How do I combine insurance with my new spouse?
Updated March 26, 2024 | Published October 11, 2023
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Categories:
- Insurance Basics
Marriage can be very joyous, and very stressful. The excitement of marrying someone that you love dearly, combined with the stress of planning a wedding can bring with it a whirlwind of emotions. Something else that the newlyweds must think about how to merge their lives together, and combine insurance. Let’s take a look at how your auto, home, and life insurance is affected by marriage.
Merging auto insurance with your spouse
Auto insurance is where the greatest impact is felt for married couples. If you’re getting married young, you could experience a 10% to 25% discount when you get married and combine your auto insurance policies. The discount becomes less as you age, though; couples that get married later report that they don’t receive much of a discount at all. Some other benefits of combining your auto policies together are only having to manage one policy, getting a multi car discount, and having the ability to share vehicles.
Moving into a home with your spouse
Home insurance typically does not change or receive a discount in the state of Massachusetts when you get married. However, it’s still a good idea to purchase one homeowners insurance policy when you get married and move in together, so that you’re not paying twice for one property.
If one of both of you already owns a home
If you and your spouse were previously living in different homes, one of you is likely to sell one home so you can move in together. It doesn’t make much sense to still have two homeowners insurance policies when you’re both living under the same roof. If you’re selling one of your two homes, make sure to keep your home insurance policy active until the house officially sells. You should let your insurance provider know at least a month before the closing date so that they issue you a proper refund for however much they owe you on the rest of your policy, after the day that you close on your home. When you move in with your spouse, you’ll want to make sure that both of you are listed on the policy. You’ll also need to check whether your current amount of coverage is enough for your spouse’s new belongings being in the house, or whether you need to increase the coverage limits. Also, be sure to add your wedding rings to your policy, as those can be replaced if they are damaged or stolen.
If you are purchasing a home together
Most mortgage lenders require you to have a homeowners insurance policy before you get a loan, so you’ll want to look into getting a policy early on in your home buying process. You’ll often be expected to pay the upcoming year’s premium upfront so that it can be put in escrow. If you already have another type of insurance, and you like the company that writes it, you should contact them for a quote and see if you can bundle your insurance.
Purchasing life insurance for you and your spouse
Life insurance is a financially responsible safe guard to have in your marriage. It can set your family up for financial success by paying off any debts that you have, paying for your child’s college tuition, or paying for everyday living expenses in the event of your death. If one or both of you doesn’t have life insurance, you should highly consider getting some when you get married.
If you got married recently, congratulations! At WebFirst Insurance, we want to make the process as pain free as possible to combine insurance with your spouse, so that the two of you can enjoy the first steps of married life together. Consider bundling your insurance through us; with options for home, auto, and term life insurance, we will work with a variety of carriers to make sure you get the best price for your coverage needs.