Home Life insurance Life insurance questions Is the life insurance payout I received taxable? Is the life insurance payout I received taxable? Written 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 can trust Insure.com Quality Verified At Insure.com, we are committed to providing the timely, accurate and expert information consumers need to make smart insurance decisions. All our content is written and reviewed by industry professionals and insurance experts. Our team carefully vets our rate data to ensure we only provide reliable and up-to-date insurance pricing. We follow the highest editorial standards. Our content is based solely on objective research and data gathering. We maintain strict editorial independence to ensure unbiased coverage of the insurance industry. 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 What is demutualization and what does it mean for policyholders? How to protect your life insurance money from being stolen Can you cash in a paid up life insurance policy? Can someone take out a secret life insurance policy on you? How life insurance works during a divorce Can you change the coverage of your term life insurance? 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? Protect yourself from insurance revenge during divorce Can I take out a life insurance policy on my spouse? What to do if your life insurance policy lapses See more > Related Articles Can you cash in a paid up life insurance policy? By Les Masterson Can someone take out a secret life insurance policy on you? By Desiree Ghazi What happens to the cash value of my whole life insurance policy when I die? By Nupur Gambhir Can you change the coverage of your term life insurance? By Insure .com 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 ZIP Code Please enter valid ZIP See rates