insurance application, be sure to make a photocopy or a printout of your final draft. This way, if you ever need to fill out another application or need this information again, you’ll have it in an easily accessible format. In addition, you’ll be able to resend the application if the company loses or misfiles it.

But this application does not need to be so difficult. If you understand what the insurance company is looking for, you can fill out your life insurance application in such a way that you have a good chance of getting the best premium possible.

Tell the Truth . . . But Not Too Much

The most important part about filling out a life insurance application is being completely honest in your answer to every question. It may be tempting to try to lie about or cover up a medical condition that you fear might make you ineligible for the insurance, but it is better to have your application denied than to have your policy revoked later (when it might be even more difficult to find another one) or have your heirs’ claim rejected.

You do not, however, want to give the insurance company more information than they ask for. If there is a question about a specific health condition and you have a related condition but not the condition asked about, there is no need to explain your condition under that question. If you plan to travel to a place or for a length of time not mentioned on the application, there is no need to mention your trip.

Many times, life insurance companies will assess you at a higher risk level if you give any indication that you could possibly be at higher risk of death. Telling them more than they ask for on your life insurance application gives them even more reason to do this.

Fill in the Blanks

Make sure you complete the entire life insurance application and provide any other documentation the insurance company requests. Any lack in this area gives them grounds to reject your application or assess you at a higher risk level, which means you may not get the best premiums even if they do issue you a policy.

If you have any questions about what they want in a certain question, contact the company or ask someone else what they think. If a question does not apply to you, write “N/A” in the blank so the company knows you read and considered the question and did not just skip over it.

Provide Documentation

Many life insurance applications require other documentation, like a statement or a form filled out by your doctor certifying your health or documentation of your driving record. If at all possible, include these items with your application when you send it in to the company.

If you cannot include them or the company requests them separately, keep track of everything you send in case of a dispute or some confusion later. Once you send everything in, you should hear back from the insurance company about your life insurance application in a matter of a few weeks. Feel free to follow up with them if you do not hear anything in that span of time.