Family emergency file: what your family needs to know if something happens to you
A family emergency file lists, in one place, every insurance policy with its nominee and claim helpline, your bank and investment accounts and whether their nominees are up to date, where your important documents are kept, and who to call. If something happens to you, it saves your family weeks of searching at the worst possible time.
Fill in the free card below. It stays on your device: nothing you type is sent to Map My Risk or anyone else. Download it as a PDF or text file, or print it, and give a copy to your spouse or keep it with your papers.
Open the calculator to work out your own figure.
What to put in it
- Insurance: for each policy, the insurer, the policy number, the sum assured, the nominee, the claim helpline, and where the policy document is kept. Life, health, critical illness and any others.
- Bank accounts and investments: your main bank and its nominee, whether the account is joint, and whether nominees are updated on your mutual funds, demat account, EPF and NPS.
- Documents: where your Will, property papers, identity documents and other originals are kept.
- People and health: emergency contacts, your blood group, and anything your family should tell a doctor.
- Digital: where your passwords and phone access are kept, not the passwords themselves.
What an entry looks like
Each policy is recorded as one block, so your family can make the claim from the file alone. A term insurance entry, for example, reads like this:
| Insurer | The insurance company, as on the policy |
| Policy number | From the policy document or the insurer’s app |
| Sum assured | What the policy pays, for example ₹1 crore |
| Nominee | Who receives the money, for example your spouse |
| Claim helpline | The number your family calls to start the claim |
| Where the document is | For example, the blue file in the bedroom cupboard |
Assumptions
- Never write passwords, PINs or full card numbers into it. Write down where they are kept instead.
- Keep the downloaded file where your family will find it, and tell them where it is.
- Review it every six months, and after any new policy, loan, account or change of nominee.
- On a shared or office computer, use "Delete from this browser" when you are done.
Frequently asked questions
What should a family emergency file contain?
Every insurance policy with its number, nominee and claim helpline; your bank accounts and investments and their nominees; where your Will and other important documents are kept; emergency contacts and medical details; and where your passwords are kept. Enough for your family to act without having to search.
Is it safe to fill this in online?
The card on this page works entirely in your browser. What you type is saved on this device only and is never sent to Map My Risk or anyone else. Do not write passwords or PINs into it, and use "Delete from this browser" on a shared computer.
Who should have a copy?
Your spouse, and an adult child or a trusted relative if you have one. Tell them where the file is kept. A file nobody knows about does not help.
How often should I update it?
Every six months, and whenever you buy a policy, open an account, take a loan, or change a nominee.
Is this legal or financial advice?
No. It is an organiser for your own records. For a Will or advice on your situation, speak to a qualified professional.