What Is a Child Rider on Life Insurance?

A child rider adds onto your life insurance policy and provides death benefit coverage for children in your household. You pay one monthly fee to cover all your kids, including future children born or adopted while your policy remains active. Insurers offer this as an add-on during your application or policy anniversary dates.

The life insurance rider works like a simplified life insurance policy for children. When you add it, the insurer skips medical exams and approves coverage based on basic information about your kids. This creates guaranteed coverage that your children keep as long as you maintain the base policy and pay the rider premium.

Child riders activate when your base life policy begins and remain in effect until your child reaches age 25 or you reach 65, depending on your insurer's terms. You select a death benefit amount when adding the rider. That coverage amount applies equally to each covered child. Your insurer processes claims the same way as standard life insurance claims.

Coverage ends when your base policy ends or lapses. If you cancel your life insurance, your child rider cancels too. Some insurers allow you to increase the rider’s coverage amount at policy anniversaries without medical underwriting up to their maximum limits.

Deciding whether to add a child rider involves weighing your family's financial situation and future planning goals. Your decision depends on whether funeral costs would strain your budget and whether you want to guarantee your child's future insurability. Families with tight budgets benefit most from riders. The guaranteed conversion feature is valuable when children develop conditions, such as asthma, diabetes or heart problems that make traditional life insurance expensive or unavailable.

Consider a Child Rider If:

• Funeral expenses would strain your budget
• Your child has or develops a chronic health condition
• You want to guarantee your child's future insurability
• You're already buying a life insurance policy
• Multiple children need coverage

Skip a Child Rider If:

• You have substantial emergency savings ($10,000+)
• You prefer investing the premium elsewhere
• Your children have access to employer coverage later
• You can't afford the additional premium

Most insurers let you add child riders during the application process for your life insurance policy. Some companies allow adding riders to existing policies during anniversary dates. Contact your insurance agent or log into your account portal to request the rider addition. The insurer will quote your premium increase and process the rider once you approve.

Application process:

1. Indicate rider interest on life insurance application or anniversary date.
2. Choose the coverage amount ($5,000, $10,000, etc.).
3. Give your children's basic information (no medical exam).
4. Rider activates when the base policy begins, which is upon your first premium payment.

Child riders expire when your child reaches age 25 (or when you reach age 65 with some insurers, whichever comes first). Most companies notify you 60 to 90 days before expiration, giving you time to evaluate conversion options or help your child apply for new coverage.

Options at expiration:

1. Convert to permanent policy: Most riders convert to whole life coverage up to 5x the rider amount without medical underwriting
2. Let coverage lapse: Child applies for their own life insurance as an adult
3. Evaluate standalone coverage: Assess if permanent life insurance makes sense for your adult child

Child rider life insurance offers affordable financial protection and future insurability guarantees for families concerned about funeral costs or children's health conditions. For an average of $5-$10 monthly, you get coverage for all children plus conversion rights at age 25.

Compare quotes from multiple insurers to find competitive rider pricing and favorable conversion terms.