Home Life insurance Life insurance questions Is the life insurance payout I received taxable? Is the life insurance payout I received taxable? By Penny Gusner Penny Gusner Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s. | Updated on January 13, 2016 Why you should trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing honest and reliable information so that you can make the best financial decisions for you and your family. All of our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. We maintain strict editorial independence from insurance companies to maintain editorial integrity, so our recommendations are unbiased and are based on a comprehensive list of criteria. A nice benefit of receiving a life insurance payout is that the money generally is not taxable. The Internal Revenue Service says that if you receive the money as a beneficiary of a life insurance policy, the money isn’t counted as gross income and thus doesn’t need to be reported on your federal taxes. There could be taxes owed if the life insurance policy owner were someone other than your mother. To find out if this would affect your family’s situation, read Life insurance tax surprise: The unholy trinity. × Get Free Life Insurance Quotes Today! Zip Code Please enter valid zip Age Age 16 – 20 21 – 24 25 – 34 35 – 44 45 – 54 55 – 64 65+ Coverage Amount Coverage Amount $50,000 – $100,000 $100,000 – $200,000 $200,000 – $300,000 $400,000 – $500,000 $500,000 – $1,000,000 $1,000,000 – $2,000,000 $2,000,000 – $5,000,000 $5,000,000+ Coverage Type Coverage Type Whole Life Term Life Final Expense Not Sure Gender Gender Male Female Non-Binary Tobacco Use Yes No Compare Quotes Penny GusnerContributor . .Penny is an expert on insurance procedures, rates, policies and claims. She has extensive knowledge of all major insurance lines -- auto, homeowners, life and health insurance. She has been answering consumers’ questions as an analyst for more than 15 years and has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including the Washington Post and Kiplinger’s. QuickTake How life insurance works during a divorce Can you change the coverage of your term life insurance? Can you cash in a paid up life insurance policy? Can I withdraw money from my life insurance policy? How can I get life insurance if I'm in poor health? Are you too old to buy affordable life insurance? Do life insurance policies pay out if you die of old age? Can relatives steal your life insurance money? Can someone take out a secret life insurance policy on you? Protect yourself from insurance revenge during divorce What is demutualization and what does it mean for policyholders? Can I take out a life insurance policy on my spouse? What to do if your life insurance policy lapses How to find lost life insurance policies Can I withdraw money from my term life insurance? How to forfeit life insurance proceeds? How do wills work with life insurance? Frequently asked life insurance questions Life Insurance: Waiver of premium is it worth paying how to find a lost life insurance policy of my relative? how to find a lost life insurance policy of my father? Would an accidental death policy pay for a cocaine overdose? will life insurance pay if drunk driving can you cash in a life insurance policy Burial Insurance for Funerals Expenses Basics of term life insurance policy Can I find life insurance policies of deceased mother Can I find life insurance policies of deceased dad Would an AD&D claim be denied due to accidental overdose Can an ex-spouse collect life insurance money? What is API financial rating of life insurance companies Can a beneficiary take out a loan on a life insurance policy? Questions to ask when found the lost life insurance How long must I wait to get nonsmoker life insurance rates? Can a life insurance beneficiary change on deathbed? how to find a lost life insurance policy what happens to cash value in whole life policy at death How long do you have to be a non smoker for life insurance? See more > Related Articles Can you change the coverage of your term life insurance? By Insure .com Can you cash in a paid up life insurance policy? By Les Masterson Can you cash in a life insurance policy to pay off debt? By Barbara Marquand Can I withdraw money from my life insurance policy? By Desiree Ghazi How can I get life insurance if I’m in poor health? By Desiree Ghazi Do life insurance policies pay out if you die of old age? By Desiree Ghazi Get instant quotes now ! Please enter valid zip Get Quotes