Which types of life insurance offer a cash surrender value?

Asked by: Prof. Madonna Runolfsdottir  |  Last update: July 13, 2025
Score: 4.5/5 (49 votes)

Types of life insurance with cash surrender value
  • Whole life insurance. Whole life insurance is a permanent life policy that offers coverage for your entire life. ...
  • Universal life insurance. Universal life insurance is a type of flexible permanent life policy. ...
  • Withdraw funds. ...
  • Take out a loan. ...
  • Pay premiums.

What type of life insurance has a cash surrender value?

Permanent life insurance offers cash surrender value if you cash in your policy before the maturity date; term life insurance policies do not. Cash surrender value equals your policy's cash value, minus any surrender fees.

What life insurance can be cashed out?

Permanent life insurance, such as universal and whole life policies, comes with a death benefit and a cash value account that you may can cash out while you're still living.

Can I withdraw the cash value of my whole life insurance policy?

A policyholder may need short-term cash to cover unexpected medical bills or other financial concerns. Under certain circumstance, you withdraw cash from your whole life insurance policy in the form of a loan. The insurance company will charge interest on the amount loaned.

What life insurance can you borrow against?

Life insurance loans are only available on permanent life insurance policies — such as whole life and universal life — that have a cash value component. You likely can't borrow against a term life insurance policy since it probably doesn't have cash value. Learn more about term vs. whole life insurance.

What Is Life Insurance Cash Surrender Value?

44 related questions found

What is the cash value of a $10,000 life insurance policy?

Say, for example, that you purchase an insurance policy with a face value of $10,000. Once the policy matures, the cash value of the policy should equal $10,000.

Can you use life insurance to pay off debt?

Because the policy's cash value acts as the loan's collateral, policyowners can only borrow from life insurance to pay off debt when their policies accrue money. Only policyowners with permanent life insurance policies, such as whole and universal life insurance, are eligible for this type of loan.

How soon can I borrow against my whole life insurance?

Once you've built up enough cash value to cover your desired loan amount, you can borrow money from your life insurance policy. The amount of time it will take to accumulate the funds depends on your policy's structure, but it may take a few years to build up enough cash value to take out a policy loan.

What is the cash value of a $25,000 life insurance policy?

Examples of Cash Value Life Insurance

An example is a cash value life insurance policy with a $25,000 death benefit. Assuming you don't take out a loan or withdraw, the cash value accumulates to $5,000. After the policyholder's death, the insurance company would pay out the full death benefit, which would be $25,000.

How much are surrender fees on a life insurance policy?

Cash surrender value is the money you can receive if you choose to cancel or surrender your life insurance policy. It deducts surrender fees or any funds required to repay loans or premiums that haven't been paid. Typically, surrender fees range between 10% to 35% of the policy's cash value and decrease each year.

How long does it take for a whole life policy to build cash value?

A whole life insurance policy will begin building cash value as soon as you pay your first premium, and it will continue building throughout the life of the policy as long as there are funds in the account.

How much tax will I pay if I cash out my life insurance?

Is life insurance cash value taxable? Fortunately, 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.

What are the disadvantages of whole life insurance?

A more complex product than term life insurance. Higher premiums than term life insurance. Could be costly if coverage lapses early.

What is a life insurance that you can cash out?

Benefits of cash value life insurance

Flexible access to funds: With cash value life insurance, you can use the funds from the cash value component while you're still alive. Once you've built up enough cash value, you can enjoy flexible access when needed, whether you want to get a policy loan or make a withdrawal.

How much money will I get if I surrender my policy?

If surrendered in the second year, 30% of the total premiums paid will be returned. If surrendered in the third year, 35% of the total premiums paid will be given. If surrendered anytime from the fourth to the seventh year, 50% of the total premiums paid will be returned.

Is there life insurance with social security?

Social security is primarily a form of retirement insurance. However, it's possible to earn life insurance and disability protection through social security tax contributions and the survivor benefits they can include.

What is the cash value of a $100,000 life insurance policy?

A typical life settlement is worth around 20% of your policy value, but can range from 10-25%. So for a 100,000 dollar policy, you would be looking at anywhere from 10,000 to 25,000 dollars.

What disqualifies life insurance payout?

Life insurance proceeds can be denied. Some denials are legitimate, like in case of policy lapses, material misrepresentations, or exclusions in the form of illegal activities or war. In other cases, bad-faith insurers use elaborate methods to reject claims so they do not have to pay the proceeds.

What type of life insurance has a cash value?

What kinds of life insurance policies accrue cash value? The cash value feature is included on permanent life insurance types like whole life insurance and universal life insurance.

Why is cash value life insurance bad?

Why? First up, you're going into debt, which is never a good idea. Second, you'll have to pay interest on the loan, and if you don't pay all of it back, your death benefit will decrease. Think about how crazy this is—you're paying interest on a loan made up of your own money.

What type of life insurance can you borrow against?

You can borrow from permanent life insurance policies that build cash value. These would typically include whole life and universal life (UL) policies. You cannot borrow against a term policy since there is no cash value associated with it.

How does a $1 million dollar life insurance policy work?

If you pass away at any point during the contract, your beneficiaries will receive $1 million from your insurer, a sum that is typically not taxed. There are also no restrictions regarding how the money can be spent.

Can debt collectors come after life insurance money?

A proper life insurance in place can help your loved ones with debt in several ways. In most cases, the death benefit goes directly to your beneficiaries and not your estate. That means a creditor cannot make a claim against it. This holds true for a small final expense policy or a whole life policy.

What type of life insurance can be paid off?

Paid-up life insurance is only an option for certain whole life insurance policies. A whole life insurance policy offers life insurance coverage for the whole life of the insured individual.

How to use life insurance to build wealth?

4 ways to use whole life insurance as an investment
  1. Withdraw or take a loan on the cash value. ...
  2. Create generational wealth. ...
  3. Collect dividends. ...
  4. Surrender the policy (but only if you no longer need it)