Relevant Life Insurance
a tax efficient way to offer life insurance
Expert Insurance Advice
Piece of mind
In most cases the benefits are paid free of inheritance tax - provided they're paid through a discretionary trust.
Tax efficient
They can be more tax-efficient for high-earning employees, as relevant life plans don't count towards the lifetime allowance
Addaptable
Adaptability to life's changes - we know life never stays the same for long. Cover can be increased without the need for new medical evidence.
Protection for your key employees
A Relevant Life Plan allows employers to give death-in-service benefits to their employees outside of a registered group life scheme.
What is Relevant Life Insurance?
Relevant Life Insurance, otherwise known as death-in-service insurance is a tax-efficient insurance policy designed to cover your key employees, who might not be easy to replace. This type of plan could also help high-earning employees who have substantial pension funds and don’t want their death-in-service benefits to form part of their lifetime allowance.
Benefits of Relevant Life Insurance
- Tax-efficient for both employers and employees
- The cover is useful for small businesses that don’t have enough employees to justify a group life scheme
- Provides individual life cover to high-value employees
- In most cases, the benefits are paid free of inheritance tax, providing they are set up in discretionary trust
- Cover can move with an employee to the new employer
- Benefit up to 30 times total remuneration
- Terminal illness and accidental death cover included with most policies
How does Relevant Life Insurance work?
Small Business
Often small businesses do not have enough employees to benefit from the group life scheme. With relevant life insurance, it is possible to provide life insurance on an individual basis and some policies can cover up to 25 employees.
High earning employees
Unlike registered group life schemes, relevant life insurance would not fall under pension legislation and would not become a part of the lifetime allowance. This is a great way to offer high earning employees a life cover that would fall outside inheritance tax and lifetime allowance.
Members of group life schemes
Members of the group life scheme can use the relevant life insurance to top up their death-in-service benefits in a tax-efficient way. Many group life schemes would restrict the benefit to base salary, while the relevant insurance policy can include bonuses and benefits-in-kind to calculate the maximum cover.
Tax advantages of Relevant Life Insurance
- Premiums are free from income tax, NIC and treated as allowable expenses for corporation tax
- The benefits are free from income tax, capital gain tax, won't be included in the lifetime allowance and would not part the estate for inheritance tax
You must be logged in to post a comment.