Penetration of Life Insurance in India is very low. Some of the reasons for this are

• People perceive life insurance as a cost & not a necessity
• Unlike motor insurance, life insurance has not been made mandatory by the government
• People buy life insurance only for tax saving purposes

The Sabse Pehle Life Insurance Campaign has been launched to create awareness about the importance of Life Insurance and it's benefits for everyone. There have been a lot of market myths which is causing confusion amongst customers and the campaign aims to bring customer attention to the right things about why life insurance should be first. In addition, it also aims at demystifying the purchase process & encourages people to make life insurance their first priority.

Life Insurance is a contract between an insurance company and an insurance policy holder, where the company agrees to pay a pre-decided amount of money (called Life Cover or Sum Assured) in case of the unfortunate death of the policy holder. The policy holder has to pay premiums towards the policy. In event of death, life cover helps the policy holder’s family take care of immediate financial liabilities such as loans, children’s education etc.

Because, you are not Superman. We are human, we grow old, we may not always be around to provide for our family. A life insurance plan may not keep bad things from happening to you, but it offers a financial cushion to support you and your family. It also makes sure your family finances are taken care of, even if when you’re not around.

Yesterday.

We understand, you’ve got your loans and your bills and your parties and saving money for an insurance policy seems like a stretch. But it is simply a smart move to be financially prepared for the future.

Buying insurance is usually cheaper when you're younger. An insurance company calculates the premium based on your age and medical conditions. When you’re young > you’re healthy > risk to the company is less > lesser premium amount!

• Whole Life insurance Plans
• Term Life Insurance Plans
• Unit Linked Insurance Plans
• Health Insurance Plans
• Child Plans
• Money Back Plans
• Pension Plans

There are different types of life insurance plans to cater to the needs of the buyers. For each type and plan, the policy premium amount is calculated differently.

If you are looking to purchase your first life insurance plan, you should look for term life insurance plans. As you can get a life cover of a considerably high Sum Assured for a minimal premium amount.

You can calculate term life premium yourself and it takes just a few seconds. Simply,

1. Click here
2. Enter a few simple details
3. Hit a button which says “Calculate Premium”

Life Insurance policies offer life cover for the duration of the policy term or till a claim is filed and settled as per the terms and conditions of the policy. The policy term is chosen by you at the time of purchase of the policy.

If you miss out on paying premium for your Life Insurance policy, you are given a 30 day grace period. If premiums are still not paid during the grace period, the policy will lapse and benefits of the policy won’t apply to you. However, you can still reinstate your policy within a period of two years from the due date of the last premium.

At the end of your policy term, your life insurance policy matures. You receive all maturity benefits of the policy, if any, and the life cover ceases. And there is no need to pay further premiums.

You can opt to pay your premiums through payment options like:

• Credit Card
• Debit Card
• Netbanking
• Payment Wallets

If you set a standing instruction (SI) with your policy and the premium amount will get automatically debited from your account at the time of renewal.

When you appoint a nominee, you enable that person to receive policy proceeds in the event of your untimely death without the necessity of producing any legal evidence of title to your estate.

All premiums subsequent to the first premium are called as renewal premium.

The person named in the policy as the recipient of insurance proceeds upon the death of the insured.

There are different types of life insurance plans to cater to the needs of the buyers. If a single policy does not meet all your insurance objectives, you should go for a portfolio of policies to plan for your different life goals.

When you buy a life insurance plan online, the insurance company usually saves on distribution cost, which is reflected in a lower premium amount. What we mean is, it is usually cheaper to buy an insurance policy online.

Just select a plan which best suits your needs after carefully understanding the product, fill in the required details accurately and pay the premium. Your application will be checked by underwriting teams and processed. You’ll get the policy document in just a few days!

Select a plan which best suits your needs after carefully understanding the product, fill in the required details accurately and pay the premium. Your application will be checked by an underwriting team and processed further. You’ll get the policy document in just a few days!

The premium generally varies from a smoker to a non-smoker. Premium is generally higher for a smoker as he/she falls in a high-risk category.

Once the policy is issued to you, the premium amount stays the same throughout the entire tenure of the policy. Except for factors like addition of riders or declaration of habits like smoking, drinking etc. or the declaration pertaining to a hazardous employment nature etc.

Yes. Term insurance, once in effect, will apply even in case of policyholder’s unfortunate demise outside India.

Yes, accidental death is covered under base term insurance plans, but having an additional accidental death benefit cover serves as a great benefit. In case of an accident, an additional amount will be paid to you by your insurer along with the base life cover during the term of the policy.

Riders are ways to customize your policy. They offer additional covers for situations like death by accident, critical illness, permanent disability etc. The riders you choose depend on your way of living, requirements as well as financial stability.

Yes. You have an option to change the nominee whenever you want during the policy term as per the terms and conditions of the policy you’ve purchased.

Once the policy is issued to you, the premium amount stays the same throughout the entire tenure of the policy. Except for factors like addition of riders or declaration of habits like smoking, drinking etc. or the declaration pertaining to a hazardous employment nature etc.

You should decide your life cover keeping in mind your income, the debts or loans you have and your financial dependents. It is usually suggested that your life cover should be at least 10 to 15 times your annual income. If you have loans such as home loans, car loans, etc. then you should factor that in too.

Use this formula to know your ideal life cover:
Life Cover = [10 x annual income + outstanding loans + other liabilities]

Buying a life insurance policy, as early as you can, is always a wise financial decision, here’s why:

• FINANCIAL SECURITY
  Term Life Insurance plans are a great way to make sure that your family will be financially secure even after you’ve passed on.
• WEALTH CREATION
  Unit-linked Insurance plans offer you an opportunity to build wealth. Most of the premium you pay towards these policies is invested in markets to get you great returns over the long term.
• RETIREMENT PLANNING
  Retirement and Pension plans help you accumulate wealth during your work life. Once you retire, this plan offers an option for regular pay-outs.
• CHILD EDUCATION PLANNING
  A child plan makes sure that money problems never get in the way of your child’s education, even in your absence.
• TAX SAVINGS
  Life Insurance premiums paid are deductible from taxable income under Section 80C. The payout (maturity amount) received under an insurance policy is also exempt subject to conditions under Section 10(10D) of the Income Tax Act, 1961. This means that neither the amount you invest will be taxable nor the returns that you would get at the end of the policy

Term plans offer you a pure life cover for the duration of the plan.
If something unfortunate happens to you, your nominee receives the life cover amount.
All Edelweiss Tokio Life term plans have unique benefits and advantages, click here for more details.

ULIPs or Unit linked Insurance plans are essentially life insurance policies which also help you create wealth over the long term.
Part of the premium you pay for ULIP plans goes towards your life cover and the remaining amount goes into a fund which is then invested in the markets.
If the fund you’re invested in does good, the returns you get on your investment would be good.
Edelweiss Tokio Life has won multiple awards for its ULIP plans, check them out here.

Wouldn’t you like to have a steady income even after retirement?
Pension Plans or Retirement Plans help you do just that. The premium you pay towards these plans help you create a retirement corpus. And after you retire, the plan gives back regular pay-outs.
But, if you ask us, a ULIP is a good option to plan for your Retirement. You’ll have options to switch between the funds your ULIP invests in depending on your risk appetite, on the tax-savings front, ULIPs are eligible for tax exemption under Sections 80C and 10D of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
So, don’t wait up, start saving with our award-winning ULIPs. For more details, click here.

Some of us like to keep investments simple. We just want a guaranteed amount at specific intervals and/or a maturity benefit after the policy term ends and tax benefits don’t hurt anyone. We want to stay away from the markets and bulls and bears and bells.
If plans like this mildly excite you, go for money back plans.
Edelweiss Tokio Life has created a plan which guarantees amount that you would get at the end. Figure out what we mean by that, click here.

Hospitals are expensive. They will never stop being expensive.
Even a tiny surgery takes a big bite out of your savings. More serious the surgery, bigger the bite. Health Insurance plans help you get financial support if you are diagnosed with a serious illness.
Edelweiss Tokio Life – Health Shield+ is custom-made to help you fight against cancer and heart illness. Whether the degree of illness is minor or major, this plan offers a survival benefit on diagnosis. During tough times, your focus should only be on recovery, this plan offers option Waiver of Premium. You can also opt for the Return of Premium option, which not only cover you against cancer ailments but we will also return all the premiums paid by you minus any claim(s) paid by us, on maturity.
For more information about the plan, please click here.

Understanding what your child wants can be tricky. Your kid might want to become a dog-petter one day and a cricketer the next. Whatever the dream, it is always wise to be financially prepared for their education and a good future.
A child plan makes sure that money problems never get in the way of your child’s education, even in your absence.
Click here to know more.

A claim on an insurance policy is a formal notification to the insurance company that you have suffered a loss that is covered by the policy and you are requesting the payout.
The insurer reviews your claim and checks if the event or circumstances are risks covered by the policy.
If your claim is accepted, any payment by the insurer is called the benefit or payout.

Claims Settlement Ratio is the total number of death claims approved by an insurance company divided by the total no. of death claim the insurance company receives. The balance claims are either rejected for impersonation, misrepresentation, fraud, etc. or pending for decision by the life insurance companies. This ratio is generally measured over a period of one financial year.

Term plans offer you a pure life cover for the duration of the plan.
If something unfortunate happens to you, your nominee receives the life cover amount.
All Edelweiss Tokio Life term plans have unique benefits and advantages, click here for more details.

Besides the peace of mind which comes from knowing that your family would be financially secure even after you’ve passed on, buying a life insurance policy has many benefits.

• HIGH LIFE COVER AT LOW COST
  Term Insurance Plans offer you the highest life cover for the lowest premium amount. For example, Edelweiss Tokio Life- Zindagi+ offers a 26-year-old non-smoker a life cover of Rs. 1 crore till the age of 60 for a premium of just Rs. 577 per month.
• TAX BENEFIT U/S 80c
  Of course there are tax benefits! Life Insurance premiums paid are deductible from taxable income under Section 80C. The payment (maturity amount) received under an insurance policy is also exempt subject to conditions under Section 10(10D) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
• LONG TERM PROTECTION
  Term Insurance Plans offer you a life cover up to the age of 99. Or you could opt for the Limited Pay option where you can opt to pay premiums for a short period of time and get a life cover for a longer one.
• ADD ON BENEFITS
  Many term insurance plans offer a host of add on benefits and riders such as accidental cover, critical illness cover, etc. These modifications help you make the term plan stronger.

First of all, put down your calculators, your abacuses and no, you can’t count it on your fingers and toes.

Calculating your term life insurance premium is just a matter of a few clicks. To calculate your premium:

1. Enter a few simple details
2. Hit a button which says “Calculate Premium”
3. C’mon now, give it a try. Click here.

Premium of any insurance policy is dependent on many factors like duration, age, sum assured, etc.
A term plan offers a pure life cover till an age, which could be the whole life in some plans. However, whole life is a feature of an investment plan as well, in which you pay premiums to build wealth.

Congratulations on your decision to secure your family’s future! Let’s get you insured, shall we?

Life Cover = [10 x annual income + total outstanding loans + other liabilities]

And, that’s simple enough! Simply click here, enter a few details, select the amount and tenure of insurance cover and click on ‘Calculate Premium’

You can opt to pay your premiums monthly, half-yearly or yearly through payment options like:

• Credit Card
• Debit Card
• Netbanking
• Payment Wallets

You will be asked to fill out the proposal form with your details.

You will have to submit the following or more documents for issuance of policy

• KYC documents such as proof of name, address, identification and photo e.g. Aadhar Card
• Income proof e.g. Income Tax Returns

• It Provides Financial Security
  Every person who has financial responsibilities towards their family should consider the fact that they may not always be around. From household expenses to children’s education, everything can take a hit if the earning member passes away and one must take precautions to avoid a financial crisis in such a situation.
• It is Economical
  You can buy a simple life insurance plan for a fixed term at minimal premiums and if anything happens to you during the term of the plan, the nominee can either avail the sum assured as a lump sum amount, as monthly instalments or as a combination of both, depending upon the pay-out option chosen by the policyholder.
  
  It is also beneficial to get a life insurance policy at a younger age as your premium increases every year. For example, at 21 years of age, a non-smoker, a single individual would be paying a yearly premium of ₹7131 for a life cover of ₹1 crore whereas, a 25-year-old single individual with same lifestyle habits will be paying a yearly premium of ₹8186 for the same life cover.
• Provides Tax Benefit
  All premiums are exempt from tax under Section 80C. The sum assured (maturity amount) received is also exempt subject to conditions under Section 10(10D) of the Income Tax Act, 1961.
• Timely Payout
  Most of the term insurance policies are pretty simple and therefore the insurance companies don’t have to debate a lot about paying up the claims. If there is death during the term of the policy the nominee can get their claims easily without any hassles provided the nominee is done with the requisite claim formalities. IRDAI’s Insurance Laws (Amendment) Act 2015 also directs life insurance companies to compulsorily pay all claims made three years after the date of commencement of a policy.
• Flexibility
  You can select how the policy proceeds can be disbursed in case of your death. Some term plans offer monthly payouts where the sum assured amount can be given as a family income benefit to provide the regular cash flow to your dependents.
• Riders and Benefits
  Even though choosing the best term insurance policy is a simple process and most term plans provide basic life cover, some also come with the option of getting add-ons. For example, you can opt to add critical illness cover, accidental death benefit, accidental total and permanent disability cover, etc. to a basic term policy to make the plan even more robust and risk-free. Insurance plans like Edelweiss Tokio Life Zindagi Plus provide the Better half benefit that ensures enhanced financial security even in the absence of the main breadwinner. Under this benefit, after the death of the policyholder, a life cover will start in his/her spouse’s name. This will be 50% of the life cover of the policyholder, up to an amount of ₹1cr. The spouse won’t have to pay any premium and the nominee will also get the sum assured.

Apart from being a great way to make sure you save regularly for your family’s future, Life Insurance plans are also an efficient tax-saving instrument. You get tax exemptions on premiums as well as death benefits under section 80C and 10(10D).

Under Section 80C, premiums that you pay towards a life insurance policy qualifies for a deduction up to ₹1.5 lakh, while Section 10(10D) makes income on maturity tax-free if the Life Cover is at least 10 times the premium.

It is wise to consult a tax expert and take an informed decision because the benefits can vary for your specific case and tax bracket.

Note: We as Indians (brace yourself for a stereotype) pride ourselves in two things: 1. Jugaad
2. Last-minute preparation

Some people among us use these skills and buy insurance ONLY because it helps in saving tax. If you were planning to do just that or you’ve already done it, please make sure you know everything about the insurance plan. We write stuff like “Please read the sales brochure carefully before concluding a sale” in all our disclaimers for a reason.

You should decide your life cover keeping in mind your income, the debts or loans you have and your financial dependents. It is usually suggested that your life cover should be at least 10 to 15 times your annual income. If you have loans such as home loans, car loans, etc. then you should factor that in too.

Use this formula to know your ideal life cover:

Life Cover = [10 x annual income + total outstanding loans + other liabilities]

Accidental death benefit is a rider you add to your base plan. If Accidental Death Benefit is included in your term plan, 100% of the rider sum assured is paid on top of the base sum assured in case of the policyholder’s unfortunate demise due to an accident.

A critical illness insurance benefit offers an insurance cover to the policyholder against life threatening critical illnesses like cancer, heart-related illness, etc. It provides a lumpsum benefit on the diagnosis of any critical illness that is predefined in the plan.
The health insurance plan you may have or the health insurance coverage which your employer provides, may not be sufficient. Because when it comes to critical illnesses, it’s not just hospital expenses, there’s doctor visits, medical expenses etc. So, it’s better to get an added critical illness benefit pay out to help you with the added expenses without dipping into your long-term savings.

A term insurance plan offers a life cover to the policyholder only. But, you can ask your insurer for a plan which covers both you and your family member.
If you ask us, we’ll tell you that Edelweiss Tokio Life Zindagi+ offers better half benefit which means, a single term life insurance plan can have benefit for both you and your spouse. Click here for more details.

ULIPs or Unit linked Insurance plans are essentially life insurance policies which also help you create wealth over the long term.
Part of the premium you pay for ULIP plans goes towards your life cover and the remaining amount goes into a fund which is then invested in the markets.
If the fund you’re invested in does good, the returns you get on your investment would be good.
Edelweiss Tokio Life has won the coveted Golden Peacock Award 2018 (Product Innovation) for its ULIP plan, check it out here.

Yes.
ULIPs help you build wealth over the long term thanks to the power of compounding, which means that even if you invest a small amount for several years consistently, it will grow into a large corpus.
ULIPs offer benefits like tax exemption (under Section 80C) and returns generated are also tax free (under Section 10(10D)).

One of the main benefits of starting early is the power of compounding which provides the foundation for time value for money. Even if you invest a small amount for several years consistently, it will grow into a large corpus.

The other basic rule of sound investing is to have a balanced investment portfolio. This simply means that you need a mix of financial plans for both your long-term goals and short-term goals. This strategy attempts to balance risk versus rewards by adjusting and rebalancing each asset in an investment portfolio according to the investor’s risk appetite.

Here are a few things you should keep in mind before choosing a ULIP:

• Always good to have options
  Go for a ULIP plan which offers a wide range of fund options with varying allocation in equities. It’s better to diversify and have lower risk than to stick with one or two funds.
• Switch karo, khush raho
  Always go for ULIP plans that offer the facility of unlimited switching between funds. This means you can, anytime, choose to stop investing in a fund and switch to another fund if you think that will be a more suitable option for you.
• Don’t pay more than you have to
  Always choose a ULIP plan after looking over your financial position so that the premium doesn’t create a financial burden on you. Keep in mind that if you are unable to pay the premium your policy can lapse, which is never good.
• Redirect at your will
  Go for a ULIP plan that offers the facility of redirecting your premium. This means that you can choose what percentage of your premium is invested in which fund and can anytime, reduce or increase that percentage as you deem fit.
• Fund check
  Check the past performance of the individual funds and choose the plan which has high rated individual funds. This will ensure that your funds are comparatively safer in the volatile market.

Edelweiss Tokio Life Wealth Plus provides you with features that make up for an ideal ULIP plan as it contains facilities like:

1. Facility to switch your accumulated investment from one fund to another at the opportune time free of cost
2. Option of redirecting your premium in funds of your choice
3. Access to your wealth, through partial withdrawal
4. You can choose to pay premium for a limited time, yet the wealth accumulation and insurance protection for a longer period of time
5. Tax benefits under Section 80C and Section 10 (10D) of Income Tax Act, 1961
6. Additional allocation and premium boosters will help in accumulating your wealth to a great extent
7. Rising Star Benefit, under which if an unfortunate event occurs to the policyholder then all the future premiums will be immediately credited in the fund. This acts like a child plan where the nominee receives a lumpsum amount and the investment grows as planned by the parent.

Death and maturity benefits are central to any ULIP policy irrespective of the insurance provider the scheme is availed from.

Death benefits of ULIPs are offered in case of unfortunate demise of the policyholder.

Maturity benefits are offered to policyholders when the policyholder survives till the maturity period. Maturity benefits are equal to the amount of fund value.

The best ULIP plans help you build wealth over the long term. Part of the premium you pay towards a ULIP plan goes into a fund which is invested in the markets. The returns you get from these plans depend on the fund performance. So surely you can buy for 5 years. However, the longer you stay with the plan, better are the chances of building your wealth.

Click here to check out how funds of Edelweiss Tokio Life have performed over the years.

Apart from being a great way to make sure you save regularly for your family’s future, Life Insurance plans are also an efficient tax-saving instrument. You get tax exemptions on premiums as well as death or maturity benefits under section 80C and 10(10D).

You can avail an exemption of up to Rs 150,000 under Section 80C of the Income Tax Act, 1961 towards premium paid on life insurance policies. This also includes premium paid by you for life insurance for your spouse or your child.

No. If you stop paying premium for your policy, the policy lapses and you are not eligible for the benefits offered by the policy.

Under Section 10(10D) of Income Tax Act, 1961 income on maturity is tax-exempted if the premium is not more than 10% of the sum assured or the sum assured is at least 10 times the premium.
But if the sum assured is less than 10 times the premium—for instance you pay ₹1 lakh as premium for a sum assured of ₹5 lakh—you will get a deduction on the premium up to 10% of the sum assured. In the example, your deduction will be ₹50,000 and not ₹1 lakh ( ₹50,000 is 10% of ₹ 5 lakh).
It is still wise to consult a tax expert and take an informed decision because the benefits can vary for your specific case and tax bracket.

We as Indians (brace yourself for a stereotype) pride ourselves in two things:
1. Jugaad
2. Last-minute preparation

Some people among us use these skills and buy insurance ONLY because it helps in saving tax. If you were planning to do just that or you’ve already done it, please make sure you know everything about the insurance plan. We write stuff like “Please read the sales brochure carefully before concluding a sale” in all our disclaimers for a reason.

For tax-saving purposes under section 80C, all life insurance plans are equally beneficial as the application of tax laws are same for all plans. However, you need to check for tax free maturity benefit in case of pension plans

All premiums are deductible from taxable income under Section 80C. The maturity amount received is also exempt subject to conditions under Section 10(10D) of the Income Tax Act, 1961

Tax Exemption under Section 80C on Premium Paid:
The premium paid in a financial year is eligible for deduction under section 80C of the Income Tax Act. An individual or a HUF can claim this deduction under Section 80C.

The premium paid by a tax payer is eligible for deduction irrespective of which Life Insurer you choose. Premium paid towards a life cover taken with any insurer that is approved by the Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority of India (IRDAI), is eligible for a Section 80C deduction.

In order to claim deduction under section 80C, the premium paid should not exceed 10% of the sum assured. Further, here it is important to note that covering the life of an individual with a disability referred to under Section 80U or a disease referred to under Section 80DDB, the requirement to claim the deduction under Section 80C is that the premium should not exceed 15% of the sum assured.

Tax Exemption under section 10(10D) on Maturity amount received
The maturity amount in a ULIP is fully exempt from Income Tax under Section 10(10D).
When the premium paid is more than 10% of the sum assured for policy issued after 1st April 2012 or more than 20% for policies issued prior to 1 April 2012, the maturity amount received from life insurance policy is fully taxable.

Before lock-in-period
If the policy is surrendered before the lock-in-period of 5 years, then the entire surrender value will be treated as income for the current year and will be added in Gross Total Income and thus will be taxed as per applicable tax slab rate of the individual.

For instance, if surrender value of ULIP is ₹3 lacs and total income apart from surrender value is ₹15 lacs. Therefore, the total income will be ₹18 lacs and the entire income will be taxed as per slab rate.

After lock-in-period
If the policy is surrendered after the lock-in-period of 5 years, then the surrender value will be exempt from taxation and assured can avail the tax benefit. For instance, if surrender value of ULIP is ₹3 lacs and total income apart from surrender value is ₹15 lacs. Therefore, the total income will be Rs. 15 lacs and the entire income is taxed as per slab rate.

No, life insurance proceeds including the maturity benefit is not taxable in accordance to Section 10(10D) of Income Tax Act, 1961.