Summary: The ABSLI DigiShield Plan, issued by Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Limited under UIN 109N108V13, offers ten distinct benefit designs whose protection, payout, survival and maturity outcomes depend on the selected option. Options 1 to 8 address different cover and income requirements; Option 9 provides monthly survival payments after age 60 that reduce the later death benefit; and Option 10 provides a maturity benefit based on contractually defined Total Premiums Paid rather than every amount collected. Under the current V13 customer information sheet, Option 6 pays monthly income at 1.25% of sum assured during the selected income-benefit term, while Option 7 combines an immediate sum assured with monthly income at 0.5% for ten years. Terminal-illness and optional accelerated critical-illness payments reduce the remaining death cover and should not be double counted. Premium-payment grace periods, lapse, revival, surrender, reduced-paid-up treatment and suicide exclusions vary with contractual conditions and selected options. Prospective policyholders should examine the product version, benefit illustration, policy schedule, proposal disclosures, exclusions, rider conditions and claims documentation rather than relying on a marketing illustration. The article also explains grievance escalation through the insurer, Bima Bharosa and the Insurance Ombudsman. For tax year 2026–27, qualifying individual life-insurance services are generally covered by the GST exemption effective 22 September 2025, whereas income-tax premium deductions under section 123 of the Income-tax Act, 2025 depend on the applicable tax regime and statutory requirements. Policy receipts, particularly Option 9 survival payments and Option 10 maturity proceeds, require separate tax analysis.
- DigiShield V13 in one verified view
- Ten benefit designs that should not be treated as interchangeable
- Options 1 to 4: level, increasing and age-linked protection
- Options 5 to 8: age-100, income, combined and lower-cover mechanics
- Option 9 survival payments reduce the later death benefit
- Option 10 returns defined premiums, not every rupee collected
- Accelerated benefits, riders and the risk of double counting
- Lapse, surrender and suicide clauses can change the expected outcome
- Claim preparation, nominee records and escalation channels
- GST and income-tax treatment for the 2026–27 tax year
- Individual life-insurance GST exemption
- Premium deduction depends on regime and statutory conditions
- Policy receipts are not uniformly tax-free
- Frequently Asked Questions on DigiShield V13
- 1. Is every DigiShield option a pure term plan?
- 2. Which current document should be checked when two income figures conflict?
- 3. Does the terminal-illness payment sit on top of the full death cover?
- 4. Can Option 9 pay survival income and the full original cover later?
- 5. Does Return of Premium include GST and rider charges?
- 6. What happens if a monthly premium is late?
- 7. Is life-insurance premium automatically deductible in 2026–27?
- Key Takeaways
DigiShield V13 in one verified view
ABSLI DigiShield Plan is issued by Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Limited. The insurer’s current customer information sheet identifies the product as UIN 109N108V13. Options 1 to 8 are protection designs, Option 9 combines level cover with a survival benefit, and Option 10 returns defined premiums at maturity. The product therefore cannot be understood through one headline benefit: the option selected in the policy schedule changes how cover grows, how it is paid, whether money can be received during life, and whether anything is payable at maturity.
The current product page and V13 customer information sheet are the controlling starting points for this review. Where a marketing line and the current customer information sheet differ, this article uses the V13 customer information sheet and advises the reader to check the issued policy schedule. A quotation, online calculator or sales illustration is not evidence that a particular person will be accepted at the quoted premium. Medical, occupational, financial and lifestyle underwriting may change the result.
| Verified field | Current position | Editorial significance |
|---|---|---|
| Issuer | Aditya Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Limited | The insurer, not a web distributor, carries the contractual obligation. |
| Product and UIN | ABSLI DigiShield Plan; 109N108V13 | The proposal, illustration, CIS and policy schedule should show this version. |
| Product classification | Options 1–9: pure risk; Option 10: non-linked other than pure risk and pension | Option 10 has a defined maturity feature; the product is not a ULIP. |
| Free-look window | 30 days from receipt of the policy | Permitted deductions may include proportionate risk premium, medical-examination expense and stamp duty. |
| Grace period | 15 days monthly; 30 days annual, half-yearly or quarterly | Risk continues during grace, but unpaid premium may be recovered from a death claim. |
| Revival window | Five years from lapse date where revival applies | Revival is subject to the contract and is not automatic. |
Ten benefit designs that should not be treated as interchangeable
Options 1 to 4: level, increasing and age-linked protection
Level Cover keeps the selected sum assured structure straightforward. Increasing Cover permits a simple annual increase at the selected 5% or 10% rate, subject to the product terms. Sum Assured Reduction allows a scheduled reduction rather than pretending that cover needs remain constant. Whole Life Cover is structured to continue to age 100 and permits a selected reduction at a stated later age. These choices affect premium, affordability and the amount available to nominees, so the year-by-year benefit illustration should be retained with the policy.
Options 5 to 8: age-100, income, combined and lower-cover mechanics
The product’s age-100 design, income-based death benefit, level-cover-plus-income design and low-cover design meet different cash-flow needs. Under Option 6, the V13 customer information sheet states that the death benefit is paid in monthly instalments equal to 1.25% of sum assured during the selected income-benefit term. Under Option 7, the V13 sheet states that the sum assured is paid immediately and a level monthly income of 0.5% of sum assured is paid for ten years, beginning from the first policy monthiversary on or after death. These are contractual payout patterns, not investment yields.
Option 9 survival payments reduce the later death benefit
Option 9 begins a monthly survival benefit of 0.12% of sum assured from the first policy monthiversary after the life insured turns 60, continuing until death or the end of the policy term, whichever occurs first. On a later death during the term, survival benefits already paid are deducted from the sum assured on death. A reader should therefore not add the lifetime payments and the original cover as though both remain fully payable.
Option 10 returns defined premiums, not every rupee collected
If Option 10 remains in force and the life insured survives to maturity, the sum assured on maturity equals Total Premiums Paid as defined by the contract. The policyholder should distinguish that term from taxes, rider premiums, underwriting extras, modal loadings and other amounts that may not form part of the defined return. Options 1 to 9 have no maturity benefit under the V13 customer information sheet.
| Option group | Payment pattern | Point requiring special attention |
|---|---|---|
| 1–5, 8 | Primarily lump-sum death benefit | Cover pattern may be level, increasing, reducible or age-linked. |
| 6 Income Benefit | 1.25% of sum assured monthly during the chosen income term | The current CIS figure should govern over inconsistent promotional shorthand. |
| 7 Level Cover plus Income | Lump-sum sum assured plus 0.5% monthly for 10 years | Nominee needs records for both components. |
| 9 Survival Benefit | 0.12% monthly after age 60; later death benefit reduced | Survival receipts consume part of the later protection amount. |
| 10 Return of Premium | Defined Total Premiums Paid at maturity | Not necessarily all cash collected by the insurer. |
Accelerated benefits, riders and the risk of double counting
The plan includes a terminal-illness benefit under the current product description. It pays 50% of the applicable sum assured on death, subject to the stated maximum, and waives future base premiums; a later death benefit is reduced by the accelerated amount already paid. The payment is therefore an advance of cover, not a second full sum assured. The diagnosis must satisfy the contractual definition and claim requirements.
An optional Accelerated Critical Illness benefit covers the listed illnesses only when selected, underwritten, paid for and in force. It is also accelerated: a paid critical-illness amount reduces the remaining death cover. Other riders shown in the V13 customer information sheet have separate UINs, premiums, waiting periods and exclusions. The sheet lists a 90-day waiting period for the accelerated critical-illness benefit and certain riders, while other riders have different waits. A base-policy summary cannot be used to infer rider coverage.
Lapse, surrender and suicide clauses can change the expected outcome
For Options 1 to 8, the current customer information sheet says a regular-pay or limited-pay policy lapses if the entire instalment premium is not received by the end of grace during the premium-paying term; benefits then cease immediately unless revival succeeds. Reduced paid-up treatment is not available for these options. Option 9 and Option 10 have their own value-acquisition and reduced-paid-up rules. A policyholder who cannot continue should request a written surrender or paid-up quotation for the exact policy rather than assuming a refund.
The base suicide exclusion applies if death by suicide occurs within 12 months from commencement of risk or revival. The V13 sheet describes payment of Total Premiums Paid plus specified extras and modal loadings, excluding applicable taxes, or surrender value where acquired and higher. The issued contract controls the calculation. Separate rider exclusions may be broader and should be read independently.
Claim preparation, nominee records and escalation channels
A claimant should notify ABSLI promptly, obtain an acknowledgement and preserve the claim reference. Common records include the claim form, policy schedule, death certificate, claimant identity and bank proof, medical records, and police or post-mortem papers for an accidental or unnatural death. The insurer may request further documents relevant to the event. A nominee should never rely only on a sales brochure; the proposal disclosures, medical reports, premium receipts and endorsements often matter during assessment.
- Keep nominee, address, mobile and bank details current and store the policy schedule where the family can find it.
- Review pre-filled proposal answers before signing, especially health history, tobacco use, occupation, travel and existing insurance.
- Use the insurer’s grievance process first and keep the complaint and response references.
- Where unresolved and eligible, escalate through IRDAI’s Bima Bharosa facility or the Insurance Ombudsman process.
- Retain scans of every original document submitted and proof of delivery.
GST and income-tax treatment for the 2026–27 tax year
Individual life-insurance GST exemption
Government material records that qualifying individual life-insurance services became exempt from GST from 22 September 2025. DigiShield is an individual product, so a qualifying base-policy premium is generally within that exemption. This should not be read as a statement that every rider, group cover or separately supplied service is exempt. The premium receipt and tax invoice remain the documents to check, particularly where an optional rider is included or a payment spans a rule change.
Premium deduction depends on regime and statutory conditions
The Income-tax Act, 2025 applies from 1 April 2026. A qualifying life-insurance premium may fall within the aggregate deduction framework under section 123 when the taxpayer uses the regime in which that deduction is available, subject to the overall statutory ceiling and conditions such as the relationship to the insured and premium-to-capital-sum tests. The default concessional regime does not generally allow this deduction. A payment receipt alone does not establish deductibility.
Policy receipts are not uniformly tax-free
Death benefits receive distinct statutory treatment, while a maturity, surrender or other non-death receipt can depend on policy issue date, annual premium thresholds, capital-sum ratios and statutory exceptions. Option 9 survival payments and Option 10 maturity proceeds should be tested against the law for the actual taxpayer and year. Tax deducted by the insurer, if any, is not the final tax determination.
Frequently Asked Questions on DigiShield V13
1. Is every DigiShield option a pure term plan?
No. The V13 customer information sheet classifies Options 1 to 9 as pure risk, while Option 10 is non-linked other than pure risk and pension because it carries a maturity feature.
2. Which current document should be checked when two income figures conflict?
Use the issued policy schedule and current V13 contract materials. The V13 customer information sheet states 1.25% of sum assured monthly for Option 6; an inconsistent promotional line should not displace it.
3. Does the terminal-illness payment sit on top of the full death cover?
No. It is accelerated. A later death benefit is reduced by the amount already paid, although the current product description also states that future base premiums are waived after an accepted terminal-illness claim.
4. Can Option 9 pay survival income and the full original cover later?
Not as a simple addition. The contract deducts survival benefits already paid from the later sum assured on death.
5. Does Return of Premium include GST and rider charges?
The benefit is linked to the defined Total Premiums Paid. Readers should not assume taxes, rider premiums, underwriting extras or modal loading are included without checking the definition and illustration.
6. What happens if a monthly premium is late?
The monthly grace period is 15 days. Cover continues during grace, but an unpaid premium may be recovered from a death benefit. After grace, lapse or value rules depend on the selected option and payment pattern.
7. Is life-insurance premium automatically deductible in 2026–27?
No. The tax regime, statutory ceiling, insured relationship and premium-to-capital-sum conditions matter. The default concessional regime generally does not permit the section 123 deduction.
Key Takeaways
- Confirm the current product identity as ABSLI DigiShield Plan, UIN 109N108V13.
- Read the selected option in the schedule; the ten designs do not provide the same payout, survival or maturity result.
- Treat terminal-illness and accelerated critical-illness payments as advances that reduce later death cover.
- Do not count Option 9 survival payments and the original death cover twice.
- Preserve proposal disclosures, medical records, illustration, schedule and premium evidence for claims.
- Check the invoice and the taxpayer’s chosen regime before assuming GST or income-tax treatment.
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Disclaimer: This article is a current-date educational summary of ABSLI DigiShield Plan UIN 109N108V13 prepared from the insurer’s current product page and V13 customer information sheet, government GST material, income-tax law and official grievance resources reviewed on 8 November 2026. It is not a quotation, solicitation, recommendation, suitability assessment, claim decision, legal opinion or tax opinion, and it does not promise that the insurer will issue a policy, retain a quoted premium, approve a rider, revive cover, grant surrender value or pay a claim. Actual rights depend on the signed proposal, truthful medical, financial, occupational and lifestyle disclosures, underwriting decision, benefit illustration, policy schedule, endorsements, option selected, premium status, nominee or assignment records, event facts and the exact contract in force. The ten options have materially different cover, income, survival, maturity and surrender mechanics. Terminal-illness and accelerated critical-illness payments reduce later death cover; Option 9 survival payments reduce the later death benefit; and Return of Premium uses a defined term that may exclude taxes, riders and other collections. Tax treatment depends on the tax year, regime selected, relationship to the insured, premium-to-capital-sum tests, receipt type, thresholds and later amendments. GST exemption for qualifying individual life insurance does not prove that every rider, group arrangement or separate service is exempt. Readers should obtain a personalised illustration, reconcile all documents bearing the UIN, read every exclusion and consult a licensed insurance professional, chartered accountant, tax adviser or lawyer for their circumstances. TaxGuru accepts no responsibility or liability for any purchase, continuation, surrender, revival, tax filing, claim, estate, lending or family-finance decision, or for loss arising from reliance on this summary, document mismatch, incomplete disclosure, insurer action or later legal change.
