How Much Does Group Life Insurance Cost Per Employee In 2024?

Group Life Insurance is an insurance policy that pays out a multiple of an employee’s salary to their loved ones should they pass away.

Also known as Death in Service it is a highly valued employee benefit. It offers your employees peace of mind, knowing that their loved ones will have financial support should the worst happen.

Given the cost of Group Life Insurance is relatively low — often much lower than you might think! — it’s generally one of the first benefits companies offer staff.

When speaking to businesses about employee life insurance the two main questions that tend to get asked first are:

How Much Life Insurance Should We Provide Our Employees?

How Much Will It Cost Per Employee?

Although each business is unique this guide should give you an insight into what impacts the cost of cover as well as monthly premiums per employee based on some example clients.

How Much Does Group Life Insurance Cost Per Employee?

The cost of Group Life Insurance depends on various personal factors about your staff, as well as some scheme factors which determine the coverage you offer.

Details that affect the cost of a Death in Service benefit include:

Employees’ Salaries / Level of Cover

Insurers pay a multiple of the employee’s salary if they pass away. Employees’ earnings, plus the multiple of those earnings you offer as a benefit, therefore have a major impact on the cost of cover.

Policy Cease Age

The age an employee will be when the policy stops covering them. This is often set to 65 / each employee’s state pension age, but you can set it as high as 75.

The higher the cease age, the greater the risk to the insurer of an employee passing away during the life of the scheme. That means higher premiums.

Your Industry / Job Titles

Some industries, and jobs within those industries (for example manual work or working at heights), are riskier than others.

If you’re in a riskier industry and have a high number of employees doing higher-risk activities each working day, you’ll likely pay more for cover.

Employees’ Ages

Older employees are more likely to pass away and trigger a claim. The older your workforce, the higher the cost of cover.

Group Size

While there are more people to insure the bigger the group, insurers often offer a discount for companies with a higher number of insured employees.

Employees’ Place of Work

Location matters because life expectancy differs across the UK. Employees living and working in some areas are less likely to die prematurely than those in other areas.

If an employee’s payout is under the scheme free cover limit, insurers don’t ask about their medical history. Those with health conditions therefore aren’t generally pricier to insure than healthy staff.

However, if they’re on long-term sick leave when you apply, the insurer will likely decline to cover them until they return to work.

Martyn Coates
Employee Benefits Adviser at Drewberry

Average Premiums for a Group Life Insurance Scheme in 2024

In the table below, we provide average premiums per employee for companies of various different sizes in various different industries. Each company also offers a different benefit with a different policy cease age.

Getting Personalised Quotes for Your Employees

The above table offers a rough guide to the cost of Group Life Insurance based on group size, benefit and policy cease. However, there are many other factors at play.

The cost of cover for you and your employees could therefore be very different, even compared to a similarly-sized company in a similar sector. For example, if you have an older workforce or offer your staff particularly good salaries, your costs might be higher.

Ultimately, the best way to get Group Life Insurance quotes tailored to your company is to speak to an independent expert. We have a team of regulated advisers who are on hand to provider fee-free advice to help get you the best deal on your employee life insurance.