SGLI gives you up to $500,000 of low-cost life insurance. The premium dropped in July 2025, so full coverage plus TSGLI now costs $26 a month. Your spouse and kids can be covered too.
What it is
Servicemembers' Group Life Insurance (SGLI) is low-cost term life insurance run by the VA. You are covered for the max of $500,000 automatically unless you choose less.
Family SGLI (FSGLI) covers your spouse for up to $100,000 and each dependent child for $10,000.
Traumatic Injury Protection (TSGLI) pays a lump sum if you suffer certain serious injuries, like loss of a limb, sight or hearing, or a long hospital stay. It is part of SGLI and costs $1 a month.
Who gets it
- Active duty members, Ready Reserve and National Guard members, cadets and midshipmen, and some others are covered automatically.
- FSGLI is automatic for the spouse and kids of members who have full-time SGLI. Spouse coverage cannot be more than the member's own SGLI amount.
What it costs
On July 1, 2025, the SGLI rate dropped from 6 cents to 5 cents per $1,000 of coverage. Full $500,000 coverage now costs $25 a month, plus $1 for TSGLI, for $26 total. That is a $60-a-year savings. FSGLI spouse premiums were also cut, by about 11% to 22%, and depend on the spouse's age. Child coverage is free. Premiums come out of your pay automatically.
How to use it
- Check your beneficiaries in the SGLI Online Enrollment System (SOES) on milConnect. Update them after marriage, divorce, a new baby or a death in the family.
- Pick your amount. You can lower or drop coverage in SOES, but think hard before you do. $500,000 for $26 a month is a very good deal.
- Keep DEERS right. FSGLI premiums are based on your spouse's age in DEERS.
What people miss
- Old beneficiary forms. The money goes to whoever is listed, even an ex-spouse. A new marriage does not change it for you.
- Spouse coverage costs money. FSGLI for a spouse is not free, and the cost goes up with age. If your spouse is not in DEERS, you may still owe premiums.
- Coverage ends when you leave. SGLI continues free for 120 days after you separate. To keep coverage, you can convert to Veterans' Group Life Insurance (VGLI). Apply within one year and 120 days of separation; if you apply within the first 240 days, you do not need to prove good health. See our VA benefits section.
- TSGLI claims. Many people who qualify never file. If you had a serious injury, even off duty, ask about a TSGLI claim. It is not just for combat injuries.
- Is it enough? $500,000 may not cover a mortgage, kids' college and lost income. Some families add private insurance. Make sure any policy has no war exclusion.
Related
See Military Retirement and the Survivor Benefit Plan for income protection after you retire, and our VA benefits section for VGLI.
Related benefits
- TRICARE Health Plans and 2026 CostsTRICARE is the military health program. Active duty families pay no enrollment fees for Prime or Select, while retirees pay yearly fees that rose for 2026. Pharmacy copays also went up on January 1, 2026.
- Dental and Vision: TRICARE Dental Program and FEDVIPDental care for military families is not automatic. Active duty families and Guard/Reserve members use the TRICARE Dental Program, while retirees use FEDVIP. TDP premiums went up slightly on March 1, 2026.
- Basic Pay and the 2026 Pay RaiseBasic pay is the core of your paycheck and the number most other benefits are based on. Troops got a 3.8% raise in January 2026. Knowing how basic pay works helps you read your LES and plan for retirement.
- BAH and BAS: Your Housing and Food AllowancesBAH helps pay for housing and BAS helps pay for food, and neither one is taxed. For 2026, BAH rose an average of 4.2% and BAS rose 2.4%. These tax-free dollars are a big part of what you really earn.
Last reviewed 2026-11. Not affiliated with the Department of Defense. Confirm current rates with your finance office or the official source.