Life insurance for over 50s Background

Compare life insurance for over 50s

The table below shows life insurance policies for those aged 50-54 from our Online Partners.

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Former Senior Finance Journalist
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The initial results in the table above are sorted by Star Rating (High-Low) , then Provider Name (Alphabetical) . Additional filters may have been applied, see top of table for details.

Why take out life insurance when you’re over 50?

As you get older, you may be thinking more about what would happen to you or your family should anything unexpected happen in your life. If you’re looking for some added peace of mind, you may be wondering what options there are when it comes to life insurance for over 50s.

Life insurance is designed to give you and your family some financial security should something happen to you.

Life cover typically pays a lump sum amount if you die or are diagnosed with a terminal illness. This money is paid to your beneficiaries, such as your partner or children, and could help them cover living expenses or repay any debt.

When you’re in your 50s, you may have unpaid debts, such as a mortgage, or family members that might need to be taken care of in the event that you become ill or pass away.

The likelihood of you experiencing a health condition may increase as you age, with the top five leading causes of death in Australia all health related.

If you have minimal household debt and no dependents, you may decide you don’t need to get life insurance.

But if you do have family or other dependents, it may be worth considering whether the life insurance cover you have is enough for your needs.

You can buy life insurance directly from a provider, or via an adviser, or you may already have some cover through your superannuation. We’ve outlined some of the pros and cons of life insurance through super.

When comparing policies, consider factors like the inclusions, exclusions, limitations, waiting periods and premiums. Read carefully any Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before making a purchase decision.

You might want to seek help from an independent financial adviser.

Frequently Asked Questions about Life Insurance for Over 50s

The cost of life insurance will depend on a number of factors such as your age, gender and whether you smoke, as well as the level of cover you decide to take out.

Life insurance will typically be more expensive for someone in their 50s, compared to a younger person.

For someone in their 50s, monthly premiums can range from about $60 to almost $600 depending on your age, gender and smoking status. This is based on quotes obtained for Canstar’s 2022 Direct Life Insurance Star Ratings and a $500,000 sum insured amount.

Average monthly direct life insurance premiums for people in their 50s

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Age Smoking status 5-Star Rated Rest of the market

Women

Early 50s Non-smoker $60.02 $123.51
Smoker $126.78 $237.56
Late 50s Non-smoker $106.62 $214.77
Smoker $222.86 $397.19

Men

Early 50s Non-smoker $81.14 $162.62
Smoker $185.64 $326.70
Late 50s Non-smoker $158.11 $297.85
Smoker $343.75 $577.51

Source: Canstar Research. Table prepared May 2022, based on the Canstar 2022 Direct Life Insurance Star Ratings (May 2022). Monthly premiums are based on a cover amount of $500,000.

Life insurance cover can be bought on its own or you may have the option of packaging it with another type of life insurance to cover other circumstances.

The other types of life insurances that may be available are:

  • Income protection – pays a portion of your income if you are unable to work because of an illness or injury. Bear in mind that the maximum entry age for income protection policies (the upper age limit for being eligible to take out a new policy) can be in the 50s for some providers, so you may find you become ineligible to buy certain policies as you move through your 50s.
  • Total and permanent disability (TPD) insurance – pays a lump sum amount if you are diagnosed with a total and permanent disability and are unable to work.

Trauma insurance – pays a lump sum amount if you suffer a critical illness or serious injury, such as cancer, a heart attack or a stroke.

Life insurance policies on our database are assessed on both price – monthly premiums – and a range of features such as ease of application, payment options and comprehensiveness of cover.

Each policy is rated against 20 different consumer profiles broken down on the basis of age group, gender and smoking status.

Policies are assigned a total score in each profile, 70% of which is weighted according to the price score and 30% of which is weighted according to the feature score. The policies that perform to a high standard in individual profiles are given a 5-Star Rating.

Canstar’s Outstanding Value Direct Life Insurance Award go to the providers or brands found to offer outstanding value based on their cumulative score and Star Ratings performance across all 20 direct life insurance profiles.

You can find out more in the methodology.

Latest in life insurance

Canstar Star Ratings and Awards

Looking for an award-winning product or to switch providers or brands? Canstar rates products based on price and features in our Star Ratings and Awards. Our expert Research team shares insights about which products offer 5-Star value and which providers offer outstanding value overall. We also reveal which providers have the most satisfied customers in our dedicated Customer Satisfaction Awards.

Canstar's Life Insurance Awards

About the authors

Michael Lund, Former Senior Finance Journalist

Michael Lund
Michael is an award-winning journalist with more than three decades of experience reporting on a range of subjects, including general news, lifestyle, local government, science and technology. As a senior finance journalist at Canstar, Michael has written more than 100 articles covering superannuation, savings, wealth, life insurance, home loans and more. His work has been referenced by a number of other finance publications, including Yahoo Finance and The Motley Fool. Michael started in the UK working for a number of local and evening newspapers, including as a local government reporter. He then moved to the BBC and worked in radio before taking up the position of bi-media local government correspondent for the West of England, based in Bristol. In 1998 Michael moved to Australia and worked for Queensland’s The Sunday Mail before joining the ABC in Brisbane. There, he worked as a reporter and producer in a number of areas in radio and television, including for ABC TV’s popular Australian Story. After a stint as a tutor and lecturer in journalism at Queensland University of Technology, Michael returned to News Corp as a feature writer for The Courier-Mail. An interest in online journalism saw Michael join The Conversation first as a science and technology editor and later as a commissioning editor, working across all areas of coverage including with The Conversation’s New Zealand team. Michael has been lucky enough to win a few awards for his work, including a Queensland Media Award and a highly commended in the Walkleys. In 2021 he was part of a team that was a finalist in the Australian Museum Eureka Prize for Science Journalism. He holds a Bachelor of Science in mathematics and applied physics (Manchester Metropolitan University) and a Masters of Science in pure mathematics (Liverpool University). You can connect with Michael on LinkedIn. View Michael’s articles.

Joshua Sale, Group Manager, Research & Ratings

Joshua Sale
Joshua Sale is responsible for developing the methodology and delivering Canstar’s flagship Star Ratings, as part of Canstar’s Research Team. With tertiary qualifications in economics and finance, he enjoys helping Australians find more suitable financial products by transforming complex calculations into a consumer-friendly Star Rating that explains the values and benefits of different financial products. As one of Canstar’s company spokespeople, Joshua is confident participating in print, radio and broadcast journalism interviews. He has participated in interviews with the Australian Financial Review, news.com.au and Money Magazine, along with other leading media outlets, discussing topics such as home loan equity, banking incentive schemes, digital wallets and wider finance trends. You can follow Joshua on LinkedIn. Have a media enquiry, and interested in featuring Joshua as a financial expert and commentator? Contact Canstar’s Media Team today.

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Important information

For those that love the detail

This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.

Canstar may earn a fee from its Online Partners for referrals from its website tables, and from sponsorship or promotion of certain products. Fees payable by product providers for referrals and sponsorship or promotion may vary between providers, website position, and revenue model. Sponsorship/promotion fees may be higher than referral fees. If a product is sponsored or promoted, it’s an ad and it is clearly marked as such. An ad might appear in different places on our website, such as in comparison tables and articles. Ads may be displayed in a fixed position in a table, regardless of the product's rating, price or other attributes. The location of an ad doesn’t indicate any ranking or rating by Canstar. Payment of fees for ads does not influence our Star Ratings. See How We Get Paid to find out more.

The Life Insurance Star Ratings were awarded in June 2023 and data in the table is current as at that date, updated from time to time to reflect product changes notified to us by product issuers. The results don’t include every provider in the market and we may not compare all features relevant to you. You can find a description of the initial sort order below the table. You can use the sort buttons at the top of each column to re-order the display. Learn more about our Life Insurance Star Rating Methodology. The rating shown is only one factor to take into account when considering products.

The products and Star Ratings in the table might not match your exact inputs in the selector. Sometimes the methodology uses profiles with categories or bands (e.g. income, loan amount or monthly spend), but sometimes a single methodology, without any categories or bands, is applied. The results will show the products that most closely match your selection, based on our profiles. If you are unsure about any terms used in the comparison table please refer to the glossary.

What is a Target Market Determination?

A Target Market Determination (‘TMD’) is a document that explains which people particular financial products may be suitable for (the target market) and sets out any conditions around how financial products can be distributed to consumers.

Why do product issuers provide Target Market Determinations?

From 5 October 2021, TMDs are compulsory for most financial products.

Issuers and distributors of financial products must take reasonable steps that are likely to result in financial products reaching consumers in the target market defined by the product issuer.

We recommend that you consider the TMD before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the TMD.

Any advice on this page is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this general financial advice is right for your personal circumstances. You may need financial advice from a qualified adviser. Canstar is not providing a recommendation for your individual circumstances. If you decide to apply for an insurance policy, you will deal directly with the provider, not with Canstar.   It’s important you check product information directly with the provider. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the PDS and TMD. For more information, read our Detailed Disclosure.

If you are seeking to replace an insurance policy, you should consider your personal circumstances, including continuing the existing cover until the replacement policy is issued and cover confirmed. Your current policy may have different features to products currently on the market. Please consider what features are right for you when comparing insurance products and refer to the provider for further details on a policy.

Companies listed in the table, or in ads, may use or be used by another company to arrange, issue, distribute or sell its insurance policies to customers. For more information on the issuer of the policy, please read the Product Disclosure Statement.

By clicking on the number next to the phone icon, you will leave the Canstar website and be connected with the call centre of the Online Partner’s brand that you have selected. You will be subject to that referral partner's brand privacy policy and terms of use. You agree that Canstar Referral Terms apply to this referral.