Which Companies Offer Burial Insurance in California?
The states govern all forms of insurance rather than the federal government. For this reason, final expense insurance in the United States varies from state to state.
Below is an outline of the best funeral insurance companies in California.
How Much Does Final Expense Insurance Cost In California?
The average cost of burial insurance is $50-$100 monthly for a $10,000 policy. However, the price you’ll pay is based on your exact age, gender, health, tobacco habits, and the amount of coverage you choose.
Below is a whole life insurance rate chart with sample monthly quotes. Alternatively, you can use this quoting tool to view customized prices from all available companies in California.
How Does Final Expense Life Insurance Work?
A final expense insurance policy is a type of permanent life insurance with small death benefit options and relaxed underwriting.
These policies are designed to allow seniors with pre-existing health conditions to qualify, and no medical examination is required.
Typically, people purchase these plans to cover only their burial expenses. However, it’s essential to understand that the end result will be a tax-free cash payout to your beneficiaries, which they can spend on anything (not just funeral costs).
Additionally, if your beneficiaries don’t use all the proceeds to cover your final expenses, they retain the remaining amount.
Since funeral insurance for seniors is a type of whole life insurance, the coverage lasts for the insured’s lifetime. Additionally, premiums remain the same with age and accumulate cash value.
Some policies have no waiting period that fully cover you the day you make your first payment, but some plans have a two-year waiting period.
To qualify for immediate coverage, you must apply with a company that asks you health questions.
In contrast, there are plans without health questions (guaranteed acceptance). With those, you cannot be denied, but there is a two-year waiting period.
If you die from anything other than an accident in the first 24 months, the insurer will only refund your premiums plus interest.
How Much Does A Funeral Cost In California?
| Service Type | Average Cost |
|---|---|
| Burial Service | $7,835 |
| Direct Burial (No Service) | $4,677 |
| Cremation Service | $5,812 |
| Direct Cremation (No Service) | $1,619 |
| Funeral with service data source: NFDA General Price List Study Direct funeral data source: Funeralocity |
|
The NFDA reports that the average cost of a funeral in California, including burial, viewing, and vault, is $7,225, whereas a cremation costs $6,028.
It’s helpful to use a final expenses cost calculator to get an accurate estimate of what your desired funeral will cost.
The Free Look Period In California & The FTC Funeral Rule
The free look period is a law in California that entitles all policyholders the right to cancel an insurance policy for any reason within the first 30 days. Furthermore, it stipulates that you’re entitled to a full refund of any premiums that may have been paid.
After the free look period is over, you can still cancel a policy; however, you will not be entitled to a refund of past premiums. The purpose of free-look laws is to ensure you can rest easy, knowing that if you buy from the wrong company, get scammed, or simply change your mind, you can cancel the policy and get your money back.
Another helpful law to be aware of is the Funeral Rule established by the Federal Trade Commission. It mandates that all funeral homes must provide transparent pricing for their products and services upon request. Also, it gives you the right to pick and choose which products and services you want. You don’t have to accept whatever package a funeral home offers.
How To Buy Final Expense Insurance In California
It’s very important to compare plans from a variety of companies. All providers have unique prices, policy conditions, and limitations. The best approach is to work with an independent broker who can shop the market for you.
Alternatively, you can try to buy directly from some companies, but keep in mind that most final expense insurers only sell their products via licensed brokers.
- Nationally licensed life insurance agent with over 15 years of experience
- Personal annual production that puts him in the top .001% out of all life insurance agents in the nation.
Anthony Martin is a nationally licensed insurance expert with over 15 years of experience and has personally served over 10,000 clients with their life insurance needs. He frequently authors entrepreneurial and life insurance content for Forbes, Inc.com, Newsweek, Kiplinger, and Entreprenuer.com. Anthony has been consulted as an expert life insurance source for dozens of high-profile websites such as Forbes, Bankrate, Reuters, Fox Business, CNBC, Investopedia, Insurance.com, Yahoo Finance, and many more.
- Nationally licensed life insurance agent with over 19 years of experience
- Best selling Amazon author.
Jeff Root is a nationally licensed life insurance expert with over 19 years of experience. He has personally helped over 3000 clients with their life insurance needs. Jeff is a best-selling Amazon author and the managing partner of a highly successful insurance brokerage that manages over 2,500 licensed insurance agents across the USA. He has been a featured life insurance source for prestigious websites such as Forbes, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, Nerdwallet, and many more.
- Nationally licensed life insurance agent with over 14 years of experience
- Best selling Amazon author of five insurance sales books.
David Duford is a nationally licensed insurance expert with over 14 years of experience. He has personally helped more than 15,000 clients buy life insurance. David has been featured as an expert source for highly authoritative publications such as A.M. Best and Insurancenewsnet. He also runs one of the largest Youtube channels to help aspiring insurance agents serve their clients better.
- Nationally licensed life insurance agent with over 19 years of experience
- Best selling Amazon author.
Jeff Root is a nationally licensed life insurance expert with over 19 years of experience. He has personally helped over 3000 clients with their life insurance needs. Jeff is a best-selling Amazon author and the managing partner of a highly successful insurance brokerage that manages over 2,500 licensed insurance agents across the USA. He has been a featured life insurance source for prestigious websites such as Forbes, Bloomberg, MarketWatch, Nerdwallet, and many more.
- Nationally licensed life insurance agent with over 14 years of experience
- Best selling Amazon author of five insurance sales books.
David Duford is a nationally licensed insurance expert with over 14 years of experience. He has personally helped more than 15,000 clients buy life insurance. David has been featured as an expert source for highly authoritative publications such as A.M. Best and Insurancenewsnet. He also runs one of the largest Youtube channels to help aspiring insurance agents serve their clients better.
Choice Mutual often cites third-party websites to provide context and verification for specific claims made in our work. We only link to authoritative websites that provide accurate information. You can learn more about our editorial standards, which guide our mission of delivering factual and impartial content.
-
states govern. https://www.iii.org/publications/commercial-insurance/how-it-functions/regulation
-
law in California. http://www.insurance.ca.gov/0150-seniors/0600informationguides/Informing-Senior.cfm#freelookprovisions
-
funeral rule. https://www.ftc.gov/news-events/topics/truth-advertising/funeral-rule
-
NFDA General Price List Study. https://nfda.org/news/media-center/nfda-news-releases/id/8134/2023-nfda-general-price-list-study-shows-inflation-increasing-faster-than-the-cost-of-a-funeral
-
Funeralocity. https://www.funeralocity.com/average-funeral-price
-
NFDA. https://nfda.org/news/media-center/nfda-news-releases/id/8134/2023-nfda-general-price-list-study-shows-inflation-increasing-faster-than-the-cost-of-a-funeral
- Data sourced from Choice Mutual quote calculator for a 65-year-old applicant who does not use tobacco. Data is valid as of 09/18/2025.
- Data sourced from Choice Mutual quote calculator using a 365-day rolling average (09/18/2024-09/18/2025).
- Data sourced from 2023 NFDA General Price List Study.
