Your employer may usually pays the premium for the basic life insurance coverage through the employee benefits plan and you pay any additional premiums for any "optional" term life insurance coverage that you buy.
The employer pays for a certain amount of term life insurance under a group policy and the employees each have a certificate of coverage stating they have a specific amount of life insurance under the program.
The face amounts (life insurance death benefits) are usually tied to the employees annual salary.
For example, "John" makes $70,000 per year and his group life pays two times his annual salary. "John's" face amount is $140,000. The optional rider allows the employee to purchase a larger face value death benefit which the employee pays for.
These optional term life insurance plans may be good for people with life insurance insurability issues. However, if you are healthy and can qualify for an individual life insurance policy on your own, it is much more affordable to buy a plan outside of work.
Here's how you can learn more about term life insurance and compare term life insurance policy rates.