
Life insurance cash value is the savings component of a permanent life insurance policy, which accumulates value that can be accessed during the policyholder's lifetime. The cash value of a life insurance policy is generally not taxed while it grows within the policy. However, taxes may be applicable in certain situations, such as when there is interest or investment earnings that exceed the amount paid through premiums.
To figure out the life insurance cash value for an IRS Offer in Compromise (OIC), you need to fill out Form 433-A (OIC). This form requires you to list all your bank accounts, investment accounts, retirement accounts, and insurance policies with a cash value. For life insurance, if you have term life insurance, there is generally no cash value. However, if you have whole life insurance, you will need to enter the cash value of your policy.
The IRS uses an 80% quick sale value for assets, assuming you would get about 80% value for selling something quickly. So, to calculate the cash value of your life insurance policy for the OIC, take the total cash value of your policy and multiply it by 80%. This will give you the available cash value that the IRS will consider in your Offer in Compromise.
What You'll Learn
Whole life insurance cash value
Whole life insurance is a type of permanent insurance that lasts the entire life of the policyholder, with premiums being paid regularly. It is believed that whole life insurance is one of the most popular choices in the life insurance market. The cash value of whole life insurance can still grow with potential tax savings, and the death benefit is guaranteed as long as the premiums are paid. The premiums in this type of plan are usually fixed.
Whole life insurance has a cash savings component, known as the cash value, which the policy owner can draw on or borrow from. The cash value of a whole life policy typically earns a fixed rate of interest. Interest accrues on a tax-deferred basis.
The cash value of whole life insurance offers many benefits. You may be able to access them while you’re still alive and use them to meet various financial goals. If you have a whole life insurance plan with cash value, you might be wondering if it’s taxable. The answer depends on your unique situation.
Withdrawals are tax-free up to the value of the total premiums paid. However, withdrawals and outstanding loan balances reduce death benefits.
The cash value of a whole life insurance policy grows quickly when the insured is young. But because more of the premium is needed to cover the cost of insurance as the insured ages, the cash value grows more slowly as they get older due to the higher risks associated with age.
The insured can access their policy’s cash value by borrowing against it or by withdrawing money in a partial cash surrender. Surrenders will reduce the final death benefit of your policy.
You can also use the cash value to cover your monthly premium payments instead of paying out of pocket. Or you can surrender the whole policy to receive the entire available cash value (minus any surrender fees). However, the policy will be terminated, and the death benefit will no longer be available to your beneficiaries.
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Universal life insurance cash value
Universal life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance that has a cash value element and offers lifetime coverage as long as you pay your premiums. It is often referred to as "flexible premium adjustable life insurance".
Universal life insurance offers more flexibility than whole life insurance. It allows you to raise or lower your premiums within certain limits, and it can be cheaper than whole life coverage. However, this flexibility also means there are fewer guarantees. If you make minimal premium payments for too long, it can impact the cash value growth and the size of your death benefit.
The cash value of a universal life insurance policy grows on a tax-deferred basis. The policy's cash value grows based on market rates, and the insurer invests a portion of your premiums. The return on this investment is credited to your policy tax-deferred. The insurer guarantees a certain minimum return on your money, with a guaranteed minimum interest rate.
Universal life insurance policies allow you to borrow against the accumulated cash value without tax implications. However, any unpaid loans will reduce the death benefit by the outstanding amount. While there are no tax implications for borrowing against the cash value, some withdrawals may be taxed. When withdrawing, you will be taxed on any amount that is more than you have paid into the policy.
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Variable universal life insurance cash value
Variable universal life insurance is a type of permanent life insurance policy that combines lifelong insurance protection with a flexible premium and cash value that can be accessed while the policyholder is alive. It is similar to variable life insurance but offers the added benefit of flexible premium payments. Variable universal life insurance policies are built like traditional universal life insurance policies but allow you to invest the cash value in the market via subaccounts.
Variable universal life insurance policies have a death benefit and a savings component, called cash value. This coverage can last your entire life as long as you continue paying for the insurance costs. The death benefit is what is left to your beneficiaries. Each time you make a premium payment, a portion of it goes towards the cost of insurance and the fees of the insurer who is keeping the death benefit in place. The remainder of the premium goes towards the policy's cash value.
The cash value of variable universal life insurance can be invested in certain securities (often called subaccounts) that resemble mutual funds. The cash value can be used to increase the death benefit, withdrawn as cash, or used as collateral for a loan. The cash value is also the amount of money you would receive if you decided to surrender your coverage to the insurer.
Variable universal life insurance policies typically have minimum and maximum premiums, and you are free to pay whatever amount you choose within these limits. This means that you can:
- Pay a portion of the premiums: If your premium is $500 per month, you can choose to pay $250 out of pocket and use your cash value to pay the rest.
- Not pay premiums: If your cash value is large enough, you can use it to pay the entire premium amount.
- Pay more than your target premium: You can overfund your policy's cash value early on so that the investment gains build up quicker.
There are also single-premium variable universal life insurance policies, which allow you to purchase coverage and fund the policy's cash value with a single payment.
Variable universal life insurance policies have the potential to earn more cash compared to traditional policies because you get to decide how to invest the cash value. However, they tend to have higher premiums and fees than other cash value life insurance policies. The fees include mortality and expense risk charges, sales and administrative fees, and investment management fees. There may also be surrender charges if you withdraw part of the cash value or cancel your coverage within a certain period.
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Final expense insurance cash value
Final expense insurance, also known as funeral insurance or burial insurance, is a type of whole life insurance policy that is designed to help beneficiaries cover end-of-life expenses such as funeral costs, medical debts, or charitable contributions. It is a permanent policy that lasts for the rest of your life, provided that you continue to pay your premiums. Final expense insurance policies build cash value over time, which can be accessed by the policyholder in several ways.
One way to access the cash value of a final expense insurance policy is by taking out a loan against the policy. While the loan itself is not taxable, if the policy terminates before the loan is repaid, the remaining amount may be subject to tax. Another way to access the cash value is by withdrawing up to the amount of the total premiums paid into the policy. However, withdrawing any gains, such as dividends, will be taxed as ordinary income.
Additionally, policyholders can choose to surrender their policy in exchange for the cash value. This option provides instant access to the cash value, which can be used for any purpose. However, there may be surrender fees and potential tax implications associated with this option. It is important to note that surrendering the policy will result in the loss of the death benefit, which is typically between $2,000 and $35,000 for final expense insurance.
The cash value of a final expense insurance policy can also be used to pay premiums through the Automatic Premium Loan (APL) provision. This feature ensures that the policy does not lapse due to non-payment by using the accrued cash value to pay the premiums. Once the cash value is depleted, the policy will officially terminate.
It is worth noting that the cash value of a final expense insurance policy grows tax-free. However, there may be tax implications in certain situations, such as when withdrawing gains or surrendering the policy.
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Modified endowment contract cash value
A modified endowment contract (MEC) is a cash value life insurance policy that has lost its tax benefits because it contains too much cash. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) reclassifies a life insurance policy as an MEC when the total collected premiums and cash value exceed federal tax-law limits. This permanent change can occur when you pay excess premiums in too short a period.
Permanent life insurance contracts are typically granted generous tax advantages in the U.S. However, if you put too much cash into one, it loses its status as "insurance" and becomes an investment vehicle instead. The MEC limits for a policy depend on its terms and death benefit amount. Your insurance company will warn you if a policy is about to become, or has become, an MEC.
A major disadvantage of an MEC for most policyholders is that withdrawals are taxed and possibly penalized if early, similar to those taken from non-qualified annuities. For withdrawals before the age of 59 1/2, you may need to pay the IRS a premature withdrawal penalty of 10%.
MECs may be useful because they often offer a better low-risk yield than savings accounts do and can ease asset transfer upon the owner's death. MECs allow for the tax-free shifting of assets to beneficiaries, without probate proceedings, upon the owner's death.
To avoid MEC status, a life insurance policy must remain beneath the required corridor below the death benefit. One solution to avoid MEC status is to increase the death benefit through paid-up additional insurance (PUA), which raises the ceiling of the corridor. PUA insurance is added whole life insurance coverage purchased with the policy's dividends.
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Frequently asked questions
Cash value life insurance is a type of permanent plan, such as whole life and universal life insurance. With this type of policy, a portion of your premium payments goes toward the death benefit while the remainder builds cash value over time.
The cash value of life insurance grows tax-free. This means that, in many cases, you won’t have to worry about paying taxes on it. But there are some instances where you may owe taxes on the cash value.
You will need to fill out Form 433-A (OIC) and include details of your life insurance policy in Section 3: Personal Asset Information. If you have term life insurance, there is generally no cash value. If you have whole life insurance, you will need to enter the cash value of your life insurance policy in Section 4.