Reevaluating your small business’ group life insurance plan

Better rates are generally given to larger employers because of the amount they collect in premium, versus that of smaller employers who don’t collect as much. Tiered life insurance policies also typically remain with larger employees, due to the fact that they are better able to afford them. Regardless of the size of your company, it is important to reevaluate your group insurance plan regularly.

A group life insurance plan should be reevaluated and reassessed when your company grows significantly, hires executives with larger salaries, increases in number of employees, the demographics of the employee population changes, or when it improves previously offered benefits. By checking back with your broker as your business grows, you may be eligible for a lower life insurance rate.

When looking for a new or different insurance plan, there are a few different options that an employer can look towards. The first and most basic life insurance plan typically covers one year’s worth of salary. The next step up would be to expand your benefits with a plan, such as a group universal life insurance plan, which can offer two to three times an employee’s salary, as well as offering a portability feature which allows the employee to remain covered after they leave or retire. A group universal life insurance helps build cash towards future premiums, but is generally offered by companies with over 1000 employees, because the cash value account must be individually managed. Also, the employees are permitted to pay in as much, or as little, as they want.

The classification of the employee is also a determining factor when thinking about separate group life insurance plans. For example, an employer may choose to do a flat death benefit payout for certain workers, where as those who hold higher positions (i.e. managers, supervisors, etc.) receive benefits equal to one to three times their salaries.