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The Daily Insight

Can S Corp owners deduct life insurance premiums?

Author

Caleb Butler

Updated on April 01, 2026

Deducting your life insurance premiums as a business expense makes the benefits on the policy become taxable. If you do this with a large group policy, beyond the $50,000 of coverage available for S Corps and LLCs, this means that all of your employees will get saddled with a tax on their benefits.

Is CSV of life insurance taxable?

General Rule: Cash Value Inside The Life Insurance Contract As a general rule of thumb, when cash value remains inside a life insurance contract, it is not taxable. This means that as cash value grows inside a life insurance policy, you will not owe taxes on the interest or dividends earned on this cash value.

Can a corporation write off life insurance?

In general, a business cannot deduct premiums paid on a life insurance policy (even though they are otherwise deductible as a trade or business expense) if the company is directly or indirectly a beneficiary under the policy and the policy covers the life of a company officer or employee or any person (including the …

When can an S Corp deduct life insurance premiums?

Employer paid premiums on up to $50,000 of group-term life insurance coverage per employee may be deducted from taxable income by the corporation and it is not considered additional compensation to the employee and need not be included in the employee’s W-2 taxable income.

Can life insurance Be a business expense for self employed?

If you, as a business owner, are the direct or indirect beneficiary of the life insurance policy, you can’t deduct your life insurance as a business expense. If you’re self-employed and would like to deduct your life insurance premiums as a business expense, it’s not possible, as the IRS prohibits that practice.

Can a business own a whole life insurance policy?

A business owner who owns a whole life insurance policy can borrow against the accumulated cash value for a variety of purposes, including to help the business weather uncertain economic times, pay overhead expenses, or provide supplemental cash flow1.

Can a corporation deduct key man life insurance premiums?

Typically, the cost of key man life insurance is not tax deductible. Premiums must be paid with after-tax dollars. Your company can only deduct key man insurance premiums if they’re considered to be part of the employee’s taxable income, in which case the employee is typically the beneficiary.

Can you deduct whole life insurance premiums?

Life insurance premiums are considered a personal expense, and therefore not tax deductible. From the perspective of the IRS, paying your life insurance premiums is like buying a car, a cell phone or any other product or service.