Synopsis: Planning to save for your child’s future? Bal Jeevan Bima and Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana are two government schemes that help in different ways. One helps with life insurance and saving, the other helps saving money for a girl child’s future, here is how they compare.
Choosing a financial product for your child depends on what you want, do you want to save money, protect your child’s finances or both? Bal Jeevan Bima, from India Post gives life insurance and helps you save while Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana is a savings plan for a girl child’s future, therefore knowing what each offers can help you decide what’s best for your child.
What Is Bal Jeevan Bima?
Bal Jeevan Bima is a child life insurance scheme backed by the government and offered by India Post that provides financial protection and savings benefits for the children of eligible policyholders.
Important Features
- Provides life insurance cover to the children of eligible policyholders.
- Covers up to two children of a policyholder.
- Maximum sum assured: ₹1 lakh or the parent’s sum assured, whichever is lower.
- If the policyholder (parent) dies, no further premium is payable, and the child receives the full sum assured along with the accrued bonus on maturity.
- Earns the same bonus as the Santosh Endowment Policy, with the latest declared bonus of ₹58 per ₹1,000 of sum assured per year.
- No medical examination is required for the child if they are healthy at the time of application.
- Offers a paid-up facility after five years of continuous premium payment.
- No loan or surrender facility is available under the scheme.
Eligibility
- The child must be between 5 and 20 years of age.
- The parent/policyholder must not be older than 45 years at the time of taking the policy.
- Only two children are eligible for coverage per policyholder.
- During the policy term the parent have the responsibility to pay for the policy premiums
Also Read: India Post Gram Suraksha Yojana: Features, Eligibility, Benefits & Premium Details Explained
What Is Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana?
SSY is a small savings scheme backed by the government that is designed to help parents or guardians build savings that are long-term for a girl child to go for higher studies and for her marriage.
Important Features
- Government-backed savings scheme for girl children.
- Accounts can be opened at Post Offices and authorised banks.
- Minimum annual deposit is ₹250 and Maximum annual deposit is ₹1.5 lakh per financial year.
- Deposits can be made for 15 years from the date of opening the account.
- From the date of opening,the account matures in 21 years
- Current interest rate is 8.2% per annum, which is compounded annually.
- Partial withdrawal of up to 50% of the balance is permitted for higher education after the girl attains 18 years of age or passes the 10th standard, subject to scheme rules.
- Eligible for EEE (Exempt-Exempt-Exempt) tax benefits under Section 80C.
Eligibility
- An account can be opened only in the name of a girl child.
- The girl child must be below 10 years of age.
- The account can be opened by a parent or legal guardian.
- Only one account per girl child is permitted.
- A family can generally open accounts for up to two girl children (exceptions apply in case of twins or triplets).
Bal Jeevan Bima vs Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana: At a Glance
Which Scheme Should Parents Choose
The right choice for you depends on what you want to achieve with your money, if you want to make sure your child is protected with life insurance and you also want to save some money then Bal Jeevan Bima might be an option for you. If you want to save money for your daughter’s education or marriage then Sukanya Samriddhi Yojana might be a choice.
