Product administration
Group life assurance scheme administration
Group life assurance is a single policy taken out by an employer, association or lender to cover a group of people, usually employees, against death and often disability. Cover is typically a multiple of salary or a flat sum assured, members join and leave as staff change, and the premium is recalculated at each renewal from the current member schedule.
Administering a group scheme means managing the scheme contract and the member schedule together: loading members in bulk, adjusting cover when salaries or headcount change, billing the employer, and paying claims for individual members. Ontech LifeI ERP administers group life schemes for life insurers in Zambia, including bulk member operations and employer-level reporting.
Key capabilities
Scheme and employer setup
Record the employer, the scheme's benefit basis, free cover limit, eligibility rules and renewal date as one master policy.
Bulk member management
Import member schedules from spreadsheets, add joiners and remove leavers, and update salaries or categories in bulk.
Premium calculation and billing
Calculate the scheme premium from the member schedule and rate, bill the employer, and handle mid-term adjustments for joiners and leavers.
Free cover limits and medical underwriting
Cover members up to the free cover limit automatically and refer those above it for medical underwriting.
Renewals
Request an updated member schedule before renewal, re-rate the scheme, issue renewal terms and update the master policy.
Member claims
Register death or disability claims against a member, verify membership at the date of the event, and pay the benefit to the employer or beneficiary as the scheme defines.
Employer reporting
Produce schedules of members, premiums and claims per employer for their records and for the insurer's own reporting.
How it works
- The insurer quotes the scheme from the employer's member schedule, benefit basis and rate.
- The scheme is issued as a master policy and the member schedule is loaded in bulk.
- The employer is billed for the scheme premium and payments are matched to the master policy.
- Joiners, leavers and salary changes are applied during the year with pro-rata premium adjustments.
- Claims for individual members are registered, checked against the member schedule and paid.
- At renewal the schedule is refreshed, the scheme is re-rated and renewal terms are issued.
Benefits
Fast onboarding of large schemes
Bulk import loads hundreds of members at once instead of creating each record by hand.
Accurate premiums
Premiums are calculated from the actual member schedule, and adjustments for movements are automatic.
Fewer claim disputes
Membership at the date of death is on record, so eligibility is established from data rather than correspondence.
One view per employer
The insurer's account managers see every scheme, member and claim for an employer in one place.
Who it is for
- Life insurers in Zambia writing employer group life, group funeral or credit life schemes.
- Insurers covering associations, cooperatives or microfinance borrowers under group policies.
- Corporate sales teams that need scheme quotations and renewals produced from member data.
Zambia-specific considerations
Group life is a large part of long-term insurance business in Zambia because employers, government bodies and lenders commonly provide death cover for staff and borrowers. Schemes are renewed annually and member schedules are exchanged as spreadsheets, so bulk import and clean renewal handling are the practical requirements.
Group schemes are long-term insurance business under the Insurance Act No. 38 of 2021 and are reported to the Pensions and Insurance Authority alongside individual business. Keeping scheme premiums and claims in the same system as individual policies makes the returns complete.
How Ontech LifeI ERP addresses this
A dedicated group life module
Ontech LifeI ERP has a group life module with master policies, member schedules and bulk operations, separate from but consistent with individual policy administration.
CRM for corporate schemes
The built-in CRM tracks employer leads, scheme opportunities and renewals so corporate sales and administration work from the same records.
Claims and payouts under control
Member claims follow the same documented, multi-level approval and maker-checker payment process as individual claims.
Frequently asked questions
What is group life assurance?
Group life assurance is one policy that covers a defined group of people, usually an employer's staff, against death and often disability. The employer is the policyholder, and benefits are typically a multiple of salary or a fixed sum per member.
How is a group life premium calculated?
The premium is based on the member schedule, usually the total sum assured or salary roll, multiplied by a rate that reflects the group's age profile and occupation. It is recalculated at renewal and adjusted during the year for joiners and leavers.
What is a free cover limit?
The free cover limit is the amount of cover each member receives without medical evidence. Members whose benefit exceeds it are medically underwritten for the excess.
Can Ontech LifeI ERP import member schedules from Excel?
Yes. Member schedules can be imported in bulk from spreadsheet files, and joiners, leavers and salary changes can be applied the same way.
How are group life claims paid?
The claim is registered against the member, membership at the date of the event is verified from the schedule, and the benefit is paid to the employer or the beneficiary as the scheme rules define, after approval.
See Ontech LifeI ERP for your company
Book a demo with Ontech Solutions in Lusaka and see policy administration, claims, Mobile Money collection and PIA reporting working together in one platform.
Last updated 2026-09-13. Published by Ontech Solutions, Lusaka, Zambia.