The American Income Life insurance companies started in 1951. Its initial name was American Income. American Income was chartered as a mutual evaluation association in Indiana with $25,000 of borrowed capital in March 1951. It got reinsurance through American Standard Insurance Company as a new mutual reserve company. Harold Goodman, and his vice president, Bernard Rapoport, officially founded American Income Insurance Company in May 1951. The company’s home offices were first situated in Indianapolis, Indiana.

In 1961, American income life started issuing additional Insurance to members of labor unions and serving union policyholders in methods not familiar to the company. For instance, the company renounced payment of premiums by union members during an authorized labor strike, still offered in 2021.

In addition, a college scholarship program for union members’ children and the company developed by American Income Life contributed to the strike funds of unions engaged in lawful strikes. As a result, it was ranked as the only 100% union insurance company and termed “Be Union-Buy Union.” After two years, in 1963, the company’s income was about $6 or $7 million.

In 1994, the owners sold it to Torchmark Corporation for $563 million. In 2012, the unnamed owners of two websites and Google, Inc. were sued by American Income Life Insurance Company for highlighting critical results and reviews for the company on the top page of search results.

On August 8, 2019, American Income Life became a subsidiary of Globe Life.

American Income Life is licensed in 49 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, and is registered to carry on business in New Zealand. AIL is often referred to as AIL Local 277, because of agent membership with OPEIU 277.