Answer Book question
Yes, but a smaller amount and for a different reason. Her death does not remove a salary; it removes labour that would then have to be bought. childcare, eldercare, household management. and it may force the earning spouse to cut back work. Cover the replacement cost, not an imagined income.
Yes, but a smaller amount and for a different reason. Her death does not remove a salary; it removes labour that would then have to be bought. childcare, eldercare, household management. and it may force the earning spouse to cut back work. Cover the replacement cost, not an imagined income.
A man in Pala works in Bengaluru and comes home monthly. His wife runs the household, manages his parents' medicines, and handles the children's schooling. If she died, he would either move back, hire full-time help, or both. A ₹25–30 lakh term policy on her life would fund that transition for several years.
Insurers do allow cover on a non-earning spouse, usually capped at a proportion of the earning spouse's cover. The sum assured is not based on her income but on the cost of replacing what she does and on any debt in her name.
What would it cost per month to replace her role with paid help Whether she has any loans or guarantees in her name Whether the earning spouse could continue working at the same level The insurer's rule on cover for a non-earning spouse
Sometimes the non-earning spouse is the one whose death creates the larger disruption, because the household cannot run without her and the earner cannot simply take leave. The question is not "who earns" but "what breaks."
In many NRI households the wife in Kerala is the effective manager of property, parents, children and bank work while the husband is abroad. Her death can stall every administrative function the family has.
Replacement help: ₹18,000/month × 12 × 8 years ≈ ₹17 lakh. Add a ₹5 lakh buffer. A ₹25 lakh term policy on a healthy 35-year-old woman is typically inexpensive.
If the family already has ample savings and support from nearby relatives, the case weakens. Cover should follow the actual gap.
Estimate the monthly replacement cost honestly Ask the insurer about spouse cover limits Buy the modest policy alongside the main earner's term cover
How much life insurance do I need? What does "sum assured" actually mean?
Family support · Women & girls
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