Life insurance over 50 is still widely available in the UK: people in their fifties, sixties and seventies can usually choose between term cover, whole of life cover and a guaranteed-acceptance over-50s plan, and some plans take new applicants into their eighties. Which is open to you depends mainly on your age, your health and what you want the money to do.
The types work very differently. Term and whole of life cover ask about your health and can pay a larger sum; an over-50s plan asks nothing about health but pays a small, fixed amount. To find out which an insurer would actually offer you, leave your details in the form on this page; an FCA-authorised broker can then call you back, at no cost and with no obligation to buy.
The kinds of life insurance you can buy after 50
| Type | How long it lasts | Health questions? | What it pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Term life insurance (level, decreasing or increasing) | A fixed number of years | Yes | The sum insured if you die during the term; nothing if you outlive it |
| Whole of life insurance (underwritten) | The rest of your life | Yes | The sum insured whenever death occurs |
| Over-50s plan (guaranteed acceptance) | The rest of your life | No | A small fixed sum; early on, only premiums back for a death from natural causes |
| Funeral plan (not insurance) | Until the funeral | No | The funeral set out in the plan, paid to a funeral director |
Term cover runs for a period you choose, such as until a mortgage is cleared. Aviva's Life Insurance Plan takes applicants "aged between 18 and 77", and the policy has to end before you turn 91. See how term life insurance works.
Whole of life cover has no end date; Royal London's Whole of Life page takes UK residents "aged between 18 and 88". See what whole of life insurance is.
An over-50s plan is whole of life cover with guaranteed acceptance; the next section sets out its terms. A funeral plan is not insurance at all; if that is what you have in mind, start with funeral plan age limits.
How an over-50s plan works, and what it covers
You pick a monthly premium or a cover amount, and the insurer accepts you if you meet its age and residence rules, with no medical. SunLife's policy summary describes its Guaranteed Over 50 Plan as a whole of life policy that, after the first year, provides a fixed cash sum on your death, a sum that stays the same throughout the life of the plan.
Five terms matter most, and each appears in the provider documents quoted on this page: the payout is fixed and does not grow; premiums run for life or to a cap age, after which cover continues; you can pay in more than it pays out, and SunLife says you would not get any money back if you stop paying; there is a qualifying period, the first year at SunLife, Aviva and Legal & General and two years at Scottish Friendly, in which a death from natural causes returns the premiums paid while an accidental death is covered in full from the start, under each provider's definition; and inflation reduces what the fixed payout buys. Legal & General adds that its plan is not designed to meet the full cost of a funeral. The best life insurance over 50 gives each provider's own words.
Some people choose these plans knowing all of this, because guaranteed acceptance matters more to them than the size of the payout. Whether the trade is worth it is the subject of is over-50s life insurance worth it?; prices are covered in over-50s life insurance costs.
The difference between ordinary life insurance and an over-50s plan
Aviva sells both and sets out the difference on its own life insurance page. Its Life Insurance Plan covers you for a specific amount of time, while its Over 50s Life Insurance covers you for the rest of your life; the lump sum payout on the over-50s plan is usually much smaller than on the Life Insurance Plan; and you cannot take out a joint policy for the over-50s plan. The best life insurance over 50 compares the plans themselves.
Ordinary cover is underwritten: Royal London's Whole of Life page says applicants answer medical questions, and may be asked to attend a medical, before cover begins. An over-50s plan skips that step, which is why it can accept everyone in its age band, and why it has a qualifying period and a cap on cover; Legal & General's is £10,000 across all its over-50s policies held by one person.
A health condition does not automatically rule out underwritten cover. Each insurer weighs the condition and its history. Life insurance with a medical condition sets out the decisions an insurer can make. A broker can put your age and health to several insurers in one conversation, so you know whether underwritten cover is on offer before settling for a guaranteed plan; the form on this page is how to ask for that.
For plans that ask no health questions, see guaranteed acceptance life insurance; the best life insurance over 50 compares the plans themselves.
What is open to you in your fifties, sixties, seventies and later
Each insurer sets its own age limits for new applicants, and they change. The ones below come from the insurers' own documents; for how long cover can run once you have it, see what age life insurance covers you to.
In your fifties, almost everything is open, including add-ons: Legal & General lets you add critical illness cover to its term policy up to age 67. Income protection has its own rules, set out in income protection age limits.
In your sixties and seventies, underwritten term cover is still sold but the window narrows: Aviva and Legal & General take new term applicants up to 77, and Aviva's term must end before you turn 91. Over-50s plans stay open, each to its own upper age, which the best life insurance over 50 sets side by side. Being retired does not in itself stop you buying; the rules in these documents turn on age and UK residence, not work.
Over 80, choice is genuinely limited. Royal London's underwritten Whole of Life plan takes applicants up to 88, and some over-50s plans take new applicants into their eighties. Other providers set their own limits, so ask a broker or each insurer. A funeral plan may be the more realistic way to set money aside for a funeral.
Cover after cancer, and cover for a parent
If you have had cancer, what an underwritten insurer can offer depends on where you are with it. After a past cancer, Legal & General's guide to life insurance and cancer (April 2026) says "there may be a period of time before you can get life insurance", and that someone "without cancer symptoms for an extended period of time" could be offered cover at standard rates. During tests or treatment, Macmillan's guide to insurance and cancer (September 2023) says an insurer "might refuse to give you cover straight away" and may review the application once treatment has finished. If you have a terminal diagnosis, ask the insurer or a broker whether any underwritten policy is open to you before you apply. An over-50s plan asks nothing about health, so a diagnosis does not stop you buying one, but the qualifying period still applies. See life insurance after cancer. Macmillan's helpline is on 0808 808 00 00, Monday to Sunday, 8am to 8pm.
If you are thinking of insuring a parent, Legal & General's guide (March 2026) makes an insurable interest a condition, requires the parents' consent, and has the person being insured fill in the application; life insurance for parents covers the law behind this. If your parent is terminally ill, ask an insurer or broker whether it would consider an application, and whether an existing policy includes terminal illness benefit. Marie Curie offers practical and emotional support about living with a terminal illness on 0800 090 2309.
Frequently asked questions
What is an over-50s plan?
Whole of life cover with guaranteed acceptance for people in a set age band, such as 50 to 80. You pay a fixed premium and it pays a fixed sum on your death, once the qualifying period has passed.
How does an over-50s plan pay out in the first year or two?
During the qualifying period, the plans quoted here return the premiums paid for a death from natural causes and pay the full sum for an accidental one. SunLife, for example, pays the full sum when death follows an accident "within 90 days of the accident from injuries sustained in it".
Can pensioners get life insurance?
Yes. The plans quoted here set rules on age and UK residence, not on whether you still work, so a retired person can apply for term cover up to the insurer's age limit or for an over-50s plan.
Can I get life insurance in my seventies?
Usually. Aviva and Legal & General take term applicants up to 77, over-50s plans set their own upper ages (compared in the best life insurance over 50), and underwritten offers depend on your health.
Who is the insurer behind a Saga, Post Office or British Seniors plan?
The brand on the advert is not always the insurer, so check who stands behind any plan you consider. The policy summary names the insurer near the top; SunLife's, for example, gives Phoenix Life Limited (trading as SunLife) as the firm that provides its plan. For two of the others, see Post Office life insurance and British Seniors life insurance claims.
If you would like someone to check which of these an insurer would offer you, the form on this page passes your request to an FCA-authorised broker. It takes a few minutes and you decide what happens next.
Part of our over-50s and later life guides.
Sources
- SunLife (Phoenix Life Limited), Guaranteed Over 50 Plan Terms and Conditions including the Policy Summary (November 2025), read 17 October 2026. sunlife.co.uk
- Legal & General, Over 50s Fixed Life Insurance Policy Summary (November 2025), read 17 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Legal & General, Over 50 Life Insurance, Life Insurance, Life insurance and cancer (April 2026) and Can you insure your parents? (March 2026) pages, read 17 October 2026. over-50; life; cancer; parents
- Aviva, Over 50s Life Insurance and Life Insurance pages, read 17 October 2026. over-50; life
- Aviva, Life Insurance Plan policy summary (May 2023), read 17 October 2026. aviva.io
- Scottish Friendly, My Mutual Guaranteed Over 50s Plan, read 17 October 2026. scottishfriendly.co.uk
- Royal London, Whole of Life page, read 18 October 2026. royallondon.com
- Macmillan Cancer Support, Insurance and cancer (reviewed September 2023) and Contact us; Marie Curie, Support; all read 17 October 2026. macmillan.org.uk/insurance; macmillan.org.uk/contact; mariecurie.org.uk