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
Same as term Builders Risks Forms: types of contracts that insure building contractors for damage to property under construction. The completed value form requires a 100% coinsurance ...
Prior to 1988, right to withdraw retirement assets before age 59 1/2 without having to pay a 10% penalty under the following circumstances: medical expenses are incurred. the plan ...
Liability insurance that provides coverage for the insured in the event the insured's negligent acts and/or omissions result in libel, slander, invasion of privacy, or false arrest suit. ...
Same as term American Risk and Insurance Association: membership organization of companies,academics, and individuals in the insurance business whose interest is to further education and ...
Inverse of the actuarial present value of a life annuity, taking the employee's life expectancy into account, to commence income payments at the normal retirement age of the employee. It is ...
Figure used in calculating a worker's primary insurance amount (PIA) to determine Social Security benefits in the following manner: calculate the number of years between the worker's ...
Health insurance coverage offered by some states for medical expenses and loss of income from nonoccupational disability. The merits of federal health insurance have been debated for some ...
Plan to control employer's health care cost through the introduction of practice guidelines or protocols for health care providers, and to improve the methods used by employers and ...
Annuity in which premium payments are used to purchase accumulation units, their number depending on the value of each unit. The value of a unit is determined by the value of the portfolio ...
Have a question or comment?
We're here to help.