IndiaFirst Life Child Plans

India First Life Insurance is one of the youngest financial service providers in India undertaken jointly by Bank of Baroda, Andhra Bank and UK based Legal & General. The company is present in over 1000 Indian cities and towns and has marked a profit of INR 6.9 crores in the financial year 2014-15. The company offers a host of insurance products including health, savings, security and a variety of group insurance plan.

What are Child Plans?

Child plans are insurance plans offered by insurers to provide for the welfare of an individual’s child even if the individual is not around. A child plan is developed on the concept of providing financial support to the family for the child’s future if the parents meet with an unfortunate death. Insurance plans designed for the child do not usually insure the child. The life insured under these plans are the parent who has a minor child to provide for. The underwriting is done on the life of the parent and the details of the child are to be provided in the policy.

Child plans have some common features which are given below:

• There is a concept of ‘deferment’ in some of the child plans. Deferment means postponement and is usually applied if the child is the person insured. Under the deferment clause, the risk coverage under the plan starts after the expiry of a couple of years. In case the child dies during the deferment period, the premiums paid till the date of death are returned because the life cover is not applicable during that period.
• Another concept is ‘Vesting’ which means the age of the child when the policy vests in the name of the child and he becomes the policyholder. The Vesting age is usually 18 years when the child attains majority and becomes the policyholder of the plan.
• There is an inbuilt Waiver of Premium Rider in most of the child plans. The rider states that if the parent who is the policyholder and life insured under the plan dies during the tenure of the plan, all future premiums payable under the plan will be waived and paid for by the company. The plan will continue unaffected and the benefits as promised under the plan will accrue as and when they fall due.

Why Child Plans?

Child Insurance plans have become very important because they specifically provide for one’s child’s future even in one’s absence. The inbuilt premium waiver rider ensures that the plan continues even after the parent’s death and the benefits accrue and when they are payable so that the benefits can be utilized for the purpose for which it was initially planned, i.e. for the child’s future. For example, an individual with a child currently aged 5 years buys a 20 year child plan which promises money backs at the 15^th, 17^th and 20^th policy anniversary. The policyholder has planned the money back periods to coincide with the child’s educational milestones and would receive the funds when the child reaches 20 years, 22 years and 25 years. The funds will be utilized to take care of the child’s higher education. If the insured dies, the plan will not be terminated. Future premiums will be paid by the company and the money-backs will be paid as and when promised. Thus, the money will be utilized only for the child’s education which was the actual rationale for buying the plan.

IndiaFirst Child Plan

IndiaFirst offers a unit linked Child Insurance Plan to provide for the child’s future even in the absence of the parent with attractive returns. Let us take a look at the plan in details along with its features and benefits.

IndiaFirst Happy India Plan

A unit linked child insurance plan which protects the child’s future against untimely death of the parent by providing financial assistance. The features and benefits of the plan are as follows:

• Premiums under the plan are required to be paid for the entire duration of the plan.
• The premiums paid net of applicable charges can be invested in a choice of four funds available with the company at the discretion of the policyholder. The funds are Equity 1 Fund, Balanced 1 Fund, Debt 1 Fund and Value Fund
• The policyholder has the option to protect his fund from market volatility by transferring his Fund Value proportionately to the Liquid 1 Fund as the plan approaches maturity. Under this option, 3% of the Fund Value is transferred to the Liquid 1 Fund every month in the last 3 years of the plan maturity.
• On maturity, the available Fund Value is paid to the policyholder which can be taken either in lump sum on maturity or in instalments over a period of 5 years post maturity under the Settlement Option.
• In case of death of the insured during the tenure of the plan, the Sum Assured is paid subject to a minimum of 105% of all premiums paid till the date of death.
• The policyholder may additionally choose the disability benefit option under which, in case of death or disability of the insured during the tenure of the plan, the aggregate of all future premiums is paid which can be availed immediately in lump sum or can be invested in the fund where it will attract market linked returns. The resultant fund value is then paid on maturity of the plan.
• Two free switches are allowed every year to change between the funds with a minimum value of Rs.5000
• Unlimited free partial withdrawals can be made from the fund value subject to a minimum of Rs.5000.
• Premium redirection facility is also available to redirect future premiums into a different fund
• Income tax benefit on the premium paid as per Section 80C and on claims under Section 10(10D) of the Income Tax Act.

Eligibility Details

Applying for a Child Plan from the company:

Online

The company offers specific plans which are available online only. The customer only needs to log into the company’s website, choose the required plan, choose the coverage and provide the details. The premium will be determined using the filled details. The customer then needs to pay the premium online through credit card, debit card or net banking facilities and the policy will be issued

Intermediaries

Plans which are not available online can be purchased from agents, brokers, banks, etc. where the intermediaries help with the application process.

Applying For Child Plans through PolicyBazaar

1. On the PolicyBazaar homepage, click on Child Plans under the Personal tab.
2. Click New Quotes to compare and choose from top insurance providers.
3. Fill your date of birth (DOB), whether you are a smoker/non-smoker, and the payout amount. On the basis of your payout amount, you will get an estimate of your premium. Next click Continue.
4. Fill in your name, email address, city, country code, and mobile number. Click Continue.
5. You will be taken to the Life Insurance quotes page where you will see life insurance quotes of more than 10 insurers. Next, choose the plan as per payment schedule – One Time Payout and Monthly Payout Plans.
6. After reviewing and comparing each life insurance quote, click the premium amount to buy the desired plan.
7. You will see a pop-up on the screen which will give you an overview of the chosen plan like premium, plan features, exclusions, additional riders, etc. Click Proceed.

This will take you to the insurer’s website. Fill in the necessary details to buy the plan.

To know more about other life insurance plans check at IndiaFirst Life Insurance

IndiaFirst Life Child Plans - FAQs

1. How to pay premium? What are the modes of payment available?

INDIAFIRST Life Insurance offers the following modes of payment for paying premium namely:

• Online
• Credit card/Debit Card
• Electronic Clearing system(ECS)
• Cash or cheque

For ECS you must register beforehand by duly signing and submitting the ECS form. This facility is available in select cities only.

Alternatively, you can drop in cash or cheque at your nearest branch in the city.

2. How can I check policy status for IndiaFirst Life child plans?

To check the policy status login to your IndiaFirst Account with the designated User ID and password this is directly linked with your policy number. After login in a detailed tab will be displayed this contains all the relevant data related to your policy.

3. What is the policy renewal process for IndiaFirst Life child plans?

For policy renewal process, login into your account and select the online payment for renewal policy.

You can also select the ECS or the Auto debit option for paying the premium had you initially signed up for the policy.

You can approach the nearest branch office and fill in the required forms, attaching the mandatory documents to get the policy renewed.

4. What is the company’s process to settle claim for IndiaFirst Life child plans?

INDIAFIRST Life Insurancehas a clear and transparent process for settling claims. You must intimate the company about the incident within one week of it occurrence. There are different options available for intimation such as:

• Online
• Intimation through our toll free number 1800-209-8700
• By couriering the details
• Approaching us via Advisor.
• Contacting us at any of our branch office.

A set of documents as listed in the website needs to be submitted to the company. Upon receipt of the same, the claim is settled within15 days’ time period.

5. What is the policy cancellation process for IndiaFirst Life child plans?

In order to cancel a policy, you can fill in the required form and submit it to the nearest branch office along with the surrender charges as mentioned in the policy.

For new users, a period of about 15 days is allotted wherein one has the option to surrender the policy in case deemed necessary.