New answer on: When Are Life Insurance Death Benefits Taxable?

By: Larry Gilmore

Larry Gilmore — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:48:01 +0000

When are life insurance benefits taxable? In any situation where a tax deduction is taken for the premiums paid towards a life policy. Also life insurance benefits can create an indirect taxable situation if the death benefit combined with other assets triggers an estate tax bill. While the benefit itself isn't taxable, the bump upward in the overall personal assets could trigger taxes due for the estate.

By: David Racich

David Racich — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:39:34 +0000

In general domestic terms no. But life insurance includable in an estate can inflate the asset size beyond the unified credit and could be exposed to estate taxation. There are also business scenarios where the death benefit can be an ordinary income event and in rare cases trigger the alternative minimum tax.

By: Edward Harris

Edward Harris — Tue, 04 Jun 2013 16:38:11 +0000

Typically, life insurance proceeds are not taxable. They pass on to the beneficiary tax-free and can be deposited into a pre-approved or pre-discussed account. Based on my 32 years of experience handling too many claims, the period of time is about 10-30 days for the check to arrive. In some circumstances, there could be estate taxes. Also, depending on the type of policy and how premiums were paid, there could be a taxable event. A full-time broker or financial planner is your best resource.