Independent guide

BLF on a pay stub: Basic life insurance

BLF may identify basic life insurance. It can record an employee premium, employer cost or taxable value. A premium amount is not the policy’s death benefit.

Last updated September 13, 2026

Browse health, insurance and disability deduction codes.

BLF may identify basic life insurance. It can record an employee premium, employer cost or taxable value. A premium amount is not the policy’s death benefit.

Employer-specific label: this is a possible interpretation. Confirm the full meaning in the codebook for the employer that issued your statement.

How to read this entry

Use the possible interpretation Basic life insurance alongside the column heading. An earnings amount, an employee deduction and an employer-cost memo can have different effects even when their labels look similar.

Example on a pay statement

A $4 premium row and $50,000 of insured cover measure different things. Do not interpret the premium as the coverage amount.

Examples illustrate the checking method. They are not a personal tax calculation or a promise of a particular benefit.

What to check with payroll

Compare the benefits certificate, payer and any separate taxable group-term-life entry.

Compare related entries

Read the health, insurance and disability deduction codes guide to compare the entries in this part of your statement. Use the full pay stub code directory when a second abbreviation is unfamiliar.

Reference and scope

Official guidance on health, insurance and disability deduction codes provides background on the underlying rules. It does not validate an individual employer’s internal abbreviation.