Can you cash surrender a life insurance policy?
Mia Ramsey
Published Mar 25, 2026
Permanent life insurance policies have a cash value component that can be withdrawn by surrendering the policy. Surrender periods discourage early surrendering of policies through high surrender fees. People should consider surrendering their life insurance if they no longer need it, or can no longer afford it.
How do you account for cash surrender value of life insurance?
Generally, if the life insurance policy has a cash surrender value, that value should appear on the balance sheet. Any cash outflow above the year-over-year increase in cash surrender value will be expensed and reflected on the income statement.
Is the cash surrender value of life insurance taxable?
The 1035 exchange allows a life insurance policyholder to transfer the cash surrender value of his/her policy into a new life insurance or annuity policy without owing any taxes on the gain of the policy.
What happens when you surrender a life insurance policy?
The cost basis of a life insurance policy is the sum of all your insurance premium payments. If you surrender a cash value life insurance policy, any gain on the policy over and above your cost basis (premiums paid) will be subject to federal (and possibly state) income tax. (Note that outstanding loans are also counted as part of the gain.)
Can a whole life policy surrender its cash value?
Accessing Cash Surrender Values. In most whole life insurance plans, the cash value is guaranteed, but it can only be surrendered when the policy is canceled. Policyholders may borrow or withdraw a portion of their cash value for current use. A policy’s cash value may be used as collateral for low-interest policy loans.
When do surrender costs and cash value change?
These costs and the policy’s surrender value can fluctuate over the life of a policy. After a certain time period—normally 10 to 15 years for a whole life or universal life insurance policy—the surrender costs will no longer be in effect. At this point, your cash value and surrender value will be the same.
