Can someone over 80 get life insurance?

Yes, it's possible to secure over 80s life insurance in the UK.

It's not too late to help protect your loved ones from major expenses, such as funeral costs, after you're gone.

Even in the later stages of life, you may still have a number of options available to you.

Over 80 life insurance policy options available through Reassured include:

An over 50s plan may be the most suitable life insurance policy for over 80s, as this policy type guarantees acceptance to people aged 50 - 85.

You may consider whole of life insurance if you’re in your early 80s and in good health. The application process includes questions about your health and medical history.

This type of policy only pays out if you pass away during a specified term. The application process includes questions about your health and medical history.

Make the most of our award-winning broker service to compare multiple quotes for life insurance.

We’ll do our best to help you find a suitable policy, at the best price we can offer you. Get your free, no-obligation quotes today.

Read on to learn all about your over 80 life insurance policy options...

Do I need life insurance over 80?

As you enter your 80s you may ask whether you still need life insurance.

The answer is, it depends on your financial situation and whether you have sufficient savings.

Fortunately, people are living longer than ever before, however, this means our financial protection needs to evolve too.

Generally speaking, if you have dependants such as grandchildren, children or a partner, it may be beneficial to have some form of cover.

Whilst it’s likely you won’t require life insurance to cover a mortgage, there may be other costs to consider:

  • Can you afford the cost of a funeral? (Average cost £3,953[1])
  • Do you need to provision for the living costs of a spouse?
  • Would you like to leave behind an inheritance?
  • Do you have outstanding debt you want to clear?
  • Do you want to avoid or minimise inheritance tax (IHT) on your estate? (40% tax on over £325,000 threshold)

Over 80s life insurance calculator

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Research carried out by SunLife has found that the average cost of a funeral in the UK is £3,953 and the average cost of dying in total is £9,200.

The pay out from your life insurance could help to relieve some of this financial burden for loved ones.

Source: https://www.sunlife.co.uk/

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A cash gift can be used by your children and/or grandchildren to help them with higher education costs, outstanding debts, taking a holiday and so on.

If your policy is written in trust (a service available through Reassured), you can choose who’ll receive the money from your policy and when.

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20% of new retirees in 2022 planned to rely on their state pension to get by, which is £185.15 per week.

Your life insurance pay out could help a loved one to live comfortably during their retirement.

Source: https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/

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18% of UK adults over 75 have some form of personal debt.

If you have outstanding debts in your name, such as a credit card or overdraft, then you could factor these in when calculating how much cover you need.

Source: https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/

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If you have other types of financial protection already in place such as an existing life insurance policy or a prepaid funeral plan, then this might reduce the amount of new cover you need.

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Your total cover estimate

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Best life insurance for seniors over 80

The best life insurance will vary depending on what it is you're looking to cover.

Each policy type is better suited to protecting different aspects of your life.

And the cost is heavily influenced by the type of cover you require, as well as your personal circumstances.

At Reassured, we can provide you with all the information you need to help you decide which policy may best suit your needs.

The cost of life insurance over 80

The cost of life insurance is calculated based on a number of factors.

These include:

Each of these aspects are taken into account, the level of risk would be assessed, and your premiums priced accordingly.

As a result, due to your older age, it's likely your premiums will be more expensive than your younger counterpart.

However, it's still possible to secure affordable life cover with an over 50’s plan from just 20p-a-day+.

Contact our award-winning team who'll compare quotes to help you secure the best deal we can offer you from our panel of top UK insurers.

Life insurance over 80, (no medical exam)

  • Guarantees a cash pay out to your loved ones when you pass away
  • Guaranteed acceptance (UK residents aged 50 - 85)
  • No medical information required
  • Fixed premiums from 20p-a-day through Reassured

An over 50s plan offers guaranteed acceptance to all UK residents aged 50 - 85 and requires no medical exam.

As a result, this cover could be ideal for anyone within this age range who has experienced poor health.

With this type of policy your family will be assured a pay out after you're gone, (as long as you pay your premiums).

The exact pay out amount you can get will depend on various factors such as your age, budget and your smoking status.

Your family could use the money from this policy to help cover your funeral costs, clear outstanding debts or as an inheritance.

Premiums can stop at the age of 90 with some insurers, however, your cover would continue until you pass away.


The waiting period, (before a claim can be made)

Whilst acceptance is guaranteed on an over 50s plan, insurers mitigate their risk by implementing a waiting period.

The waiting period starts at the beginning of the policy and lasts 12 or 24 months depending on the insurer.

It means if you were to pass away due to natural causes before this period has elapsed, no pay out would be made. (However, all premiums paid would be refunded).

To determine whether an over 50s plan is the best solution for you, simply get in touch.

Our team will provide you with all the information you need to make an informed decision.

Key benefit: Guaranteed acceptance for all UK residents aged 50 - 85 and no medical questions or exam on application.

Whole of life insurance over 80

  • Guarantees a cash pay out to your loved ones when you pass away
  • Greater sum assured available compared with an over 50s plan
  • Medical information is required
  • Available up to the age of 84
  • Fixed premiums from 27p-a-day± through Reassured

A whole of life insurance policy is guaranteed to pay out a cash lump sum to your loved ones after you pass away, (as long as you pay your premiums).

This policy type tends to provide a higher sum assured than an over 50s plan and is commonly used to help cover funeral costs, outstanding debts, or to provide an inheritance.

Whole of life can also be used to help cover any loss from inheritance tax, (if your estate is worth over £325,000).

You could also avoid or minimise inheritance tax by writing your policy in trust - meaning a quicker and larger pay out for your family.

To secure this type of cover and obtain affordable premiums as a senior citizen, you would need to be in relatively good health and without any long-standing illnesses.

Life insurance providers that offer whole of life cover for over 80s are few and far between.

However, at Reassured, we may be able to help applicants up to the age of 84 secure this type of policy.

Get in touch and we can compare quotes to help you determine if whole of life is right for you.

As with all policies, monthly premiums can vary significantly from insurer to insurer. So, it's best to compare quotes.

Key benefit: Guarantees a pay out when you pass away and you could secure a larger pay out sum, compared with an over 50s plan, (if you're in good health).

Term life insurance for over 80s

  • Pays out a lump sum to your loved ones if you pass away within the term
  • Term length 1 - 10 years (depending on your age and the sum assured)
  • Level or decreasing term options available
  • Medical information is required
  • Available up to the age of 86
  • Fixed premiums from 33p-a-day through Reassured

The most common form of life insurance, term life insurance, provides cover for a specified period of time (the term).

Once the term of the cover has expired, the policy finishes and if you didn’t pass away, no pay out is issued.

Some insurers offer term-based cover to applicants aged 80 – 86. The maximum term you could be offered will depend on your age, as the policy must expire once you turn 90.

For example, if you took out cover at the age of 80 then the maximum term offered would be 10 years, whereas if you took out cover at age 86 the maximum term offered would be 4 years.

When applying for term life insurance, your health and smoking status could impact the success of your application.

If you need more help determining if this type of policy is right for you and to compare quotes, contact our award-winning team.

Over 80 life insurance vs funeral plan

Life insurance and funeral plans are very different products, both offering their own range of benefits.

The option that’s right for you will depend on your personal circumstances.

Please note, Reassured are unable to sell funeral plans. If you are looking for a funeral plan we suggest you check the FCA register to find a regulated provider.

For someone over 80, a life insurance policy may be more affordable and could offer a higher level of cover than a funeral plan.

Life insurance also makes more sense if you want to leave a cash sum for your loved ones to spend how they see fit.


The table below shows the key differences between an over 50s plan, whole of life insurance and a funeral plan.

Over 50 planWhole of lifeFuneral plan
Guaranteed acceptance Icon green tick
(aged 50 - 85)
Icon ruby cross Icon green tick
(age restrictions may apply)
No medical questions Icon green tick Icon ruby cross Icon green tick
Quick & easy application Icon green tick Icon ruby cross Icon green tick
Guaranteed pay out Icon green tick
(pays out to beneficiaries)
Icon green tick
(pays out to beneficiaries)
Icon green tick
Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) regulated Icon green tick Icon green tick Icon green tick


If you’re looking to help cover the cost of your funeral with life insurance, contact Reassured to find out the most suitable option available to you.

What happens to life insurance after age 80?

Once your life insurance has been arranged, it won't be affected by your age.

Typically, the cover agreed at application will remain valid and unchanged until a pay out is made, even after you pass 80.

However, there are two exceptions.

Firstly, most life insurance providers will only provide term life insurance until an upper age limit.

Cover arranged through Reassured has an upper age limit of 86.

If you have a term life insurance policy, it's important to be aware of how long your cover lasts and to understand at what age the cover will cease.

Secondly, some over 50s plans only require you to make premium payments for a specified number of years.

At this point in time, premium payments will cease but cover will remain in place for the rest of your life.

Typically, this is on your 90th birthday or 30 years into the policy.

This will vary between providers and it's important to review your individual policy.

Critical illness cover

Critical illness cover allows you to make a claim on your policy if you were diagnosed with a critical, yet not terminal, illness.

However, due to the high-risk to the insurer, it’s not possible to arrange critical illness cover in your 80s.

Terminal illness cover

At Reassured, all term-based policies come with terminal illness cover as standard.

This means that if you're diagnosed with a terminal illness and given less than 12 months to live, you can make an early claim.

An early pay out could be used towards paying for medical treatment, to get your financial affairs in order or spend on your family.

Joint life insurance

Joint life insurance covers two lives simultaneously and pays out only once normally upon the first death.

Unfortunately, an over 50s plan cannot be taken out as a joint policy.

However, it may be possible for two people in their senior years to take out whole of life insurance as a joint policy.

This means there would be a guaranteed pay out when one partner passes away.

As joint life insurance expires after the first death, the surviving partner would be left unprotected. And, at an older age (perhaps beyond their mid 80s), they may struggle to secure a new policy.

Two single policies would provide two pay outs which could help to cover both funeral costs and perhaps to provide a financial gift for children and/or grandchildren.

Life insurance for elderly parents over 80

As your parents enter the later stages of life, it's not uncommon to look at arranging life insurance on their behalf.

It's possible to do this, however, the rights to the policy will remain in the policyholder’s name.

This means that initiation of the policy, changes to the policy, trust agreements and cancellation will require their permission.

The various policy types discussed previously are all available to arrange on behalf of your elderly parents. However, if medical questions are required then the policyholder will have to complete these with one of our consultants.

Simply get in touch with Reassured today to determine the options available to you.

Over 80 life insurance in trust, (avoid/minimise 40% inheritance tax)

Writing your life insurance in trust enables you to ensure that your loved ones benefit fully from your policy.

The person you place in trust (the trustee) would manage the pay out and ensure it's distributed according to your wishes.

This option doesn't cost anything and has the following benefits:

  • Avoid (or minimise) 40% inheritance tax - In the UK, if your estate exceeds £325,000 you are subject to 40% inheritance tax to the amount above this threshold. However, writing your life insurance in trust protects your sum assured from this tax bill as it won't be considered part of your estate
  • Avoid the probate process - Your family could receive the funds in just a few weeks, in time to help pay for the funeral and for other urgent expenses
  • Take control - By appointing a trustee, you're able to specify exactly who you wish to receive the funds, how much and when

At Reassured we're able to offer a free trust service on the majority of the policies we sell, where our dedicated team can help you through the application and answer any questions.

Life insurance for senior citizens

There could be a number of reasons why you've decided now is the time to make financial provisions.

A major life event or the loss of a loved one may have been the prompt to research your options.

Or it may simply be that you've reflected on how your loved ones would cope financially if you were to pass away.

Particularly if you were to leave behind an elderly or vulnerable dependant.

In any case, preparing for the future financial security of your loved one's will provide peace of mind for your remaining years.

Compare quotes for over 80 life insurance

Looking for life insurance when you're over 80 can be tricky.

However, finding the right cover at a price to suit your budget could be achievable by comparing quotes, (as prices can vary).

You can use an award-winning life insurance broker such as Reassured, to compare quotes from a panel of insurers, saving you time and money.

We can also help you with the application process, explain any jargon and ensure that you have all the information required.

Lastly, our broker service is completely fee-free - so why not seize the day?

Sources:

[1] https://www.sunlife.co.uk/funeral-costs/

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