Q. What kind of coverage can I get under FEGLI?
A. Under FEGLI there is Basic life insurance and Optional insurance.
Your Basic Insurance Amount (BIA) is equal to the greater of (a) your annual basic pay rounded up to the next $1,000 plus $2,000, or (b) $10,000.
If you have Basic insurance, you have your choice of three types of Optional insurance:
- Option A (standard optional insurance). Option A is equal to $10,000.
- Option B (additional optional insurance). Option B is equal to one, two, three, four or five times your annual basic pay (after rounding up to the next $1,000).
- Option C (family optional insurance). Option C provides coverage for your spouse and eligible children. You may elect one, two, three, four or five multiples of coverage. Each multiple is equal to $5,000 ($25,000 maximum) for your spouse and $2,500 ($12,500 maximum) for each of your eligible dependent children.
Q. I am a new Federal employee. How do I get coverage under FEGLI?
A. Most Federal employees are automatically enrolled in Basic insurance unless they waive this coverage. Basic is effective on the first day you enter in a pay and duty status in an eligible position.
If you have Basic insurance, you may also elect Optional insurance. You must specifically elect the types of Optional insurance you wish to carry within 60 days of becoming eligible. Optional insurance is effective on the first day you are in a pay and duty status on or after the day your human resources office receives your election.
Q. How do I make my election?
A. You must complete a Life Insurance Election (SF 2817) to waive insurance or to elect Optional insurance. If you do not complete an election form, you are automatically enrolled in Basic only.The SF 2817 must be submitted to your employing agency human resources office for processing. Some agencies now have the capability to allow electronic elections. You must contact your agency human resources office to find out if the agency has electronic elections. OPM nor OFEGLI can provide this information.
If you do not make an election within 60 days of becoming eligible, you are considered to have waived all Optional insurance.
Q. How much do I pay for my FEGLI coverage?
A. The cost of Basic insurance is shared between you and the Government. You pay two-thirds and the Government pays one-third. Your age does not affect the cost of Basic insurance. You pay $0.1500 per $1,000 biweekly or $0.3250 monthly. If you are a Postal employee, the U.S. Postal Service pays the entire cost of your Basic life insurance.
You pay the full cost of all Optional insurance. The cost depends on your age and the amount of insurance you have. (You can see the premiums for Optional insurance by clicking here.)
Your agency will withhold the premiums from your pay.
Q. What if my salary is too low to cover the cost of my insurance?
A. If your pay is too low to allow a withholding for life insurance premiums and your human resources office expects this condition to last for more than six months, you will have a choice. You can choose either to terminate some or all of your insurance coverage or to continue the coverage and pay the premiums directly. (See your human resources office for more details).
Q. How much life insurance coverage do I have?
A. You can look on a copy of your most recent Standard Form 50, Notice of Personnel Action, to determine the coverage you currently have. On that form, in block 27, there is a 2-character code that represents your current coverage and a definition of the code. For example, if block 27 shows "C0 - Basic only", that means you have Basic life only with no optional coverage.
You can use the SF 50 Insurance Codes Translator and the FEGLI Calculator to determine the current value of your FEGLI coverage. You will need to input your current age and salary. FEGLI calculator link http://www.opm.gov/calculator/worksheet.asp.
If you have any questions, you should check with your employing agency human resources office to verify your coverage. The Office of Personnel Management cannot verify your coverage, nor can the Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance.
Q. A co-worker told me there is an Extra Benefit under FEGLI. If this is true, what is it?
A. Yes, it is true. As part of the Basic life insurance, employees who are under age 45 get an Extra Benefit at no additional cost. The Extra Benefit doubles the amount of the life insurance payable if you are age 35 or younger. Beginning on your 36th birthday, the Extra Benefit decreases 10% each year until, at age 45, there is no Extra Benefit.
To determine the amount of the Extra Benefit, multiply your BIA by the appropriate age multiplication factor as follows:
| Your Age at
Death |
Age Multiplication
Factor |
35 or under |
2.0 |
36 |
1.9 |
37 |
1.8 |
38 |
1.7 |
39 |
1.6 |
40 |
1.5 |
41 |
1.4 |
42 |
1.3 |
43 |
1.2 |
44 |
1.1 |
45 and over |
1.0 |
Example
Clara dies at age 40, with an annual salary of $57,126. Her BIA is $60,000. The age multiplication factor is 1.5. The amount of Basic life insurance payable is $90,000 ($60,000 x 1.5).
Q. As my salary goes up, does my FEGLI amount go up automatically?
A. Yes. The amount of your FEGLI automatically increases when your salary goes up, whenever your annual pay is increased by the amount sufficient to raise the pay to the next $1,000 bracket.
Q. Is there a maximum amount of Basic insurance that I can have?
A. No. There is no maximum. The amount is based on your annual basic rate of pay.
NOTE: If your pay is "capped" by law, the amount of your Basic insurance is based on the capped amount, which is the amount you are actually being paid. It is not based on the amount of your pay without the cap. Your human resources office at your agency can provide more detail to your specific situation.
Q. Can I borrow against my policy and receive money now?
A. No. The FEGLI Program provides group term insurance. It does not have any cash value and you cannot borrow against your coverage. The only opportunities to get money from your coverage while you are still alive are (1) if you are terminally ill and qualify for Living Benefits, or (2) if you are terminally or chronically ill and assign your coverage to a viatical settlement firm.
Q. What happens if I die in an automobile accident or if I lose an eye or an arm as a result of an accident?
A. In the event of a fatal accident or an accident that results in the loss of a limb or eyesight, FEGLI includes Accidental Death and Dismemberment (AD&D) for employees. AD&D coverage cannot be carried into retirement. AD&D benefits are paid in addition to regular death benefits.
For the Office of Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance to pay benefits, the death or loss must occur within one year after the accident and be a direct result of bodily injury sustained from that accident.
AD&D insurance is automatically included in Basic at no extra cost. It is equal to the amount of your Basic insurance. It is also automatically included in Option A at no extra cost and it is equal to $10,000.
Q. Where can I get more information on the FEGLI Program?
A. To get more information on the FEGLI Program, you can read the FEGLI Program Booklet (FE 76-21 for Federal Employees, FE 76-20 for Postal employees) and the FEGLI Handbook. The Booklet is also available at your human resources office where you can ask questions about your individual situation.