Life insurance is a personal insurance policy which pays a lump sum (or a fixed monthly income) if the policy holder dies.

Life insurance can be divided into Term life Insurance (for a specific length of time) and Whole of Life cover (sometimes known as Life Assurance).

Term life insurance covers the life of the policyholder(s) if they die during the term of the policy.

Dual Cover Life Insurance Ireland. Get a free quote today with Compare Insurance, Irelands leading insurance comparison website.

Dual Cover Life Insurance Ireland

What is dual cover for life insurance?

Dual life cover is taken out by two policyholders and will pay out twice should both policyholders die during the term of the policy. Life insurance can be purchased as single life cover, joint life cover, or dual life cover.

The life insurance policy will pay out on the first death and continue to cover the life of the remaining policy holder for the term of the policy, provided premiums continue to be paid.

Compare life insurance quotes from every insurer.

Take our 90-second online assessment and get the best life insurance quotes on the market. Our vetted life insurance partners are regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and will outline the various options available to you.

Who offers dual life cover in Ireland?

Shop around for Dual Life insurance to get the best possible price.

When choosing a life insurance provider in Ireland, the following providers should be considered.

Compare all dual life insurance providers to get the best best value quote.

  • Acorn Life
  • Irish Life
  • Zurich
  • Aviva
  • New Ireland
  • Royal London
  • FBD
shop around for insurance

Whole Life Insurance

Whole life insurance is guaranteed to pay out a lump sum on the death of the policyholder irrespective of when this happens. Whole life insurance can be much more expensive.

Whole life insurance is guaranteed to pay out a lump sum on the death of the policyholder

Dual Life Insurance Tax Benefits

Life insurance in Ireland pays a tax free lump sum in most cases, and can also cover inheritance tax for those who benefit from your estate if you choose this type of cover.

When does dual cover life insurance pay out?

Dual Cover Life insurance will pay a lump sum (or sometimes a regular income) on the death of both the first and second policyholder should they both die during the term of the policy.

Who should have dual life cover?

Anyone can take out dual life cover but dual life Insurance is best suited to:

  • Parents
  • Home owners
  • Stay at home parents / carers

Parents

For couples or partners with children, dual cover life insurance will give financial protection so that your children will be provided for in the event that you both pass away until they can be financially independent.

Homeowners

In the event that one of a couple should pass away, your mortgage or outstanding debts could be cleared and if a second death were to occur, then your family would still be provided for financially by a second lump sum.

Stay at Home Parents/Carers

Child or family care is expensive if you have to pay for care when a parent passes away.  Even if there is still an earner in the family, childcare would still have to be provided.

Tailored Life Insurance Quotes

We are Ireland’s first impartial insurance comparison website.

  • Our mission is to help consumers find the best insurance deals in Ireland

  • All research is examined through an independent market research body

  • Our central bank regulated insurance partners will provide you with free life insurance quotes from every provider so you always get the best deal

Benefits of Dual Life Cover

Dual life cover offers a high level of financial protection to your dependents by paying out twice should you and your partner or spouse die during the term of the policy.

If you add a conversion option to your dual life insurance policy, you can change or, in some cases, increase the amount of cover without having to provide new medical information.

Serious illness cover can be purchased with dual life insurance which will pay out a lump sum should you be diagnosed with specific serious illnesses.

benefits of life insurance

Decreasing & Level Cover

Decreasing cover is where the amount paid out by the policy decreases over time.

Level cover is where the amount paid out by the policy remains fixed over time.

Increasing cover is where the amount of cover increases over time usually linked to inflation (indexation).

Some life insurers in Ireland offer additional advice and support such as nurse advice, a second medical opinion, counselling support, or virtual GPs.

 The services on offer vary between insurers so check what is on offer when you obtain a quote.

How Compare Insurance Works

We compare all insurance options so you can be sure you’re always getting the best deal.

1. Select Your Product

Simply select the insurance product you need a quote for e.g. life, home or health insurance.

2. Online Quote Form

Fill out one of our simple online assessments with your insurance details.

3. Free Quote Consultation

A qualified financial advisor will call you back for your free insurance quotation.

Dual Life Insurance Calculator

Dual life insurance premiums are affected by the following factors including age, term of policy, level of cover, health status, being a smoker or having what’s classed as a dangerous lifestyle.

The factors which affect your life insurance quote

Level of Cover

The level of cover is the amount of cover you require.  This may be affected by levels of debt or a mortgage, the ages of any children you have and their ages.

Term of Policy

Term of policy is how long you need the policy to cover your and your spouse’s life for.

Age

Your age on taking out the policy will have a big impact on the price of the policy.  Generally the younger you and your spouse are on taking out a dual life insurance policy, the cheaper your premiums will be.

Health Status

If you have pre- existing or chronic health conditions, as well as previous health issues may mean you pay more for dual life insurance cover or you may face exclusions in cover.

Smoking

Smoking or vaping will mean your premium costs more.

Lifestyle

If you have what is classed as a dangerous job or hobbies this may increase your premium or you may face exclusions from cover.

Additional Cover

If you require for example a conversion option, or indexation the price of the cover will be higher.

Guaranteed or Reviewable Quotes

A guaranteed premium will be fixed for the life of the policy, a reviewable premium may mean that your insurer will review your premium during it’s term.

How much is dual life cover?

Insurer Example 1 Example 2  Example 3 Example 4 Example 5
Irish Life Single life
– age 47, non smoker €311.32
Dual life
– age 47, 45, non smokers €702.77
Dual life
– age 29, 27, non smokers €387.95
€150.32 €125.70 €144.96
New Ireland €95.98 €79.12 €98.10 Joint – €52.45
Dual €55.51
Royal London €102.44 €85.66 €105.99 Joint – €51.80
Dual – €52.86
Zurich €105.67 €85.74 €106.11 Joint – €46.09
Dual – €47.21
Aviva €119.48 €98.90 €122.63 Joint – €54.76
Dual – €55.31

Example 1 – Irish Life (whole of life) – cover of €250,000
Example 2 – Couple ages 47, 45 both non smokers, cover of €350,000 for 23 years, dual life
Example 3 – Couple ages 37, 35 both non smokers, cover of €500,000 over 33 years, with a conversion option, dual life.
Example 4 –Couple ages 37, 35, both smokers, cover of €300,000 for 33 years.
Example 5 – Couple, ages 30, 29, both non smokers, cover of €340,000 for 40 years.

Quote data accurate as of April 12th 2023

Free Service

All information is provided free of charge to the public, we do our best to keep all the information up to date and accurate. 

Unbiased Information

Our information is provided free of charge and without any bias. Unlike other comparison sites we do not have preferential deals with any particular insurance company.

Vetted Insurance Partners

Our Central bank regulated insurance partners are vetted for customer service and expertise, so you know you’re always getting the best advice possible. 

FAQ’s

A joint life insurance policy will pay out once on the death of either policyholder.  If both spouses work, for example, then a joint life policy would provide cover for either partner or spouse should they die.

The policy would then end on the first death. It can be a more affordable way of covering the life of both policyholders. 

However, a dual life insurance policy would cover the life of both policyholders and pay out twice should both of them pass away.  

For a relatively small additional premium, it offers significantly increased financial protection.

Also, with a joint life policy, if one spouse should pass away and the policy end, then the other spouse would potentially have to purchase another policy to cover their own life if they needed further protection. 

 With a dual life policy, the policy would continue to cover their life.  Life insurance gets more expensive as you get older so it would be better to have a policy in place already following the death of one spouse.

Yes, dual life insurance can be a term life insurance product that offers protection for the term of the policy, or whole life insurance ( or life assurance)  which is guaranteed to pay a lump sum on the death of both policyholders, as long as premiums continue to be paid.

insurance faqs

Dual Cover Life Insurance Ireland – Get a FREE Quote today!

To get the best of idea of what is covered and roughly how much this will cost you why not get an obligation free quote today using our life insurance quote generator tool here.

We look at all of the insurance companies in the marketplace so you don’t have to – some quote generation tools will only give you a quote from a list of companies they work with – we look at all of the products available.

get an insurance quote today

Get the lowest premiums by comparing all the policies in the Irish market

Choose your insurance type, fill out the relevant assessment and speak to a central bank regulated insurance advisor