Life Insurance Riders (2025)

Life insurance riders attach additional protections to a term or whole policy. Popular types of riders in insurance include living benefits, accidental death payouts, and premium waivers.

You can choose to add a life insurance rider when you buy your policy, but the best life insurance companies let you add them after major life events, such as marriage or retirement.

Scroll down for a full life insurance riders list, what medical documentation you need for benefits, and how each rider affects beneficiaries.

Get a free life insurance quote in minutes by entering your ZIP code into our free comparison tool.

Life Insurance Riders Explained

Life insurance riders are optional policy add-ons that let you customize whole or term life insurance by adding features like accidental death benefits or guaranteed insurability.

People add riders to cover specific what-if scenarios or to avoid buying separate standalone policies.

Types of Life Insurance Riders

Riders can pay living benefits for terminal, critical, or chronic illness and waive premiums when qualifying for disability.

Major life moments, such as new mortgages, starting a family or new career, health shifts, or caring for aging parents, are great times to check in with your goals and decide if you need a life insurance rider.

Common picks include accelerated death benefits, waiver of premium, accidental death benefits, child and spouse riders, and disability income protection coverage.

If you add a life insurance rider, be sure to clarify beneficiary designations and work with a financial advisor to understand the tax on living benefits. For instance, certain payouts may affect public assistance eligibility.

How Life Insurance Riders Work

Life insurance riders are simple add-ons you use to tailor a base policy to real-life needs. Most are picked when you buy the policy, though some life insurance companies allow you to add it later after major life changes.

Rider coverage only kicks in when a defined event occurs, such as a serious illness or a qualifying disability. For example, an accelerated death benefit (ADB) rider only applies if the policyholder has a terminal illness.

Riders apply when their triggers occur, so choosing them early ensures the proper backup is ready when you need it (Read More: Types of Life Insurance). It lets you adjust protection without buying another policy, so you control timing as your circumstances change.

Another reason to use life insurance riders is to adjust benefits during caregiving or travel, then scale back later when expenses drop and savings goals tighten.

Benefits of Life Insurance Riders

If income stops due to a diagnosis or disability, some riders keep premiums paid, which preserves coverage while you recover and helps protect long-term plans.

You get more flexibility with life insurance riders, but remember to review your coverage annually to keep costs aligned with your goals. Life changes fast, and small adjustments can stop you from overpaying for coverage.

Cost of Adding a Life Insurance Rider

The cost depends on the rider type and the benefit amount, but it usually nudges your premium up a little. (Learn More: Average Cost of Life Insurance).

Riders are priced monthly, starting at about $4 and ranging from $15 to $40 per month, and reaching about $70 a month for intensive care features.

Add these prices on top of your policy’s base monthly premium. For example, a $30 living benefit plus a $15 waiver turns a $62 premium into $107 monthly, before any discounts or fees.

Term life insurance plans usually cost far less each month, like Transamerica at $30 per month and Massmutual at $31 monthly.

Term vs. Whole Life Insurance Monthly Rates Without Riders

Whole life premiums climb with Guardian Life at $455 a month and Northwestern Mutual at $475 per month.

Rider and policy prices vary by insurer because underwriting classes and waiting periods differ. For instance, one company could charge more for a smoker than another or raise its rates based on your career.

Start comparing life insurance quotes online and choose riders that match your budget. You may find that some providers don’t offer the rider you need, or that some sell it for much less than the competition.

It’s best to get quotes from at least three different companies in order to get a fair assessment of how much life insurance riders cost near you.

How to Choose the Right Riders

To choose the right life insurance riders, look at your age, health, family needs, and job risks. Then, map riders to situations you are most likely to face (Read More: Reasons to Buy Life Insurance).

Several provide living benefits that pay while you are alive through an accelerated death benefit, a waiver of premium during disability, or a disability income rider.

Others handle specific risks like an accidental death rider, a child term rider that can convert later, or long-term care support triggered by limits in daily activities.

Follow these tips to pick the best life insurance riders for your lifestyle and financial goals without overpaying:

• Skip add-ons that duplicate benefits you already have through work, like disability insurance or accidental death.
• Ask your insurer what protections are automatically included so you do not pay twice for the same thing.
• Review each rider annually, and drop the ones you no longer need to lower your premiums.

Insurance riders personalize a term or whole life insurance policy with additional benefits and payouts following serious incidents, such as accidental death, dismemberment, or terminal diagnoses.

You’ll want to consider adding a life insurance rider as life changes, such as marriage, a mortgage, or a new child. Customize your coverage today by entering your ZIP code into our free quote comparison tool.