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When you get a life insurance policy, you may be focused on the coverage you need to meet the needs of your loved ones after you die. But adding living benefits riders to your policy can turn your life insurance policy into financial help while you’re still alive.
These riders are add-ons to your life insurance policy that allow you to access a portion of your death benefit while you’re still alive or waive your premiums if you meet the rider’s requirements, like not being able to work after a disability.
Each insurer offers a different set of living benefits riders, all with different terms and conditions. But the following are the more popular riders you might find.
This rider allows you to access a portion of your death benefit if you’re diagnosed as terminally ill and are expected to die within a time specified by your policy, such as 12 months.
Most of these riders offer a set percentage of the death benefit you can access, up to a certain dollar amount. For example, your rider may offer up to 60% of your policy or $100,000, whichever is the lower amount. After you die, your family gets whatever money is left over as a death benefit.
This rider allows you to access a portion of your death benefit if you’re diagnosed with a terminal or chronic illness that requires ongoing care over time, such as a heart attack or stroke.
The amount you can access is typically a percentage of your death benefit. For example, if your policy is worth $300,000 and your rider offers 60%, you could access up to $180,000 from your death benefit.
With this rider, your life insurance premiums are waived if you are considered totally disabled and can no longer work for a time specified by your policy, such as six months.
What counts as “totally disabled” is specified in your policy, and this rider typically comes with an age limit for qualifying, such as under 65 years old. You start paying your premium again once you go back to work.
If you need long-term medical care, whether through home care or in a facility, this rider allows you to receive monthly payments from your death benefit to help pay for it. The benefits can be for temporary care or care that is required for the rest of your life.
These riders pay out in two ways, either as an indemnity, which pays a set benefit amount to the insured, or as a reimbursement, which pays out the exact cost of the care up to the rider’s specified monthly limit.
The total max benefit you receive is usually capped at up to 80% of your death benefit. And you’ll typically have to complete a waiting period before you can receive benefits, such as 90 days.
Some policies automatically include an accelerated benefits rider for free. The rider generally pays out if you’re expected to die within 12 months and acts as an advance to your death benefit.
Riders that typically aren’t free, such as long-term care or waiver-of-premium riders, increase the cost of your monthly premiums. For example, your rider may cost an additional 25% of your monthly premium. However, the exact cost of your rider depends on your insurer, your age and other underwriting considerations at the time you purchase your policy.
Plus, if you end up using your rider and accepting benefits early, your insurer may charge you a fee, such as a percentage of your payout or a flat fee.
Typically, you have to sign up for living benefits riders when you purchase your life insurance policy. Even if one or more of these riders is included free with your policy, you need to opt in to which riders you want.
If the insurer does let you sign up later, you may have to prove you don’t already have a serious health condition, and there is usually a waiting period included. For example, you may not be able to use the benefit until a year after the rider was added to the policy.
Before you decide to add these riders to your policy, keep the following in mind.
Most living benefits aren’t taxable at the federal level, but some states tax these benefits, so you need to check your state laws. Riders that provide monthly payments, such as chronic illness or long-term care riders, can have a payment limit to avoid taxes. For example, in 2020, the per diem limit on living benefits is $380 per day. Anything exceeding that amount is taxable.
If you don’t think these riders meet your needs, consider the following alternatives.
Because the cash value of whole life insurance policies is invested in the market, death benefit riders can be added to protect your policy’s death benefits, despite any market fluctuations or investment losses. This rider usually has just two forms.
Living benefit riders can offer one more layer of protection by letting you access a portion of your death benefits while you’re alive. But the fees and benefit structures of the riders vary widely by insurer, so you may want to compare life insurance companies to make sure you get the coverage that works best for you.
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