Can I get life insurance to protect my unmarried partner?

Yes — you do not need to be married to purchase life insurance designed to protect a partner. However, you need to establish insurable interest, which means demonstrating that you have a financial relationship that would create real harm if you passed away.

Unmarried partners who share a mortgage, rent together, or have joint financial obligations clearly have insurable interest in each other. Domestic partners where one supports the other financially also qualify. The key is documenting the financial interdependence.

In Nevada, unmarried partners can name each other as life insurance beneficiaries on individual policies. The death benefit is received income-tax-free by the named beneficiary, regardless of marital status, under IRC Section 101(a).

One important consideration for unmarried partners: unlike spouses, unmarried partners cannot roll over inherited IRA assets. Life insurance proceeds, by contrast, pass directly and income-tax-free regardless of relationship status, making it an especially efficient wealth transfer tool for unmarried couples.

Agents in our network can help you establish appropriate coverage and ensure beneficiary designations are correct for an unmarried partnership. Actual premiums vary by carrier, age, health status, and coverage amount.