Split Dollar Life Insurance
Definition of "Split dollar life insurance"
Policy in which premiums, ownership rights, and death proceeds are split between an employer and an employee, or between a parent and a child. The employer pays the part of each year's premium that at least equals the increase in the cash value. The employee may pay the remainder of the premium, or the employer may pay the entire premium. When the increase in cash value equals or exceeds the yearly premium, the employer pays the entire premium. If the employee dies while in the service of the employer, a beneficiary chosen by the employee receives the difference between the face value and the amount paid to the employer (the cash value or the total of all premiums paid by the employer- whichever is greater). Thus, during employment, the employee's share of the death benefit decreases. If the employee leaves the employer, the latter has the option of surrendering the policy in exchange for return of all premiums, or selling the policy to the employee for the amount of its cash value. There are two types of split dollar life insurance policies: Endorsement-the employer owns all policy privileges; the employee's only rights are to choose beneficiaries and to select the manner in which the death benefit is paid. Collateral-the employee owns the policy. The employer's contributions toward the premiums are viewed as a series of interest-free loans, which equal the yearly increase in the cash value of the policy. The employee assigns the policy to the employer as collateral for these loans. When the employee dies, the loans are paid from the face value of the policy. Any remaining proceeds are paid to the beneficiary.
Popular Insurance Terms
Plan to which contributions are not being made, but which has not been formally terminated. The freezing of a keogh plan (hr-10) may occur in the following circumstances: self-employed ...
Life and health insurance business for which the prospective insured or insureds have signed the application, completed the medical examination, and paid the required premium. ...
Coverage for the expenses incurred by a business resulting from the recall of products, whether defective or not. ...
Designation earned by passing 10 national examinations on subjects including mathematics of life and health insurance, actuarial science, insurance, accounting, finance, and employee ...
unlawful application of force to another's person; physical striking of another without permission. ...
Coverage provided for individuals or businesses for loss due to forgery or alteration of such financial instruments as notes, checks, drafts, and promissory notes. ...
Commission paid to a broker for selling an insurance company's products. This fee may or may not include an expense allowance depending on the amount of business the broker places with the ...
Same as term cash surrender value: money the policyowner is entitled to receive from the insurance company upon surrendering a life insurance policy with cash value. The sum is the cash ...
Premiums paid out of funds borrowed from the cash value of a life insurance policy. ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.