Q&A

How long do you have to be married to receive life insurance?

How long do you have to be married to receive life insurance?

Marriage Requirement In most circumstances, you must be married to the deceased person for at least nine months to qualify for widow’s benefits based on your spouse’s Social Security benefits.

Is life insurance community property in California?

California is a community property state, which means that anything earned by the couple is owned equally be each partner. When life insurance is purchased with community money it is possible that the proceeds of the life insurance policy may be community property.

Can a ex spouse be a life insurance beneficiary in California?

In states that have laws automatically invalidating an ex-spouse as life insurance beneficiary, if the policy was a benefit of employment, the ex-spouse remains beneficiary if still named. As explained previously, this is not the case in California.

How does term life insurance work in a marriage?

With term life insurance, the entire policy is considered community property — which would give the spouse the right to 50% of the death benefit — if income earned during the marriage were used to pay the most recent premium. The other 50% would go to the named beneficiary.

Can a spouse be on a life insurance policy?

It’s also important to remember that if your spouse is still making alimony payments, the court may have ordered him or her to keep your ex on a life insurance policy, in the event that something would happen before those payments stop. In which case, the only question is — is there a policy for you, too?

Who is the beneficiary of term life insurance in California?

For example, if Mary buys a term life insurance policy two years before marrying John in California, then dies a year later, and John finds out Mary named her boyfriend Sam as beneficiary, John is entitled to one-third of 50% of the death benefit and Sam would receive the remainder. Is Permanent Life Insurance Community Property in California?

In states that have laws automatically invalidating an ex-spouse as life insurance beneficiary, if the policy was a benefit of employment, the ex-spouse remains beneficiary if still named. As explained previously, this is not the case in California.

With term life insurance, the entire policy is considered community property — which would give the spouse the right to 50% of the death benefit — if income earned during the marriage were used to pay the most recent premium. The other 50% would go to the named beneficiary.

When does a spouse have a right to life insurance?

That includes life insurance policies. In Washington state, for instance, if a spouse uses “community property” to pay the life insurance premiums, his or her spouse has the right to a portion of the life insurance proceeds.

For example, if Mary buys a term life insurance policy two years before marrying John in California, then dies a year later, and John finds out Mary named her boyfriend Sam as beneficiary, John is entitled to one-third of 50% of the death benefit and Sam would receive the remainder. Is Permanent Life Insurance Community Property in California?