Get Started

Key Person Insurance in Rhode Island

Rhode Island’s reported life guaranty limit is $300,000 for death benefits, which can leave a large key-person benefit above the association’s stated coverage level. Confirm the legal insurer and treat the guaranty limit as a backstop, not a policy limit. Rhode Island recognizes an employer’s economic interest in key employees. Coverage on other employees or retirees for benefit-plan costs is restricted by benefit amount, broad-class eligibility, and use of proceeds. Ask which category the insured falls into. Compare your ownership and insured’s role with R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-4-27(c)(3)–(4). 4,1

What Is Key Person?

Key person insurance pays the business, not the person’s family, when a founder, partner or employee it relies on dies. Disability, overhead expense and buyout funding are separate products to discuss on their own. Read the national Key person guide.

What to Watch for in Rhode Island

  • Document the Business Interest

    Rhode Island recognizes an employer’s economic interest in key employees. Coverage on other employees or retirees for benefit-plan costs is restricted by benefit amount, broad-class eligibility, and use of proceeds. Ask which category the insured falls into. 1

  • Complete Written Notice and Consent

    Rhode Island permits buy-sell parties to insure each other for that agreement’s purpose. If your goal is a partner buyout, confirm the policy tracks the agreement rather than business-continuity costs. 2,3

  • Check the State Guaranty Backstop

    The state table puts Rhode Island’s life death-benefit limit at $300,000. Ask how the per-life amount interacts with the reported $5 million owner aggregate for multiple nongroup policies. Use the state amount when discussing carrier concentration. For issuance, also check R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-4-27(c)(3)–(4). 4,5,1

Who Regulates Insurance in Rhode Island

Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation, Insurance Division

The DBR Insurance Division provides an online public verification service for producers, adjusters, surplus-lines brokers, and other licensees, and accepts insurance complaints online. Contact the Division for help determining whether it has authority over a particular policy or dispute. 6,7,8

Surplus-lines tax and stamping office

Reported tax rate: 4% of net taxable premium; 2018 filing guide excludes listed broker, carrier and inspection fees Rhode Island’s 2024 return applies 4% to net taxable premium (gross premium less returned premium); its 2018 filing guide excludes broker, carrier, and inspection fees from the base. Confirm fee treatment with the Division of Taxation if your bill separates those charges, because no newer official fee-base guidance was located. 9,10

Providers With Documented State Licenses

These providers publish a national listing for Key person; the state records document licenses for the entities and roles shown below. Some records rely on company-reported information rather than independent regulator verification. A national listing does not confirm the product is available in Rhode Island. Check the regulator’s license lookup and confirm state availability for your business when requesting a quote.

  • VouchVouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLCInsurance producer, Surplus-lines broker · checked 2026-09-28Vouch’s licenses page, effective January 16, 2025, lists producer licenses in all 50 states and DC. Its separate surplus-lines table includes Idaho number 870820, while a footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses. Because those statements conflict for Idaho, this record keeps Idaho producer-only and does not treat the table number as established agency surplus-lines authority. The page is company-reported and does not establish product availability. 16

Questions to Ask Before You Buy in Rhode Island

  1. What Rhode Island law supports our business’s insurable interest in this person, and what should we retain to prove the role?
  2. What written notice and consent must the insured receive before this policy is issued, and can coverage continue after employment ends?
  3. How would Rhode Island’s guaranty-association limit apply to this policy and our other business-owned life policies?

Key Person in Rhode Island: FAQ

How much of a key person life policy is protected if an insurer fails in Rhode Island? 4,5

$300,000 is the reported Rhode Island ceiling for life death benefits. Ask the broker whether multiple policies on different people are subject to the owner aggregate. NOLHGA reports an aggregate $5 million limit for one owner’s multiple nongroup life policies. 4,5

Does my business need an employee’s consent for key person insurance in Rhode Island? 2,3,1

Yes. Federal rules require written notice and consent before issue for the employer-owned life tax exception. Rhode Island permits buy-sell parties to insure each other for that agreement’s purpose. If your goal is a partner buyout, confirm the policy tracks the agreement rather than business-continuity costs. Ask for a copy of the dated notice before the carrier issues coverage. For state-law details, check R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-4-27(c)(3)–(4). 2,3,1

Key Person in Other States

Other Coverage in Rhode Island

Sources

  1. 2024 Rhode Island General Laws § 27-4-27 — Insurable Interest. State statute (Justia U.S. Codes and Statutes); R.I. Gen. Laws § 27-4-27(c)(3)–(4). Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. 26 U.S.C. § 101(j) — Certain employer-owned life insurance contracts. Office of the Law Revision Counsel, U.S. House of Representatives; 26 U.S.C. § 101(j)(2), (4). Accessed 2026-09-28.
  3. Internal Revenue Bulletin 2009-24 — Employer-Owned Life Insurance Contracts. Internal Revenue Service; Notice 2009-48, Q&A 6–7; written notice and consent. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  4. How You’re Protected: Coverage Levels by State. National Organization of Life & Health Insurance Guaranty Associations; Coverage Levels by State; life insurance death benefits; report current as of May 2025. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  5. Life and Health Insurance Guaranty Association Model Act. National Association of Insurance Commissioners; Section 8(A)(2)(d), owner aggregate benefit cap. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  6. rhode-island insurance regulator. State insurance regulator; DBR Insurance Division overview links to complaint, license lookup, statutes, and regulations. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  7. DBR License Status Verification. State insurance regulator; Official page identifies online NAIC-partnered status checks for producers, adjusters, motor vehicle appraisers, surplus-lines brokers, and reinsurance intermediaries. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  8. DBR Insurance Consumers. State insurance regulator; Official consumer page explains the division's regulated insurance lines and online complaint route. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  9. 2025 T-71A Surplus Line Broker Return of Gross Premiums. Rhode Island Division of Taxation; 2025 return, p. 1, lines 1–4: net taxable premium is gross premium less returned premiums; 4% tax; filing due April 1, 2026. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  10. Guide to Tax Filings for Surplus Lines. Rhode Island Division of Taxation; 2018 Guide to tax filings, surplus-lines section: gross premium for tax purposes excludes carrier, broker, and inspection fees; no newer official fee-base instruction located as of 2026-09-28. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  11. Licenses. At-Bay; Current producer introduction and state table; At-Bay Insurance Services LLC; P&C and surplus-lines identifiers. Accessed 2026-09-21.
  12. Licenses and Carriers. Coalition; Licenses and Carriers, re-read 22 September 2026: Insurance Licenses table for Coalition Insurance Solutions, Inc., national producer number 18419475, with producer and surplus-lines numbers for all 50 states and DC including California 0L76155, Georgia 196479, Texas 2199630 and 2205589, Pennsylvania 815731 and 817452, Colorado 539028 and Wisconsin 3000108852. Insurance Carriers table naming, with NAIC numbers, Allianz Underwriters Insurance Company 36420, Arch Specialty Insurance Company 21199, Ascot Specialty Insurance Company 45055, Ascot Insurance Company 23752, Aspen Specialty Insurance Company 10717, Chaucer Insurance Company DAC, Coalition Insurance Company 29530, Fireman's Fund Indemnity Corporation 11380, Fortegra Specialty Insurance Company 16823, Lloyd's of London, MSIG Specialty Insurance USA Inc. 34886, MS Transverse Specialty Insurance Company 41807, Steadfast Insurance Company 26387, Vantage Risk Specialty Insurance Company 16275 and Zurich American Insurance Company 16535. Accessed 2026-09-22.
  13. Insurance Producer Licenses. Corgi Insurance; Current complete Insurance Producer Licenses table for Corgi Insurance Services, Inc.; 50 rows covering 49 states and DC (DC 3003091619); no New Mexico row; no NPN or as-of date shown. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  14. About Hiscox US Insurance. Hiscox; Hiscox Insurance Company Inc. NAIC 10200 as Chicago, IL domiciled insurer admitted or licensed in all 50 states and D.C.; Hiscox Inc. as general agent and Lloyd’s coverholder for Syndicates 33 and 3624; surplus-lines placements through licensed surplus-lines brokers; A.M. Best rating statement. Accessed 2026-09-16.
  15. Licenses. ERGO NEXT Insurance; Current entity-by-state license table reopened 28 September 2026: 50 rows under Next First Insurance Agency, Inc., including Washington, DC; New York rows instead list Next Insurance Services PC-1423070 and AP Intego BR-1198885. Accessed 2026-09-28.
  16. Licenses. Vouch; Effective 16 January 2025: Vouch Specialty Insurance Services, LLC, NPN 19926463; P&C table (50 states and DC); surplus-lines table includes Idaho 870820; footnote says Georgia and Idaho do not issue agency-level surplus-lines licenses; Idaho retained as producer-only due to conflict. Accessed 2026-09-15.

Updated .

This guide is informational and does not determine whether a policy is available or meets your needs. Editorial policy. To suggest a correction, contact Spot with a supporting source.

Get Help With Insurance Buying and Renewals.

Get help buying coverage and managing renewals, with less paperwork for your team. Start with a free consultation.

Talk to Spot