Quick answer
FSGLI covers a military spouse for up to $100,000, never more than the service member's SGLI, and the premium rises with the spouse's age. It converts only to a permanent policy, never term, within 120 days of separation, divorce or the member's death. A term policy in your own name stays with you either way.
FSGLI can be enough if its death benefit covers the financial needs your family would face without you, but it isn’t automatically sufficient. When choosing life insurance for military spouses, compare your actual spouse coverage with lost income, child care, debts, and future expenses. Also plan for coverage after military service.
What does FSGLI cover, and how is it different from SGLI?
FSGLI covers eligible spouses and dependent children, while SGLI covers eligible service members; the distinction matters because each protects against a different person’s death.
Family Servicemembers’ Group Life Insurance, or FSGLI, is available for spouses and dependent children of service members covered under full-time SGLI.
According to the VA’s FSGLI guidance, updated in March 2026, the program provides:
- Spouse coverage up to $100,000, but no more than the service member’s SGLI coverage.
- Coverage of $10,000 for each dependent child.
- Free coverage for dependent children, with premiums charged for spouse coverage.
SGLI has a different limit. The VA’s September 2025 guidance lists a maximum service member death benefit of $500,000. That larger amount doesn’t mean the spouse has the same protection.
Think about whose death would create the expense. The service member’s coverage addresses the financial consequences of the service member dying. When evaluating protection against the spouse’s death, use the spouse’s coverage amount instead.
Is spouse coverage automatic?
Don’t assume marriage means your coverage is active. The VA’s March 2026 guidance says military spouses married on or after January 2, 2013, aren’t automatically covered. The service member needs to enroll the spouse through the SGLI Online Enrollment System, known as SOES.
Before deciding whether FSGLI is enough, confirm enrollment and the actual amount in force. A program’s maximum benefit isn’t proof that your family has that amount.
How much does FSGLI spouse coverage cost?
FSGLI spouse premiums depend on the spouse’s age and coverage amount, and the service member pays them; premiums increase as the spouse gets older.
The VA’s March 2026 guidance lists these monthly premiums for $100,000 of spouse coverage:
| Spouse’s age | Spouse coverage | Monthly premium |
|---|---|---|
| Under 35 | $100,000 | $4.00 |
| 35 to 39 | $100,000 | $4.70 |
| 40 to 44 | $100,000 | $6.20 |
| 45 to 49 | $100,000 | $8.50 |
These are FSGLI spouse rates, not prices for an individual term policy. They also aren’t the service member’s SGLI premium.
How should you judge the price?
Affordability matters, but the premium can’t tell you whether the benefit is sufficient. A manageable payment and an adequate death benefit are separate questions.
Start with the amount your family needs. Then consider the cost of filling any gap rather than assuming you must replace all existing coverage.
For individually purchased insurance, the Texas Department of Insurance’s December 2025 guide says cost depends on age, health, and risk factors. Health conditions, smoking, and risky hobbies can affect the price.
Our term life insurance cost guide explains the pricing side. When comparing options, keep the coverage amount and term consistent. Otherwise, a lower price may simply reflect less coverage or a shorter coverage period.
FSGLI’s age-based increases also deserve a place in your budget. Assess the payment you face now without assuming it will remain unchanged.
What does FSGLI pay when an insured spouse dies?
Life insurance pays a death benefit when the insured dies while coverage is in force; check the actual spouse benefit rather than assuming maximum coverage.
The VA’s March 2026 guidance sets the FSGLI spouse maximum at $100,000, subject to the service member’s SGLI amount. Your planning should use the spouse coverage actually in effect, not that ceiling.
The NAIC’s 2026 Life Insurance Buyer’s Guide explains that a death benefit can help address lost income, final expenses, debt repayments, and child care costs. Those needs apply to your household whether the spouse earns wages or provides unpaid care.
Don’t confuse a death benefit with a savings balance. FSGLI belongs in your discussion of protection against death, not as a substitute for money available for ordinary household spending.
What should your family verify?
Make sure your coverage review answers practical questions:
- What spouse coverage amount is currently in force?
- What information would your family need to report a death and request benefits?
- What expenses would require attention after the spouse’s death?
Confirm program-specific payment procedures with the program rather than borrowing assumptions from an individual policy.
For any additional individual policy, review beneficiary instructions too. The NAIC’s 2026 guide advises against naming a minor child directly because insurers won’t pay a minor. Discuss an appropriate arrangement with a qualified legal professional rather than assuming a child can receive the money directly.
How can you tell whether FSGLI is enough?
FSGLI is enough only if your confirmed spouse benefit, together with available financial resources, covers the expenses your family would face after your death.
A coverage limit isn’t a recommendation tailored to your household. Your family may need less than the maximum, or its needs may extend well beyond it.
Life Happens’ September 2026 guidance recommends adding anticipated expenses, adding available financial resources, and subtracting those resources from the expenses. That approach is more useful than choosing coverage solely because the premium fits your budget.
Estimate the expenses that would remain
Include costs your family would actually face:
- Ongoing household expenses supported by your income.
- Child care your spouse would need to purchase.
- Funeral and other final expenses.
- Mortgage payments and other debts requiring repayment.
- Children’s education and other future support.
A spouse without paid employment can still have a meaningful insurance need. Focus on the cost of replacing care, not just replacing a paycheck.
Be thoughtful about debts. Don’t automatically assume every balance would become the surviving spouse’s responsibility. Check the loan terms and get professional advice where responsibility is unclear.
Subtract resources without counting them twice
Identify financial resources available to meet those expenses, including existing coverage on the spouse’s life. Don’t count the service member’s death benefit as money payable when the spouse dies.
Our life insurance needs calculator can help organize the estimate. If your resources cover the need, FSGLI may be sufficient. If a gap remains, that gap is the starting point for evaluating additional coverage.
What happens to FSGLI when the service member retires?
Plan for spouse coverage before retirement because the VA provides a conversion option tied to military separation, rather than treating FSGLI as lifelong protection.
Under the VA’s March 2026 guidance, a spouse can convert FSGLI to an eligible permanent individual policy within 120 days of the service member’s separation from the military. The same conversion window applies following divorce from the service member or the service member’s death.
The VA specifies that this conversion can’t be to term, variable, or universal life insurance. That’s a meaningful limitation if your plan was to turn FSGLI directly into an individual term policy.
Conversion and a new application are different
An FSGLI conversion follows the program’s rules. Applying separately for individual term insurance is a different route, with its own application requirements.
Don’t assume the price will stay the same after conversion. The Texas Department of Insurance’s December 2025 guide explains that permanent life premiums are higher than term life premiums. Review the offered policy’s actual cost and terms before deciding.
Don’t confuse the spouse’s options with the veteran’s
The VA’s September 2026 VGLI guidance bases veterans’ coverage on the SGLI coverage they had when leaving the military. Don’t treat that as an automatic continuation of spouse coverage.
Before retirement, confirm the spouse’s coverage end date, conversion deadline, and available policy choices. If you’re considering a separate policy instead, allow time to complete its application and verify when coverage would begin.
When does additional term life insurance make sense?
Additional term coverage may make sense when your spouse benefit falls short and your family needs financial protection for a defined period of time.
The NAIC’s 2026 guide describes term insurance as lower-cost coverage intended for a specific period. Most term policies don’t build cash value.
That can fit a need centered on raising children, supporting education, or paying a mortgage. The relevant question is how long those financial obligations are likely to continue.
Our term life insurance guide explains the broader options. You can also read how term life insurance works before comparing policy details.
Match the policy to the gap
Evaluate the death benefit, coverage period, premium, and what happens when the term ends. Don’t choose on price alone.
The NAIC’s 2026 guide says most term coverage can be renewed even if health has changed, but renewal premiums are higher. A nonrenewable policy can’t be continued, so you’d need to apply for new coverage.
Understand the application
Depending on the policy, you may need to answer health questions, have an exam, or undergo another health assessment. The NAIC cautions that policies requiring less detailed health information usually cost more and provide less coverage.
The underwriting comparison guide explains those approaches. No medical exam doesn’t mean approval is certain.
Answer application questions truthfully. If you’re replacing coverage, follow the NAIC’s advice: don’t cancel your current policy until you get the new one. If you’re supplementing FSGLI, evaluate the additional policy alongside it rather than assuming replacement is necessary.
What should you do next?
Confirm your FSGLI enrollment and benefit, estimate your household’s remaining financial need, and review spouse coverage options before an upcoming military separation or retirement.
Keep your current benefit information and expense estimate together so you’re comparing coverage against the same need. The term life quote page is another comparison resource if your estimate shows a gap.
Review the plan after major family or job changes, not just when a premium changes.
Frequently asked questions
Does a stay-at-home military spouse need life insurance?
Possibly. The relevant issue is whether the family would face expenses after that spouse’s death, not whether the spouse earns a salary. The NAIC’s 2026 guide includes child care among the needs a death benefit can address. Estimate replacement care and other continuing expenses, then compare them with available resources and confirmed spouse coverage.
Can I convert FSGLI directly to individual term life insurance?
No. The VA’s March 2026 guidance says FSGLI spouse conversion is available for an eligible permanent individual policy, not term, variable, or universal life insurance. Its conversion window is 120 days after the service member’s separation, divorce, or death. Purchasing individual term coverage would involve a separate application rather than that conversion option.
Are life insurance death benefits taxable?
Generally, proceeds received because of the insured person’s death aren’t included in the beneficiary’s gross income, according to the IRS’s September 2026 guidance. Interest received is taxable, and special rules can apply when a policy was transferred for valuable consideration. Check with a qualified tax professional about your circumstances rather than assuming every payment receives identical treatment.