Day-one level coverage
Day-one classes reach a BMI under 45 at Transamerica Immediate Solution (Standard), up to 44 at NewBridge (Standard), and up to 46 at Transamerica FE Express (Select). Best-tier pricing generally stops around 40–42.
Health & coverage · Weight & build
Life insurance when you’re overweight: the build chart is roomier than you think
Every simplified-issue carrier checks your height and weight against a published “build chart” — and on final expense, those charts are far more generous than most people expect. Here are real numbers from carrier guides, what happens if you’re above them, and the doors that don’t use a chart at all.
The honest landscape
How carriers actually see being overweight (high BMI)
Build is the one part of underwriting that’s pure arithmetic: the carrier finds your height and checks your weight against a minimum and a set of maximums. On final expense, the limits are wide. Transamerica’s official Immediate Solution chart labels its columns plainly — Preferred under a BMI of 40, Standard under 45, Graded under 48 — which at 5′8″ means 263, 295, and 315 pounds. Its newer FE Express Solution keeps a BMI up to 42 in its top Premier class and up to 46 in its Select class, both with full coverage from day one. Weight alone is rarely what ends an application.
Above the top column, carriers part ways. Transamerica and NewBridge publish a hard ceiling — past the Graded or Modified maximum (a BMI around 48), no coverage is available. Americo takes the opposite approach: when height and weight fall outside its Eagle Premier chart, its guide issues Eagle Guaranteed instead — guaranteed acceptance with a graded benefit, not a decline. And Royal Neighbors only collects height and weight for its Preferred class, so its Standard, graded, and guaranteed plans don’t use a build chart at all.
The honest catch is combinations. Transamerica’s own case study shows one Standard-rated condition plus a Standard-range build landing on its Graded plan — and the same applicant moving back to day-one coverage with its Activity Credit. On simplified-issue term, Mutual of Omaha lists a “Table 2 or higher build” combined with rateable high blood pressure as a decline. Underweight counts too: every chart has a minimum. And beneath all of it, guaranteed-issue whole life asks no health questions — Mutual of Omaha’s runs to age 85, Corebridge’s and Americo’s to 80.
Your realistic paths
The three doors, honestly labeled
Graded coverage
Transamerica’s graded plans and NewBridge’s Modified plan cover builds up to a BMI of about 48 — permanent coverage with a limited benefit for the first two years (accidents covered in full), then the full benefit for life. Mutual of Omaha publishes a separate, higher Graded column too.
Guaranteed acceptance
No health questions. Americo’s published rule issues Eagle Guaranteed when height and weight fall outside its chart; Mutual of Omaha’s Guaranteed Whole Life runs to age 85, Corebridge and Americo to 80.
What moves the needle
Climbing the ladder
Regular activity can lift your class
Transamerica’s Activity Credit — routine activity like walking the dog, gardening, or mowing, three or more days a week for at least 10 minutes — moves an applicant whose build is the only risk factor from Standard to Preferred. The guide’s own example: a man 5′6″ and 250 pounds.
The columns are hard lines
At 5′8″, Transamerica FE Express keeps Premier to 276 pounds, Select to 302, and Graded to 315. A few pounds can change the tier — so give your honest, current weight and let us match it to the carrier whose line you clear.
Pick the chart that fits you
The same build lands differently by carrier. At 6′0″, Mutual of Omaha’s Living Promise Level allows up to 315 pounds, Americo’s Eagle Premier 313, and Transamerica Express Premier 309 — while NewBridge’s Preferred column stops at 295.
Inside the application
What carriers actually ask
- Transamerica’s chart, in its own words: “If the build for the insured exceeds the maximum weight listed for graded, no coverage will be available” — and the classes shown are the “best possible decision for the height/weight” before any medical conditions are considered.
- Americo’s Eagle Premier issues only if “Height and weight are within guidelines”; Eagle Guaranteed issues if “Height and weight are outside guidelines.” The chart routes you — it doesn’t reject you.
- NewBridge scores build as a lifestyle factor: a BMI under 18.0 or over 48.0 is not eligible, 44.1–48.0 routes to its Modified plan, and lower bands reach its Level plans.
- American Amicable’s simplified-issue term guide: “If the applicant has a medical condition combined with build that exceeds table 2, the applicant is not eligible for coverage.”
Where the doors are
Panel niches worth knowing
Every carrier draws its lines differently — these documented niches are why we shop your exact situation instead of accepting the first answer. Sources labeled; guidelines change without notice.
Transamerica
carrier underwriting guideImmediate Solution chart: Preferred under BMI 40, Standard under 45, Graded under 48 — at 5′4″, up to 233 / 262 / 279 pounds. Activity Credit can lift a build-only Standard to Preferred. FE Express keeps BMI up to 42 at Premier and 46 at Select, both day-one.
Our full Transamerica reviewMutual of Omaha
carrier underwriting guideLiving Promise publishes separate Level and Graded maximums by height — at 5′8″, 283 pounds Level and 300 Graded; at 6′0″, 315 and 333 — so a build just past the Level column still has a permanent-coverage option.
Our full Mutual of Omaha reviewAmerico
carrier product guideEagle Premier build chart (5′4″: 102–247 pounds; 5′8″: 116–279; 6′0″: 130–313). Outside the chart, the guide issues Eagle Guaranteed instead of declining — ages 50–80, graded benefit, accidental death covered throughout.
Our full Americo reviewNewBridge (Continental General)
carrier underwriting guidePublished chart at 5′8″: Preferred 121–264 pounds, Standard to 289, Modified to 315; a BMI under 18 or over 48 is not eligible. Not sold in California, Florida, New York, or South Carolina.
Royal Neighbors of America
carrier underwriting guideHeight and weight are only required for the Preferred class (up to 258 pounds at 5′8″, 289 at 6′0″). Standard, graded, and guaranteed plans don’t use a build chart.
Our full Royal Neighbors of America reviewFidelity Life (InstaBrain Term)
carrier product guideFor younger buyers on instant-decision term: weight-loss surgery means a six-month postponement, and half of any weight lost (over 10 pounds) in the past 12 months is added back when reading the build chart.
Straight answers
Being overweight (high BMI) & life insurance — FAQ
What BMI is too high for life insurance?
On final expense, the published hard ceilings sit around a BMI of 48 — Transamerica and NewBridge offer no coverage above their graded or modified maximums. Below that, day-one coverage reaches into the mid-40s at some carriers (Transamerica Immediate Solution Standard under 45; FE Express Select up to 46), and best-tier pricing generally runs to about 40–42. Above every chart, guaranteed-issue coverage asks no health questions — and Americo’s guide issues its guaranteed plan specifically when build falls outside its chart.
Do I have to weigh in or take an exam?
No — simplified-issue final expense has no exam and no scale. You give your height and weight on the application, and the carrier reads its chart. That’s why an honest, current number matters: the tier follows the number, and a misstatement found during the two-year contestability period can put a claim at risk.
I had weight-loss surgery — does that count against me?
Often not much. Transamerica’s FE Express decision chart lists bariatric surgery at its top Premier class. On instant-decision term, Fidelity Life’s InstaBrain guide postpones applications for six months after weight-loss surgery and adds back half of any weight lost over 10 pounds in the past year before reading the build chart. Your current build and any remaining conditions are what carriers weigh.
Does being underweight matter too?
Yes. Every build chart has a minimum. NewBridge lists a BMI under 18 as not eligible, Transamerica’s Immediate Solution minimum is a BMI of 18.5, and Transamerica’s FE Express places very low builds in its Select or Graded classes rather than its top tier.
One search, every door
See your real options in about 60 seconds
A few basic questions — age, state, and your honest health picture — are exactly what lets us quote you accurately across the whole panel. A decline somewhere else is the start of our search, not the end. No exam to look, no spam, no pressure.
- We know which carriers treat being overweight (high BMI) best — that's the whole job
- Day-one coverage first, whenever you qualify
- Your information is never sold