Estranged husband life instance (family pocketing it)

[LooUpdate]

I separated from my husband about 3 years ago. We have 2 young children. Sadly he passed away in the spring.

He had life insurance through his employers. His family are "managing it". I've asked if I will have access to this money and they say no, it's not for daily living. They said they will spend it on things like the children's schooling and holidays. (That's great but daily living is surely even more important?) I even said I was willing to provide receipts to prove I was spending the money on the kids.

I am now the sole parent with 90% of the overnights (grandparents do the 10%). I never divorced my husband.

My question is: even if my husband has specified that he wanted his family to handle the life insurance money, do I have any rights to it as his wife (and mother to his children).

As an aside, don't most mortgages insist on life insurance

Not for years no.

It is grabby in that you are assuming you would be entitled to maintenance from him, but the reality is that situations change, he could have survived and become disabled and not able to work again and pay maintenance. You can't assume you are owed anything to bring up your kids because you would have automatically received maintenance otherwise.

You are entitled to claim widow bereavement allowance if over 45yo. As a mother, you are entitled to £120 a week instead as long as you claim CB. THAT makes up for the lack of maintenance.

I'm sorry you are going through a hard time, but you were separated for 3 years. What he told you upon his diagnosis might be very different to what he told his family. I don't blame them for being weary of your involvement in his matter just because it happened that you didn't concluded your divorce during this time.

Sil is a piece of work? Why because wont going to personal details of her late brother to his ex who he was separated for 3 years, he himself put measures in place that prohibited her from accessing any life insurance for his DC, to me that says everything, even after his diagnosis he did not change that even though he could have done so. It has been said he has number ous debt a funeral which will need paying for and the likelihood of anything left over is very little, his sister is dealing with this all and shes a piece of work? I think theres more to this.