Burial insurance with no waiting period pays the full death benefit from day one. To get it, you answer health questions on a simplified-issue application; qualify, and coverage begins immediately rather than after a two-year graded period.
Every burial insurance shopper faces the same fork. Answer health questions, and qualifying buys full first-day coverage at a lower price. Skip the questions with guaranteed acceptance, and the policy begins with a graded period instead. The waiting period isn't a defect — it's the price of not being asked anything.
| Path | Health questions | Coverage start | Relative cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified issue | A short questionnaire | Full benefit, day one | Lower |
| Guaranteed acceptance | None | Graded — typically 2 years | Higher |
The health questions on simplified issue applications target recent, serious events — not every condition you've ever had. Managed conditions routinely pass at the right carrier, and the lines genuinely differ between companies. Trying the carriers whose questions fit your history — before settling for a graded policy — is the whole strategy, and it's what an independent comparison across our final expense carriers does.
Then guaranteed issue coverage is the honest fallback: real protection that starts building now, with accidental death typically covered in full immediately. Two years from now, the graded period is behind you permanently — the alternative of waiting for perfect health usually means no coverage at all. Serious health histories can start with our pre-existing conditions guide.
| Age | Female | Male |
|---|---|---|
| 50–54 | $24.50/mo | $29.80/mo |
| 55–59 | $29.75/mo | $36.20/mo |
| 60–64 | $36.40/mo | $44.90/mo |
| 65–69 | $45.20/mo | $56.70/mo |
| 70–74 | $58.90/mo | $74.30/mo |
| 75–79 | $78.60/mo | $99.80/mo |
| 80–85 | $106.30/mo | $135.40/mo |
Estimates only, based on illustrative sample rates — not a quote or an offer of coverage. Actual premiums are set by the issuing carrier and vary by state, age, health, and tobacco use. Coverage is not bound until confirmed in writing by the carrier.
See your estimated rate
Takes about 30 seconds. No obligation.
Estimates only, based on illustrative sample rates — not a quote or an offer of coverage. Actual premiums are set by the issuing carrier and vary by state, age, health, and tobacco use. Coverage is not bound until confirmed in writing by the carrier.
Yes — by qualifying through health questions on a simplified issue application. Pass, and the full death benefit begins on day one. Waiting periods only apply to guaranteed acceptance policies that skip health questions.
Policies that accept everyone without health questions use a graded period — usually two years — to make universal acceptance financially possible. Answering health questions is what removes it.
Natural-cause death returns premiums paid plus interest rather than the face amount; accidental death is typically covered in full from day one. After the period ends, the full benefit applies to any cause.
Many managed conditions — controlled blood pressure, stable type 2 diabetes, resolved older events — pass simplified issue questions at various carriers. Each carrier draws different lines, so a comparison matters more than any single application.
With one carrier, possibly — but carriers' questions differ, and an independent agent can try the carriers whose questions fit your history before defaulting to guaranteed issue.
Talk to a licensed agent
Tell us how to reach you — we compare carriers and call with real numbers.