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The Global Insight

Can life insurance be claimed as a business expense?

Author

Sarah Garza

Updated on March 23, 2026

Small businesses and corporations can claim life insurance as a business expense and often do. Life insurance is frequently provided as an employee benefit, along with health insurance. In this case, it’s common for businesses to deduct the cost of premiums along with any other employee expenses.

Can I write off life insurance premiums?

Life insurance premiums are not tax deductible except for specific circumstances, like when employers pay for some of their employees’ premiums. Although the premiums are not tax deductible for most, neither is the life insurance payout generally taxable for beneficiaries.

Is life insurance deductible for self employed?

You are self-employed , also known as sole proprietorship. Even though you can deduct other expenses, like health insurance, life insurance is excluded because you’re paying for your own policy.

Are life insurance proceeds taxable to a business?

Many businesses own life insurance on employees and owners, and designate the business as beneficiary of the policy. In general, when death benefits on these policies are collected, they are free of income tax.

What life insurance premiums are tax-deductible?

Unfortunately, your life insurance premiums are not tax-deductible, with rare exceptions. You can never deduct life insurance premiums from your taxes if you bought a policy for yourself (meaning it pays out upon your death). The only exceptions are when you pay premiums for someone else’s policy.

Can I deduct disability insurance premiums as a business expense?

Whereas regular disability insurance covers individual income, a business overhead expense policy will help cover monthly business expenses such as employee salaries, rent, utilities, maintenance, taxes, etc. Premiums for this type of insurance are considered a business expense and are therefore tax-deductible.

Is health insurance a business expense?

You can deduct health insurance costs as a deductible business expense if your business pays them for employees. This doesn’t apply if you’re the employee in your own business.

Do you report life insurance on taxes?

Answer: Generally, life insurance proceeds you receive as a beneficiary due to the death of the insured person, aren’t includable in gross income and you don’t have to report them. However, any interest you receive is taxable and you should report it as interest received.

Are life insurance premiums tax deductible for a business?

The question frequently arises as to whether or not life insurance premiums are tax deductible if they are paid for by a business. This is a legitimate request from a business owner who is used to deducting expenses that occur during the usual course of operations.

When is life insurance considered a business expense?

However, if you have a life insurance policy for protecting your business assets, life insurance premiums are tax deductible. So, premiums are deductible as a business expense only when the insured is an employee of the company, and the company is not the beneficiary of the policy.

Can a C corporation deduct life insurance premiums?

For C Corporations, premiums aren’t a deductible expense if shareholders have policies through the company and the company is the beneficiary. In this situation, the life insurance benefit is also a taxable fringe benefit. Self-employed people and freelancers are not eligible to deduct their life insurance premiums as a business expense either.

Can a business claim life insurance as an employee benefit?

Small businesses and corporations can claim life insurance as a business expense and often do. Life insurance is frequently provided as an employee benefit, along with health insurance. In this case, it’s common for businesses to deduct the cost of premiums along with any other employee expenses.