EasyProtect Deposit-Linked Life Cover gives your Tax-Free Savings Account deposits their own life cover, so that if something happens to you, the contribution you were making keeps going for the person you were making it for. This article covers how it works, who qualifies, what it costs, and what happens if you need to claim.
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The Basics
It's a life insurance benefit built around your saving habit, rather than a separate policy you apply for on its own. Once you switch it on, every deposit you make that qualifies for cover gets its own 12 months of life cover. If you pass away during those 12 months, your beneficiary receives that same deposit amount once a year, for five years, paid straight into their account.
Think of it as a way of making sure that if something happens to you, the contribution you were making keeps going, on your behalf, for the person you were making it for.
Related: How does it actually work? · How is this different from EasyProtect's standard life cover?
What's insured is your life, sized to match your saving pattern, which is where "deposit-linked" comes from. Your deposit itself isn't insured in the sense of a bank or government guarantee protecting your money from loss; your Tax-Free Savings Account investments are never guaranteed and can still go up or down in value, exactly as before. This is life insurance, worked out using your deposit amounts, not insurance on your money itself.
Related: What is EasyProtect Deposit-Linked Life Cover? · What counts as a covered deposit?
They're two separate types of cover, and you can have both. EasyProtect's standard cover is a standalone term life policy: you apply once, choose a cover amount and term, and pay a monthly premium for as long as the policy runs, and if you pass away it pays a single lump sum.
Deposit-Linked Life Cover isn't a separate application. You switch it on for your account, each deposit you make while it's on creates its own 12-month cover period, paid for with a single upfront fee rather than a monthly premium, and if you pass away, the payout is spread over five equal annual instalments rather than one lump sum. Both are underwritten by Sanlam.
Related: If I have both, will both pay out if something happens to me? · EasyProtect General Information
Yes. They're separate, independent covers, so if you hold both when you pass away, your EasyProtect standard cover payout and any Deposit-Linked Life Cover instalments due would both be paid, each according to its own policy terms.
Related: How is this different from EasyProtect's standard life cover? · Who underwrites this cover?
Sanlam Life Insurance Limited underwrites EasyProtect Deposit-Linked Life Cover, the same underwriter behind EasyProtect's other life cover.
Related: How is this different from EasyProtect's standard life cover? · What's not covered (exclusions)?
Here's a worked example:
- In January, you deposit R46,000 into your TFSA with cover switched on.
- Your premium is 2.5% of that deposit, R1,150, deducted once, upfront.
- That leaves R44,850, which is what's actually invested in your TFSA.
- Your R46,000 deposit is now covered for 12 months, January to December.
- If you pass away at any point during those 12 months, your beneficiary receives R46,000 every January for the next five years, R230,000 in total.
If you don't pass away during those 12 months, that deposit's cover simply ends, and your next deposit, if you make one, starts its own new 12-month cover period.
Related: What is EasyProtect Deposit-Linked Life Cover? · How much does it cost?
Eligibility & Getting Started
You'll need to be an EasyEquities client with an active account, aged between 18 and 65, and hold a South African ID or passport as a permanent resident of South Africa. You'll also need to have held your EasyEquities account for at least 6 months, with your first deposit made more than 6 months ago.
Related: Which accounts can I use it with? · Do I need a medical exam?
Right now, it's available on your own Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA), held in your own name. It isn't available on other EasyEquities account types yet.
Related: Who can get this cover? · Can I get cover for deposits into someone else's account, like my child's own TFSA?
Cover applies to deposits into your own TFSA, in your own name, since you need to be both the policyholder and the account holder. If you're saving for a child, you can still do this through your own TFSA and nominate them as your beneficiary. What doesn't work is depositing directly into an account that isn't in your own name, such as your child's own TFSA; that deposit won't be covered.
Related: Which accounts can I use it with? · Do I need to choose a beneficiary, and can I split it between more than one person? · TFSA for a child, spouse or family member
No medical exam is required. Eligibility is based on your account history, age and residency, rather than a health assessment.
Related: Who can get this cover? · How do I switch it on?
You switch Deposit-Linked Life Cover on from within your TFSA on the EasyEquities platform. As part of switching it on, you can nominate one or more beneficiaries and give your consent for us to share the necessary information with Sanlam. Once approved, you'll receive a policy number and confirmation. Cover is off by default, so you'll need to opt in.
Related: Do I need a medical exam? · Do I need to choose a beneficiary, and can I split it between more than one person?
We'll explain exactly what this cover costs and how it works, so you can make an informed decision. What we won't do is tell you whether it's right for your personal situation, since EasyProtect Deposit-Linked Life Cover is offered on a no-advice, execution-only basis, entirely online. If you'd like advice tailored to your own circumstances, it's worth speaking to a licensed financial adviser.
Related: How do I switch it on? · How much does it cost?
Your Premium & Cover Limits
Beneficiaries & Payouts
You can nominate one or more beneficiaries and choose what percentage each should receive, as long as the percentages add up to 100%. It isn't compulsory, but we advise nominating at least one when you switch cover on.
Related: Where does the payout go? · What if my beneficiary is under 18?
It's paid into their nominated bank account once their identity has been verified. In future, where a beneficiary has an EasyEquities account, you'll have the option to nominate the beneficiary's own EasyEquities account instead.
Related: Do I need to choose a beneficiary, and can I split it between more than one person? · When will my beneficiary actually get paid?
In line with EasyProtect's usual approach, if your nominated beneficiary is under 18, we'd pay into a trust set up for them if you have one, or otherwise the payout would go to your estate, since we can't pay the money directly to a minor. It's worth speaking to a lawyer or your bank about setting up a trust if you'd like to nominate a minor directly.
Related: Do I need to choose a beneficiary, and can I split it between more than one person? · Where does the payout go?
The payout itself is generally not subject to income tax in South Africa, in line with EasyProtect's other life cover. Premiums aren't tax-deductible either, so you can't claim them back from SARS.
Related: Where does the payout go? · TFSA contribution limits: How much can I deposit in my TFSA?
If Something Happens To You
This is a hard thing to think about, and we'd rather be straight with you about exactly how it works than leave anything vague.
If you pass away within the 12-month cover period of a deposit, that deposit's payout is triggered. Your nominated beneficiary receives that deposit's amount, paid once a year, for five years.
This is separate from what happens to your TFSA investments themselves when you die, which follow the normal tax-free savings account rules.
Related: When will my beneficiary actually get paid? · Where does the payout go? · What happens to my tax-free savings account when I die?
This is the part that's easy to get wrong, so here's exactly how the timing works, continuing the earlier example: you deposit R46,000 in January, and pass away in, say, July of that same year, within the 12-month cover period.
- 1st payment (R46,000): the following January, the anniversary of your original deposit, not immediately after your passing or after the claim is approved.
- 2nd to 5th payments (R46,000 each): every January after that, for four more years.
- Total paid: R230,000, spread across five years.
The claim still needs to be approved before any payment is made, so your beneficiary should register the claim as soon as possible.
Related: What happens if I pass away while a deposit is covered? · How does my beneficiary claim?
Your beneficiary, or whoever is handling your affairs, should contact the EasyProtect team or Sanlam to register the claim. They'll typically need to provide certified proof of identity for the beneficiary, certified proof of identity for the deceased, a certified copy of the death certificate, proof of the beneficiary's bank account, and a police report if the death was unnatural, accidental, or by suicide.
We'll let the claimant know if anything further is needed once the claim is registered.
Related: When will my beneficiary actually get paid? · What's not covered (exclusions)? · How Do I Claim? (standard cover)
A claim won't be admitted if death is a direct or indirect result of certain risk activities, actions, or locations.
Risk activities include motorsport and motorised racing, aviation activities such as microlight flights, hang-gliding, paragliding, parachuting or base jumping, and diving deeper than 30 metres, including wreck, cave, solo or rebreather diving.
Excluded actions include suicide, deliberately inflicting an injury on yourself, committing a deliberate unlawful act, taking part in a riot or an act of terrorism, certain aviation work such as crop spraying or aerial photography, taking drugs or medicine other than as prescribed, driving over the legal blood alcohol limit, and exposure to a nuclear explosion or radioactivity.
Death occurring in a defined list of countries, reviewed annually, is also excluded. The current list includes Afghanistan, Angola's Cabinda Province, Burundi, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Mali, Nigeria's Niger Delta, North Korea, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Syria, Ukraine, and Yemen.
Related: How does my beneficiary claim? · Who underwrites this cover? · What is NOT Covered By My Policy (Exclusions)? (standard cover)
Managing Your Cover
No. Because the full premium for each deposit's 12 months of cover is paid upfront, there's no ongoing premium to miss, so a deposit's cover can't lapse. Once it's paid for, it simply runs its course.
Related: Can I cancel? · Is the premium taken out of my deposit, or charged separately?
Yes, in two ways. You can switch cover off at any time; deposits already covered continue for their full 12 months, but no new deposits will be covered until you switch it back on. Within the cooling-off period, you can also cancel a specific deposit's cover and get that premium refunded in full, as long as no claim has been made and no insured event has occurred.
Related: What's the cooling-off period? · Can this cover lapse? · How Do I Cancel My Policy? (standard cover)
You can cancel a deposit's cover and get your premium back in full within 31 days of taking out that cover, provided no claim has been made and no insured event has occurred.
Related: Can I cancel? · How much does it cost?
If you want more cover, make a new deposit within your remaining annual allowance; it creates its own new 12-month cover period alongside any others you already have running. What you can't do is increase or decrease the cover on a deposit you've already made, since each deposit's cover is paid for upfront and fixed at that point.
Related: How much cover can I build up, and is there a limit? · Can I update my beneficiaries or personal details later?
Yes, you can update your beneficiaries and personal details at any time while your cover is active, even though you can't change the cover amount itself.
Related: Do I need to choose a beneficiary, and can I split it between more than one person? · Can I change the cover on a deposit I've already made?
As with any insurance policy, giving false or incomplete information can affect your cover and may result in a claim being reduced or declined. It's important to answer accurately.
Related: Who can get this cover? · What Happens if I Lie On My Application? (standard cover)
If This Isn't Quite Your Question
This article covers EasyProtect Deposit-Linked Life Cover specifically. For EasyProtect's standalone term life policy, including applying, claiming, cancelling, or its own exclusions, see EasyProtect's General Information articles below. For general Tax-Free Savings Account questions that aren't about this cover, such as what a TFSA is or how contribution limits work generally, see the TFSA article below.