Legal Definitions - group life insurance

Group life insurance is a type of insurance that is offered by employers or other organizations to their employees. It provides a set amount of coverage based on the employee's salary, and the employer usually pays the deductible for the policy. Employees may also have the option to pay for additional coverage through the employer's policy.

Unlike individual life insurance policies, the employer or organization is the owner of the policy, and the coverage only lasts as long as the employee works for the employer. This type of policy is usually cheaper than individual policies and does not require medical considerations.

For example, if an employee earns $50,000 per year and the employer offers group life insurance coverage of two times the employee's salary, the employee would receive $100,000 in coverage. If the employee were to pass away while employed by the company, their beneficiaries would receive the $100,000 payout.

However, group life insurance policies usually do not include investment opportunities, and employees cannot transfer the coverage to another job. Therefore, employees may benefit from long-term individual policies instead.