Can you get life insurance at 90?
Short answer
Rarely, and it's better to know that up front. Most final expense policies stop issuing at 80 or 85. Mutual of Omaha's Living Promise level plan issues to 85. Aetna's Accendo final expense issues its level plan through age 89, so 89 is the last realistic birthday on our panel. At 90, only a handful of carriers will consider an application, always with health questions. For many families, pre-planning the funeral is the better path.
A lot of websites get vague at this age. We won’t. At 90, new life insurance is close to the end of the road. Here’s exactly where the doors close, and what you can still do.
Where the doors close
Issue age is usually your age at your last birthday. That means an 89-year-old can apply right up to the day before turning 90.
| Policy | Last issue age | Health questions? |
|---|---|---|
| Corebridge and Americo guaranteed-issue whole life | 80 | No |
| Mutual of Omaha Living Promise (Level) | 85 | Yes |
| Mutual of Omaha Guaranteed Whole Life | 85 | No |
| Transamerica, Foresters, American Amicable final expense | 85 | Yes |
| Aetna / Accendo final expense (Level) | 89 | Yes, plus a prescription check |
Two things stand out. There’s no guaranteed-acceptance policy after 85 from any carrier we can verify. And after 89, our panel has nothing left. Accendo’s level plan, which issues through 89, is the last door. Its maximum coverage drops to $25,000 from age 76 on, and it rules out current oxygen use and congestive heart failure medications.
At 90: what’s actually left
- A handful of carriers outside our final expense panel will consider applicants up to age 90, always with health questions. Premiums at this age are high, and approval depends entirely on health. We’ll tell you honestly whether it’s worth applying.
- Coverage you already have. Don’t let an older policy lapse. If it has lapsed recently, reinstatement may still be possible, and that’s often far better than buying new.
- Veterans’ benefits. Free national cemetery burial has no age limit. See national cemetery burial.
Pre-planning the funeral instead
At 90, the practical goal is usually to make sure the funeral is paid for and the family isn’t left guessing. You can do that without an insurance application:
- A prepaid funeral contract. There are no health questions, because you’re buying funeral goods and services, not insurance. In Michigan, the money must be held in escrow for you, and you can cancel before death with 30 days’ written notice and get most of it back. Compare prepaying with insurance.
- Savings set aside for the funeral, in an account that pays on death to the person who will make the arrangements.
- Your wishes in writing: burial or cremation, the service, the cemetery. Families are entitled to itemized prices from any funeral home under the FTC’s Funeral Rule, so the plan can include a real price list.
If you’re helping a parent who’s not 90 yet
Timing matters more than anything else at these ages. At 85 or younger, several carriers are still open, including one with no health questions. At 86 to 89, Accendo still issues with health questions. Each birthday past 85 closes doors. See the over-85 map or call 586-343-1505, and we’ll tell you straight what’s realistic.
Sources: Mutual of Omaha — Living Promise plan highlights · Accendo — Final Expense Whole Life brochure · MCL 328.222 — prepaid funeral funds held in escrow · MCL 328.223 — cancelling a prepaid funeral contract · FTC Funeral Rule, 16 CFR Part 453 (eCFR)
Updated October 11, 2026. General information, not legal, tax or financial advice. United Eagles Financial is an independent life insurance agency, not an insurance carrier; coverage depends on carrier underwriting and state availability.