With a term life insurance policy for the purpose of securing a business loan, you, the business owner, are the insured person and can
also be the owner of the policy.
In cases where the employer of your
spouse is the owner of the policy on behalf of your spouse, and the beneficiary is you or the employer, any proceeds above the premiums paid are considered to be taxable income to the death benefit's recipient.
In the event that the estate would be valued higher than the exemption amount, one solution may be having an irrevocable life insurance
trust be the owner of the policy.
Life Insurance Estate Tax If you want to make sure that your heirs can receive the life insurance without being concerned with estate taxes, make sure that the
beneficiary is the owner of the policy instead of you.
While life insurance death benefits are generally excluded from income tax to the beneficiary, they are included as part of the estate of the deceased if the
deceased was the owner of the policy at the time of death.
For instance, if a
husband is the owner of a policy and his wife is the insured, with their son the beneficiary, the IRS may consider this an attempt to circumvent the gift tax and declare that the insurance death benefit proceeds are subject to taxes, with those taxes charged to the husband as the owner of the policy.
The
employee is the owner of the policy, which means they maintain all rights with regard to naming beneficiaries and electing investments options is it's a variable life plan.
And the parent or grandparent can
be the owner of the policy and direct whether or not the funds can be accessed.
Since his sister pays the premiums on the life insurance policy, I assume
she is the owner of the policy.
Since you are paying the premiums and
are the owner of the policy, it is an asset that would be included in your estate.
If
you are the owner of your policy, you can transfer ownership.
You can
be the owner of the policy and you will collect in the event of a partner's death.
Besides an organization (the employer)
being the owner of the policy, group life insurance works essentially the same as individual policies.
The borrower must
be the owner of the policy, but not necessarily the insured, and the policy must remain current for the life of the loan with the owner continuing to pay all necessary premiums.
In order for your spouse to get life insurance money if you die, he or she needs to
be the owner of your policy.
In the eyes of the IRS, since the husband
was the owner of the policy, he has given a gift of the benefit to his son — making it a taxable gift amount.
This is because
he is the owner of the policy.
If
you are the owner of your policy, you can transfer ownership.
Besides an organization (the employer)
being the owner of the policy, group life insurance works essentially the same as individual policies.
Whether you are purchasing a new life insurance policy or using an existing policy on an ex-spouse, you should make sure
you're the owner of the policy.
On the other hand if you wish to purchase the policy so that your mother is the named insured, then you will
be the owner of the policy since you are the one paying the premium.