How Can I Borrow Money From My Life Insurance Policy?

While borrowing from your life insurance policy can be a quick and easy way to get cash in hand when you need it, there are a few specifics to know before borrowing. Most important, you can only borrow against a permanent or whole life insurance policy. Term life insurance, a cheaper and suitable option for many people, does not have a cash value and expires at the end of the term, which is generally anywhere from one to 30 years. However, in some instances, term life policies can be converted to a whole life policy which may make it eligible for a life settlement payment.

Policies You Can Borrow From

A whole life policy is a more expensive type of life insurance, but it has no expiration date. The term lasts the lifetime of the insured. While the monthly premiums may be higher, money paid into the policy that exceeds what is needed for the death benefit is invested by the life insurance company, creating a cash value after a few years.

A whole life policy essentially has two values: the face value or death benefit, and the cash value that acts as a savings account. Once the money invested increases the amount of the death benefit, the tax-free cash value can then be borrowed against. It is also important to understand that the policy loan is not taken out of your death benefit but borrowed against it, and the insurance company uses your policy as collateral for the loan.

How a Life Insurance Loan Works

Unlike a bank loan or credit card, policy loans do not affect your credit and there is no approval process or credit check since you are essentially borrowing from yourself. When borrowing on your policy, no explanation is required about how you plan to use the money, so it can be used for anything from bills to vacation expenses to a financial emergency. The loan is also not recognized by the IRS as income, therefore it remains free from tax (provided it’s not a modified endowment contract). However, it’s still expected that a policy loan will be paid back with interest, though the interest rates are typically much lower than on a bank loan or credit card, and there is no mandatory monthly payment.

Paying Back the Loan

Even with low interest rates and a flexible payback schedule, it’s important for the loan to be paid back in a timely manner. Unless it is paid out-of-pocket, interest is added to the balance and accrues whether the bill is being paid monthly or not, putting your loan at risk of exceeding the policy’s cash value and causing your policy to lapse.

Insurance companies generally provide many opportunities to keep the loan current and prevent lapsing. If the loan is not paid back before the insured person’s death, the loan amount plus any interest owed is subtracted from the amount the beneficiaries are set to receive from the death benefit.