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Does Life Insurance Cover Suicide?

Many Policies Have a Suicide Clause That Limits Benefit Payments.

Suicide was one of the nine leading causes of death among people ages 10 to 64 in 2020, according to CDC data (https://www.cdc.gov/suicide/facts/index.html). Although life insurance may provide coverage in cases of suicide, many policies have special provisions limiting benefit payments.

How Do Suicide Clauses Work?

Insurance companies want to prevent people from having a financial incentive to take their own lives. That is why many life insurance policies have a suicide clause, also known as a suicide provision, stating that they will not pay a death benefit if the covered person dies by suicide within the first two years of coverage, commonly called the exclusion period. After the exclusion period ends, the policy's beneficiaries may receive a death benefit if the covered person dies by suicide after that date.

Any change to a policy, such as adding coverage or converting a term policy to a whole life policy, can restart the clock, causing the exclusion period to begin again.

Suicide provisions may also vary depending on the type of coverage you have:

Group Life Insurance

Unlike most individual life insurance policies, many group life policies—the type of life insurance people often obtain through their employers—do not have a suicide clause. If a covered person dies by suicide, their beneficiaries will generally receive the death benefit.

Term Life Insurance

With individual term life insurance, beneficiaries can claim the death benefit as long as the exclusion period has ended. If the person dies after the policy has been in effect for one or two years, beneficiaries are entitled to the full benefit. But if the person dies during the exclusion period, beneficiaries may receive only the sum of the premiums paid to date.

Whole Life Insurance

With whole life policies, beneficiaries may receive the plan's cash value even if the covered person dies during the exclusion period. After the exclusion period ends, beneficiaries may receive the full death benefit and cash value.

How Does an Insurance Company Know Whether Someone Died by Suicide?

When a policyholder dies and their beneficiaries file a claim, the insurance company will request a death certificate. The death certificate would describe the cause of death and indicate whether the person's death was self-inflicted.

If the death certificate is inconclusive or lists a questionable cause of death, the insurance company may require additional documentation, such as an autopsy report, a medical examiner's report, an EMS report, or the person's medical records.

Because deaths by suicide may take longer to investigate, beneficiaries may experience a delay in receiving the life insurance policy's benefit.

Although the claims process can be more complex and time-consuming, beneficiaries should not let that discourage them from filing a claim. They may be entitled to benefits that could help them financially as they try to recover from the tragedy.

Help for Anyone Considering Suicide

If you or someone you know is experiencing depression or mental health problems, get help now. You are not alone. If you or a loved one is thinking about suicide, contact the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-8255 or through live chat.

It is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and provides free, confidential support.