Cavaliere & Co. Insurance Cavaliere & Co. Insurance 
Changing Jobs · Laid Off · Retiring Coverage through work usually ends when the job does. Coverage you own doesn’t.
Get Coverage You OwnArmandino “Dino” Cavaliere · Independent broker · PA License #1071477
Life insurance you get through work usually ends when the job ends: when you quit, get laid off or retire. You typically get a short window, often 31 days, to turn it into a policy of your own, but that policy is usually priced much higher than what you paid at work. Coverage you own yourself doesn’t depend on where you work.
If your family counts on the policy at work, it’s worth knowing exactly what happens to it before you change jobs, not after.
Most life insurance through an employer is group coverage. The policy belongs to your employer, and you’re covered as long as you’re in the group. When you leave, your coverage under it ends.
Your new employer may offer coverage, often after a waiting period and often for a different amount. There can be a gap in between.
Coverage generally ends on a date set by the plan, sometimes right when money is tightest.
Some employers continue a reduced amount for retirees. Many don’t. Check your plan’s retiree rules before your last day.
Your certificate of coverage, the booklet or PDF your employer’s insurance company provides, spells out your choices and deadlines. Here’s what they usually are.
Group life plans issued in Pennsylvania must let you turn your work coverage into an individual policy without answering health questions, as long as you apply and pay the first premium within 31 days after your coverage ends.
Some plans let you keep group term coverage for a while after you leave, especially supplemental coverage you paid for yourself. This is a plan feature, not a guarantee, so check your certificate.
Option 3Coverage ends on the date in your certificate. Once the window closes, getting coverage back usually means applying from scratch, with health questions.
The conversion window is short and easy to miss in the middle of a job change. Mark the date your coverage ends, and the date 31 days after it. If you’re thinking about a policy of your own, start before you leave so you can compare it with the conversion option side by side.
Some employers’ plans are issued in another state, and those follow that state’s rules. Your certificate is the final word on your deadlines.
Your conversion window
31 days from the day coverage ends
For group plans issued in Pennsylvania. Your certificate of coverage has your exact dates.
For many families, it’s a good start but not the whole plan.
If the company cancels its group life plan while you still work there, the right to convert is much narrower. Under Pennsylvania law it’s generally available only if you’ve been covered for at least five years, and the plan can limit what you convert to $2,000. That’s another reason not to rely on work coverage alone.
A policy you own outright stays in force as long as you pay the premiums, no matter where you work. Many people keep their work coverage and add a policy of their own, so the core of their family’s protection doesn’t depend on a job.
I’m an independent life insurance broker licensed in Pennsylvania. I’ll go over what your work coverage does and doesn’t do. If it makes sense, I’ll compare policies you’d own from several insurance companies, side by side, including against the conversion option your plan offers.
If what you have is right for you, I’ll tell you that.
— Dino Cavaliere
A 30-minute consultation, no obligation. Bring your certificate of coverage if you have it. I’ll show you the conversion option next to coverage you’d own, and you decide.
Life insurance through work is usually group coverage, so it generally ends when the job ends. You typically get a short window, often 31 days, to convert it to an individual policy without health questions, usually at a much higher price. Coverage you own yourself isn’t affected.
Usually only by converting it to an individual policy within the deadline, often 31 days, or through portability if your plan offers it. Otherwise it ends. Coverage you own yourself stays with you no matter where you work.
Group life insurance through work generally ends when your employment does, whether you quit, are laid off or retire. Check your certificate of coverage for the exact end date and your conversion deadline.
Coverage your employer provides and pays for, usually a flat amount or one to two times salary. It’s group coverage, so it generally ends when you leave the job.
It can be a convenient way to add coverage. Before you count on it, check whether it’s portable when you leave, how the price changes as you age, and compare it with a policy you’d own.
Some employers continue a reduced amount for retirees; many don’t. If yours doesn’t, you can usually convert within 31 days of coverage ending.
Your old coverage generally ends, and your new employer’s coverage, if any, starts on its own schedule. There can be a gap. A policy you own fills it.
For plans issued in Pennsylvania, 31 days after your coverage ends to apply and pay the first premium, with a short extension if you weren’t notified in time. Check your certificate for your plan’s exact deadline.
No. For plans issued in Pennsylvania, conversion within the 31-day window doesn’t require proof of good health. The trade-off is price: the converted policy is permanent coverage priced at your age at the time.