Life Insurance Options For 87-Year-Olds

The only type of life insurance available for an 87-year-old is a whole life burial insurance policy. Term life and universal life insurance are not an option for 87-year-olds.

Burial insurance is also commonly known as final expense insurance or funeral insurance.

Regardless of which name is used, it’s permanent life insurance that lasts a lifetime, has a fixed premium, and accrues cash value.

No medical exam is required to buy a policy, but you must answer health questions. There are no guaranteed acceptance life insurance options at this age.

Please note that you don’t need to be in perfect health to qualify. Getting a final expense policy with pre-existing conditions at this age is still possible.

When you die, the insurance provider will pay your beneficiaries the death benefit (tax-free). There are no restrictions on how they spend that money, and they keep any leftover funds.

 

How Much Does Final Expense Life Insurance Cost At Age 87?

Life insurance for an 87-year-old typically costs between $135 and $310 per month for a policy ranging from $5,000 to $10,000. The price of a final expense policy is determined based on your age, tobacco usage (if any), health, and how much coverage you select.

Below is a table that shows some monthly price estimates.

CoverageNon-Tobacco UserTobacco User
$2,000$44$60
$3,000$64$87
$4,000$84$115
$5,000$105$143
$6,000$125$172
$7,000$145$200
$8,000$165$228
$9,000$186$256
$10,000$206$284
$12,000$246$340
$15,000$307$424
$20,000$408$594
$25,000$510$742
Source for monthly prices: Choice Mutual quote calculator. Rates are rounded to the nearest dollar, and are valid as of 06/27/2025.
CoverageNon-Tobacco UserTobacco User
$2,000$58$93
$3,000$85$138
$4,000$113$183
$5,000$140$228
$6,000$167$273
$7,000$195$318
$8,000$222$363
$9,000$249$408
$10,000$277$453
$12,000$331$543
$15,000$413$678
$20,000$550$903
$25,000$686$1128
Source for monthly prices: Choice Mutual quote calculator. Rates are rounded to the nearest dollar, and are valid as of 06/27/2025.

 

Life Insurance Companies That Offer New Coverage To 87-Year-Olds

Below is a table outlining the funeral insurance providers available to seniors over 85, along with some basic information about their products. The only way to buy coverage from these insurance companies is via an agent licensed to sell their products.

Insurer
Coverage
Policy Type & Waiting PeriodCoverage & Policy Info
Prices
$2K-$25K
$2K-$25K
Whole Life Insurance
No waiting period
$2K-$25K
$2K-$25K
Whole Life Insurance
No waiting period
$2.5K-$15K
$2.5K-$15K
Whole Life Insurance
No waiting period
$2.5K-$10K
$2.5K-$10K
Whole Life Insurance
No waiting period
$2K-$10K
$2K-$10K
Whole Life Insurance
Y1 refund of premiums,
Y2 50% payout,
Y3+ full benefits

 

Life Insurance Vs Final Expense Insurance

Very often, people looking for insurance for 87-year-olds say they only want “burial insurance.” They proclaim that they don’t want life insurance.

Final expense insurance for seniors is a type of life insurance.

A burial only happens when someone dies, which is why any insurance to cover a burial is still a life insurance policy.

Read final expense insurance vs life insurance for more information about this topic.

 

Does Funeral Life Insurance For 87-Year-Olds Have A Waiting Period?

Generally, if you’re approved for coverage at this age, there will be no waiting period.

Common conditions like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, past heart attacks, and diabetes are usually eligible for immediate coverage.

However, there are some health situations where a waiting period could be inevitable.

At the end of the day, you’ll need to speak with a licensed agent who can determine if you’ll qualify for a life plan with no waiting period at this age.

 

How To Apply

First, to buy life insurance for an 87-year-old, you must work with an insurance broker. The life insurance companies that offer coverage at this age do not sell their products directly to consumers, through the mail, or online.

To apply, you must speak with a licensed agent verbally via telephone.Here’s an outline of the process:

  1. The insured will answer the health questions (a POA cannot answer for them).
  2. Your agent will gather all the information to complete the application and submit it to underwriting.
  3. Wait for the insurance company to process the application and render a decision.

In most cases, applications are approved or declined within 24 hours. Once approved, a physical policy will be mailed to you within two weeks. The coverage will begin based on when you scheduled your first payment to occur.

If you need life insurance for a senior over 80, call 1-800-644-2926, and a friendly agent will answer all your questions and guide you through the process.

Anthony Martin
Anthony Martin
Choice Mutual CEO
Author
  • 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.

Jeff Root
Jeff Root
Life Insurance Expert
Editor
  • 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.

David Duford
David Duford
Life Insurance Expert
Editor
  • 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.

Jeff Root
Jeff Root
Life Insurance Expert
Editor
  • 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.

David Duford
David Duford
Life Insurance Expert
Editor
  • 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.

  1. Get Quotes. https://securitynationallife.com/for-individuals-families/final-expense-insurance/
Article Published
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Updated nearly all the written content and added key takeaways. Also added a table that outlines which companies are available at this age and some tables showing sample prices.