Life Insurance FAQ
Does life insurance pay for death by suicide?
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The short answer
Texas life insurance policies almost always contain a suicide clause that applies for the first two years. If death by suicide happens inside that window, the carrier typically refunds the premiums paid instead of paying the death benefit. After the two-year mark, suicide is no longer excluded and the policy pays the death benefit to the named beneficiaries like any other claim.
The two-year suicide clause in Texas
The clause exists in essentially every individual policy issued in Texas and it is measured from the issue date, not from the application. During those first 24 months the insurer's exposure is limited, so a claim for suicide results in a return of premium rather than the face amount. Group coverage through an employer handles this differently and often applies no such waiting period.
The window is also tied to contestability. For the first two years the carrier can review the application for material misstatements, and after that the policy generally becomes incontestable, meaning the insurer can no longer rescind it over honest errors on the application.
After two years, the benefit is paid
Once the clause expires, a death by suicide is treated like any other cause of death: the beneficiary files a claim, provides the death certificate, and the carrier pays the face amount. There is no permanent suicide exclusion in standard Texas individual life policies, so the coverage does not become worthless on that question for the rest of the policy's life.
One caveat that catches families: temporary or simplified-issue products can carry their own graded benefit period, where a non-accidental death in the first two or three years pays a percentage of the face amount. That is a different mechanism than the suicide clause, and it is worth reading in the policy rather than assuming.
If you are struggling, tell someone
If you are having thoughts of suicide, call or text 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline, which operates 24 hours a day in Texas and across the country. If you are in immediate danger, call 911. A licensed agent can answer questions about how a policy works, but a crisis needs a crisis line, not an insurance conversation.
Related questions
How long is the suicide clause on a life insurance policy?
Two years from the issue date in nearly all Texas individual policies. After that period the exclusion falls away and the death benefit is payable to the beneficiary on the same terms as any other claim.
What happens if suicide occurs during the clause?
The carrier normally returns the premiums that were paid rather than paying the face amount. The policy itself is not voided in the sense of being erased, but the payout is limited to that refund during the two-year window.
Does group life insurance cover suicide?
Group coverage through an employer frequently has no suicide exclusion at all, or a much shorter one, so it can pay the full benefit even in the first year. Its limits are usually the benefit size, which tends to be one or two times salary.
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