GVUL Life Insurance

MetLife’s Group Variable Universal Life (GVUL) insurance is a single policy with two features — life insurance and savings options — that enable you to maintain your family’s future financial security while letting you save today.

Group Variable Universal Life (GVUL)

This Variable Universal Life insurance provided by MetLife combines life insurance protection with a tax-deferred investment feature.*

During this special enrollment you can choose to get extra protection with simplified enrollment and reduced rates:

If you are currently enrolled you can:

  • Increase your GVUL coverage by 1x your eligible pay, up to the lesser of 5x your eligible pay or $1,000,000, without answering health questions or;
  • Apply for higher coverage amounts up to 9x your eligible pay**, by answering 5 simple health questions.***

If you are not currently enrolled you can:

  • Enroll in GVUL coverage of 1x your eligible pay, up to a maximum of $1,000,000, without answering health questions.
  • Apply for higher coverage amounts up to 5x your eligible pay***, by answering 5 simple health questions*** or up to 9x your eligible pay**, by completing a full Statement of Health.

What's yours is yours. GVUL is permanent1, portable, and individually-owned coverage that goes with you from one employer to the next at competitive group rates.

  • Flexible coverage options as your needs change over time.2
  • Protects loved ones with life insurance coverage.
  • Help secure your financial future by supplementing your retirement income.
  • Saving with the tax-deferred investment feature gives you:
    • Flexibility to start or stop your investment contributions, change your fund allocations or make a lump sum contribution at any time during the year.3
    • Freedom to keep and spend more of what you’ve earned. You’ll have access to your cash savings when you need it through loans and withdrawals, with no early withdrawal penalties or surrender charges.3
    • Choice of a wide spectrum of nationally recognized investment funding options — including stocks and bonds, money market funds4 and an interest-bearing fixed account with a guaranteed minimum interest rate5

 

Understanding the GVUL tax-deferred savings feature

With GVUL, each dollar of life insurance premium offsets a dollar of potential taxable investment earnings. If, at the time of withdrawal, your cash value does not exceed your tax-free basis (premium for insurance coverage + additional premium for investment), your entire withdrawal will be tax-free

  • All potential earnings on your investment grow tax-deferred.
  • The life insurance premium turns an expense into potential tax savings by increasing the tax-free basis

An investor should consider his or her current and anticipated investment horizon and income tax bracket when making an investment decision, as the illustration may not reflect these factors. MetLife, its agents, and representatives do not provide tax and/or legal advice.

FAQs

You can begin investing or make changes to your investment contributions / fund allocations at any time during the year by accessing your GVUL enrollment site.

1. Go to MetLife Group Benefits

2. Click on “My Accounts” and then “Life Insurance” (If you don’t see the Life Insurance section go to the FAQ below)

3. Next to “Group Life Insurance” click on the grey “I want to” box. 

4. From the “I want to” drop-down menu select “Enroll/Modify Life Coverage”. 

5. Under “Step 1” answer the question Do you currently reside in the United States? Yes or No. 

6. Confirm that your spouse/domestic partner and child/ren details are accurate if you plan to update or enroll them in coverage.

7. Click “Next”

8. On the following page select the coverage you want for each benefit. Note that you can enroll in Optional Life or GVUL but not both. 

Hover over the “My Accounts” navigation button and select “Life Insurance” from the list that pops up. Go back to step 3 above.

When you enroll for GVUL insurance coverage, you become the owner of a permanent life insurance certificate. As the certificate owner, you have the ability to control your life insurance coverage amount, your tax-deferred investment contributions (if any), and to name your life insurance beneficiary.

You may choose to "assign" ownership of your coverage to another individual or entity. Once you transfer ownership of your certificate, that individual or entity will have control over selecting your life insurance coverage amounts, investment contributions, etc. You should speak with a financial professional before making any changes to your certificate.

Yes. After consultation with an independent tax advisor, you may wish to transfer any accumulated cash value and/or cost basis from another permanent life insurance certificate into your MetLife GVUL certificate. This can be accomplished via a 1035 Exchange (named after the section of the Internal Revenue Code which provides for the exchange to be tax-free), which transfers the value of the existing life insurance certificate into your MetLife certificate.

Yes, you can continue your coverage at competitive group rates under the portability option if you leave your company or retire2. 

Yes, you may switch your current level of coverage from Term to GVUL or increase your coverage by 1x your eligible pay, up to the lesser of 5x your eligible pay or $1,000,000, without answering health questions. Please email glp_complaint@metlife.com. Include the following details in the email; full name, employee ID, confirmation you are looking to switch your current Group Term coverage to GVUL. An Enrollment Booklet will be emailed within 1-2 days which will allow you to change your coverage. You will have until October 15th to return your completed application to MetLife.

If you want to switch from Term Life to GVUL and increase your coverage by 2x-9x your eligible pay2, by answering 5 simple health questions1 you can enroll on MetLife Group Benefits, Once you get to the site click on the Enroll/Modify Life Coverage link on the left-hand side of the page.

* Any discussion of taxes is for general informational purposes only and does not purport to be complete or cover every situation. MetLife, its agents and representatives may not give tax advice and this website should not be construed as such. Please seek advice based on your particular circumstances from a qualified tax advisor.

**The maximum death benefit payable for a MetLife Employee is $25,000,000, which includes Company Paid Group Term Life Insurance, employee-paid coverage (Optional Group Term Life or GVUL) and VAD&D coverage.

***All applications for coverage are subject to review and approval by MetLife. If you choose to apply for increased coverage, the increase may be subject to underwriting. MetLife will review your information and evaluate your request for coverage based upon your answers to the health questions, MetLife’s underwriting rules and other information you authorize us to review. In certain cases, MetLife may request additional information to evaluate your request for coverage

1 To the maturity age specified in your certificate. In some program designs, if your employer replaces MetLife GVUL with another group life insurance plan or otherwise terminates the MetLife group contract, your coverage may also be terminated, even after separation from employment or retirement. If you have ported or otherwise continued your coverage after retirement or separation from employment and the plan sponsor later terminates the group policy, cost of insurance rates may increase as a result of such termination.

2 If you choose to apply for increased coverage, the increase may be subject to underwriting. We may ask you a few health questions. Increase amounts are subject to program rules.

3 In general, participants may withdraw cash value equal to premiums paid without tax consequences although less favorable rules may apply in the first 15 years. However, if the funding of the certificate exceeds certain limits, it will become a "modified endowment contract" (MEC) and become subject to "earnings first" taxation on withdrawals and loans. An additional 10% penalty for withdrawals and loans taken before age 59½ will also generally apply. We will notify you if a contribution would cause your certificate to become a MEC. Withdrawals and loans reduce the death benefit and cash value, thereby diminishing the ability of the cash value to serve as a source of funding for cost of insurance charges, which increase as you age. Withdrawals are subject to an administrative fee of 2% of the amount withdrawn, not to exceed $25.

4 Money market funds are neither insured nor guaranteed by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or any other government agency. Although they seek to preserve the value of your investment at $1.00 per share, it is possible to lose money by investing in the fund.

5 Guarantees are subject to the financial strength and claims-paying ability of Metropolitan Life Insurance Company.

Company paid life insurance, group term life, dependent life and voluntary accidental death & dismemberment coverage (VAD&D) are Company-sponsored ERISA plan benefits while GVUL is a product issued by Metropolitan Life Insurance Company as insurer and is not a Company-sponsored employee benefit subject to ERISA. Company paid life insurance, group term life, dependent life and VAD&D coverage are Company-sponsored plan benefits.