What is return of premium life insurance?

Return of premium insurance refunds all or part of your life insurance payments if you outlive the policy’s term, but it comes with some special considerations.

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Tory CrowleyAssociate Editor & Licensed Life Insurance AgentTory Crowley is an associate editor and a former licensed insurance agent at Policygenius. Previously, she worked directly with clients at Policygenius, advising nearly 3,000 of them on life insurance options. She has also worked at the Daily News and various nonprofit organizations.&Amanda ShihEditor & Licensed Life Insurance ExpertAmanda Shih is a licensed life, disability, and health insurance expert and a former editor at Policygenius, where she covered life insurance and disability insurance. Her expertise has appeared in Slate, Lifehacker, Little Spoon, and J.D. Power.

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Antonio Ruiz-CamachoAntonio Ruiz-CamachoAssociate Content DirectorAntonio helps lead our life insurance and disability insurance editorial team at Policygenius. Previously, he was a senior director of content at Bankrate and CreditCards.com, as well as a principal writer covering personal finance at CNET.
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Maria FilindrasMaria FilindrasFinancial AdvisorMaria Filindras is a financial advisor, a licensed Life & Health insurance agent in California, and a member of the Financial Review Council at Policygenius.

Updated|2 min read

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Return of premium life insurance (ROP) is a type of term life insurance that refunds all or part of the payments you make if you outlive your coverage. 

ROP policies — sometimes also called return of premium term life insurance — are usually two to three times more expensive than standard term life insurance — and might not be the best way to invest your money. Most people will be better off buying a traditional term life policy and contributing any extra cash toward traditional savings or investment accounts.

Key takeaways

  • Return of premium life insurance (ROP) pays back part or the total of your premiums if you’re still alive by the time your policy expires.

  • A ROP policy costs two to three times more than regular term life policy.

  • The money you get back from an ROP policy won’t have grown any interest. Most people would benefit more by buying traditional term life insurance and investing the difference instead. 

  • A limited number of insurers offer ROP.

How does ROP work?

ROP is added on to a standard term life insurance policy as a premium rider and lasts for the full duration of your policy’s term — usually 10, 20, or 30 years.

Here’s how return of premium riders work:

  • You make monthly or annual payments, called premiums, to keep the policy active.

  • If you die while the policy is in effect, the death benefit is paid out to the beneficiaries named in your policy. 

  • If you outlive the term, some or all of the money you paid in premiums over the course of the policy — depending on the type of ROP option you purchased — is refunded tax-free to you at the end of the term.

Depending on the insurer, if you stop making premium payments or cancel your life insurance policy, you may not get your premiums back.

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Pros and cons of return of premium life insurance

Pros

For some people with specific life insurance needs, a ROP policy offers a few advantages.

Cons 

For a majority of people, the cons of a return of premium insurance policy outweigh the pros:

  • Two to three times more expensive than a basic term life insurance policy

  • The extra money that it costs is generally better invested or saved elsewhere

  • Value of money you are refunded is depreciated due to inflation 

  • Limited number of policies available, making it more difficult to find the right coverage

Is ROP worth it?

Return of premium life insurance is not usually worth the cost because you’ll miss out on the opportunity for your money to grow. Even though you do get money back at the end of the term, it’ll have less value than it would have if you invested it or even just put it in a high-yield savings account. 

“It’s like an interest-free loan to the insurance company,” says Ilya Karger, former senior sales manager at Policygenius. “When you put that money in, you’re getting less money out because of inflation.”

More often than not, you’re better off buying a cheaper, traditional term life insurance policy and investing the money you save elsewhere with a higher return and lower fees, like an IRA account.

Learn more about term life insurance rates

More term life insurance options

Frequently asked questions

What does return premium mean?

A return of premium policy will return a portion (usually 50% to 100%) of the premiums you paid back to you if you outlive the policy’s term. 

What is the catch with return of premium life insurance?

Although return of premium life insurance refunds your money at the end of its term, the premiums you pay will be two to three times higher than a traditional term life insurance policy. 

Additionally, you’ll only get a refund on the money you paid over the lifetime of the policy. You’ll forfeit the chance for the money to grow as an investment or even with normal inflation in a savings account. 

Is return of premium life insurance worth it?

For most people, return of premium life insurance is not worth its high premiums or the growth you’ll lose by not investing your money somewhere else. Instead, consider buying a traditional term life policy and utilizing traditional investment and savings accounts to build your nest egg.

Authors

Tory Crowley is an associate editor and a former licensed insurance agent at Policygenius. Previously, she worked directly with clients at Policygenius, advising nearly 3,000 of them on life insurance options. She has also worked at the Daily News and various nonprofit organizations.

Amanda Shih is a licensed life, disability, and health insurance expert and a former editor at Policygenius, where she covered life insurance and disability insurance. Her expertise has appeared in Slate, Lifehacker, Little Spoon, and J.D. Power.

Editor

Antonio helps lead our life insurance and disability insurance editorial team at Policygenius. Previously, he was a senior director of content at Bankrate and CreditCards.com, as well as a principal writer covering personal finance at CNET.

Expert reviewer

Maria Filindras is a financial advisor, a licensed Life & Health insurance agent in California, and a member of the Financial Review Council at Policygenius.

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