What is The Taxable Benefit of Whole Life Insurance?

In Canada, most payouts from life insurance policies aren’t subject to income tax. No matter the size, your named beneficiaries wouldn’t have to report the amount on their tax return. On top of this, some whole life insurance policies ensure tax-free growth while you’re alive.

But we want you to understand the details thoroughly. After all, transparency is vital when talking about money. So, find all the ins and outs below.

Will Your Loved Ones Pay Tax on Your Death Benefit?

As mentioned, most life insurance payouts aren’t subject to income tax. Therefore, your loved ones (i.e., whoever you named as your beneficiary) will not need to report the proceeds on their Canadian tax return.

Inheritances and other financial gifts also aren’t taxable. Your beneficiaries or heirs won’t pay death tax or estate inheritance tax. Instead, your estate itself relinquishes any taxes owed to the government.

In the event that you don’t appoint a beneficiary, your estate automatically gains authority. Thus, the death benefit can become subject to tax.

**With That Said, Taxable Events May Occur**

Depending on the whole life insurance policy you choose, there could be an option to acquire cash value. Often, this money is invested so it has a chance to grow and take advantage of interest.

While the cash value is normally protected from tax, surrendering the policy and receiving this money instead means you must pay tax on the increased amount. In addition, any beneficiaries receiving interest earnings from your policy alongside the death benefit makes the former taxable.

Canada’s Life Insurance Tax Reporting Rules

When it comes to reporting life insurance proceeds for your loved ones (beneficiaries), the Canadian Revenue Agency makes it simple. They need only report payouts as taxable income if there is tax due on interest earnings.

In that situation, your insurance provider sends the beneficiary a T5 form. They should then input the interest earnings on line 121 of the tax return.

Now, let’s take a peek at a few different types of whole life insurance and the tax information surrounding them.

The Tax Advantages of Whole Life Insurance

The Canadian government allows you to supply up to 10 times the premium payments into the tax-free investment section of your policy. As various strategies are used, you can withdraw the accumulated funds without worrying about tax — although we suggest discussing such strategies with our financial planning professionals at Sim Gakhar.

The main factor to watch out for here is the investment erosion that could occur due to tax. Why? Because the speed at which your investment portion grows is largely based on taxation. But again, Sim Gakhar’s experts can manage this for you with the right strategy.

Despite the potential erosion, no other investment option allows for immense tax-free contributions.

The Tax Advantages of Corporation-Owned Whole Life Insurance

Yes, corporations can take advantage of the tax benefits offered by whole life insurance policies.

When the cover is paid for by corporate money, you don’t have to claim income tax before investing. Even though the investments take place through the business’ permanent policy, you still have the right to pass the money along to loved ones tax-free once you die.

On top of that, whole life insurance through corporations provides a separate capital dividend account. You can use this notional account to offset any corporate tax that you might owe after death.

Leveraging this strategy is best for business owners who will owe tax from RRSPs, company shares, marketable securities, and secondary properties. It helps reduce their final burden.

The Tax Advantages of Participating Whole Life Insurance

Participating whole life insurance is a variation of permanent coverage that provides lifetime cover as long as you keep paying the premiums. The monthly cost stays the same throughout the policy, even as you age or suffer health problems.

Furthermore, you get a tax-advantaged investment component with this type of insurance. It lets you accumulate a more considerable estate than taxable accounts. Your cash value grows without annual taxation.

Where Does The “Participating” Part Come Into Play?

The policy allows you to get involved with the insurance provider’s profits. Once per annum, the company looks at the profit made within its investment fund’s claims and expenses. The amount is redistributed to participating policyholders.

You can choose to access the dividends in a variety of ways, including:

Acquiring the cash
Leaving them to accumulate more value
Purchasing extra paid-up insurance cover (This is the most popular option.)

It’s worth noting that the payments aren’t 100% guaranteed. But, it’s very rare for providers to skip redistribution.

Participating Whole Life Insurance Benefits

To gain a clearer understanding of the benefits you receive through participating whole life insurance policies, check out the list below:

Access to money — You can reach the money in the cash value pot any time you wish. It’s accessible through policy withdrawals, policy loans, or pledging the value as collateral for tax-free lines of credit. In other words, it lets you enhance your financial flexibility and liquidity.
Death benefit — The death benefit is transferred tax-free to your beneficiaries, improving your estate.
Account growth — During your lifetime, any guaranteed cash values and dividends aren’t subject to tax, allowing you to meet your financial goals and build a sizeable inheritance for your beneficiaries.
Annual vesting — When you use the dividends to buy extra paid-up insurance, they create a new cash value floor. That floor cannot be reduced unless you initiate a change.

Get All The Benefits From Professional Management with Sim Gakhar

Here at Sim Gakhar, we manage your participating account assets for you. No matter your risk level, we diversify and maintain your portfolio to ensure a high-quality return on your investment.

To learn more, book a call with Sim Gakhar today. We’ll run a fine-tuned needs analysis to ensure you and your loved ones make the most of all the benefits provided by permanent life insurance. It’s an essential part of your wealth management plan.

FAQs & Helpful Resources Regarding Whole Life Insurance

Other Types of Life Insurance Products You May Want To Check Out

When To Get Covered

When it comes to life insurance there really is no time that is too soon to get covered. And, this is because the younger you are, the cheaper those premiums are going to be. Not only this, but you are probably healthy right now.

If you wait until something bad happens, you will not only without a doubt face higher premiums, but you might not even be able to get covered at all.