What is the waiting period for life insurance?
Wondering what is the waiting period for life insurance? It is the time between when you apply for a policy and when the insurance company issues it. You can avoid a waiting period by considering no-exam insurance policies or accidental death benefits. Guaranteed, no-wait insurance helps those rejected for health issues.
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Jimmy McMillan
Licensed Life Insurance Agent
Jimmy McMillan is an entrepreneur and the founder of HeartLifeInsurance.com, an independent life insurance brokerage. His company specializes in life insurance for people with heart problems. He knows personally how difficult it is to secure health and life insurance after a heart attack. Jimmy is a licensed insurance agent from coast to coast who has been featured on ValientCEO and the podcast...
Licensed Life Insurance Agent
UPDATED: Aug 10, 2024
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right life insurance coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident life insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one life insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single company.
Our life insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different life insurance companies please enter your ZIP code above to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about life insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything life insurance-related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by life insurance experts.
UPDATED: Aug 10, 2024
It’s all about you. We want to help you make the right life insurance coverage choices.
Advertiser Disclosure: We strive to help you make confident life insurance decisions. Comparison shopping should be easy. We are not affiliated with any one life insurance company and cannot guarantee quotes from any single company.
Our life insurance industry partnerships don’t influence our content. Our opinions are our own. To compare quotes from many different life insurance companies please enter your ZIP code above to use the free quote tool. The more quotes you compare, the more chances to save.
On This Page
- Insurance companies need time to issue medical exams and review medical information, which is why there is a waiting period for life insurance
- There are options to avoid a waiting period, such as with no-exam insurance policies or accidental death benefits
- Some applicants may be rejected for underlying health issues, which is when it can be helpful to get guaranteed insurance with no waiting period
What is the waiting period for life insurance? Unlike auto insurance, most life insurance policies don’t go into effect immediately.
The best life insurance companies want to assess how much of a risk you are to insure, so your insurer will thoroughly assess your health before calculating a rate and assigning you a policy.
The time between applying for a life insurance policy and when it becomes active is referred to as the waiting period for life insurance policies. To find out more about how this waiting period works, ways to bypass it, and which life insurance companies offer no waiting period, along with the best instant-issue life insurance options, continue reading.
Does life insurance go into effect immediately?
Most life insurance policies do not become effective right away, as insurers typically need time to review your details and evaluate your risk before finalizing coverage. However, you can opt for guaranteed acceptance life insurance with no waiting period, which provides life insurance with immediate coverage. Keep in mind that while this option bypasses the usual medical exam, it is often more expensive. For those seeking quick coverage, this is among the best life insurance with no waiting period options available.
Read our guide on what to expect in a paramedical exam for more information. We go more in-depth about why there are waiting periods in life insurance and ways to avoid waiting periods.
What is the waiting period for life insurance?
Many individuals prefer their life insurance policies to start immediately for instant financial protection. However, even with options like guaranteed issue life insurance with no waiting period or life insurance that is effective immediately, there are often factors that delay the approval process.
Typically, insurance companies need to evaluate your health and medical history to determine the cost of a policy. For health insurance that becomes active immediately, the insurer may require a medical history review and an exam before issuing the policy. This process can result in a waiting period that often exceeds a week or two due to the time needed to schedule medical appointments and complete paperwork. In contrast, life insurance with no exam and no waiting period allows coverage to start without these delays, providing a quicker effective date of life insurance policies.
After evaluating your details, insurance companies will either approve or deny your application and provide a policy rate. Typically, younger individuals in good health receive significantly lower rates compared to senior citizens in poor health. For those seeking life insurance, especially seniors, options like no waiting period life insurance for seniors can be beneficial. However, insurers might also choose to deny coverage to individuals deemed extremely high-risk. Guaranteed insurability options in life insurance can help some seniors secure coverage, but not all policies may be available without waiting periods. Life insurance for seniors with no waiting period offers immediate coverage, but acceptance still depends on the assessed risk.
What happens if you die during the life insurance waiting period?
You are not covered by life insurance during the waiting period, as the company is reviewing your information to decide whether or not to insure you. Because you haven’t yet officially signed up for a life insurance policy or paid any premiums, you aren’t covered by life insurance yet.
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How to Avoid the Waiting Period for Life Insurance
If you want life insurance coverage immediately, a few different options are available for life insurance with no waiting period.
Accelerated Underwriting Companies
Some companies offer accelerated life insurance underwriting. For instance, you may be able to get life insurance on the same day. Although, in most cases, it is a limited coverage that goes into effect until you can complete a medical exam and the company more thoroughly reviews your information.
For example, a limited coverage policy may provide just accidental death coverage, which pays a death benefit to your beneficiates if you die in an accident. Once you complete all the necessary exams and paperwork, the policy will move to a full coverage policy, or you can keep the limited coverage policy.
No-Exam Life Insurance Policies
Certain insurance providers offer guaranteed acceptance life insurance with no waiting period, which allows you to qualify for coverage without undergoing or passing a medical exam. Although this type of policy tends to be more expensive due to the lack of a medical exam requirement, it increases your chances of approval.
However, this means it is good life insurance coverage for those with more serious health issues that might get rejected by insurance companies.
Accidental Death Benefits
Accidental death life insurance provides coverage if you pass away due to an accident. Similar to life insurance with no medical exam and no waiting period, these policies do not require medical examinations, allowing you to secure an accidental death benefit policy immediately. This is ideal for those who are waiting to purchase life insurance and need swift coverage.
However, the catch is that only accidental deaths are covered. If you die of natural causes, a death benefit won’t be paid out to your beneficiaries. However, this coverage is good for those who can’t qualify for regular life insurance due to health conditions or those who work high-risk jobs. (For more information, read our “Life Insurance vs. Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance: Which Is Better for You“).
Case Studies: Waiting Period for Life Insurance
Case Study 1: John’s Quick Coverage
John needed immediate life insurance coverage due to his upcoming overseas trip. Instead of waiting for the typical waiting period, he opted for an accelerated underwriting policy. This allowed him to secure limited coverage on the same day, providing him with accidental death benefits until he could complete a medical exam and receive full coverage.
Case Study 2: Sarah’s No-Exam Option
Sarah had been denied life insurance in the past due to her underlying health issues. She decided to explore the option of no-exam life insurance policies. By choosing a guaranteed life insurance policy that didn’t require a medical exam, she was able to obtain coverage without a waiting period. Although the rates were higher, it provided her with the protection she needed.
Case Study 3: Mark’s High-Risk Job
Mark worked in a high-risk job and was concerned about his lack of life insurance coverage. Since he couldn’t qualify for regular life insurance due to his occupation, he opted for an accidental death benefit policy. While this type of policy only covered accidental deaths, it provided Mark with immediate coverage without a waiting period.
What is the waiting period for life insurance? The Bottom Line
In most cases, life insurance waiting periods are unavoidable. This is because insurance companies need time to review your health information and conduct a medical exam.
However, there are some options for those who want life insurance right away, such as accelerated underwriting life insurance, no-exam life insurance, and accidental death benefit life insurance.
If you want to start shopping around and see your life insurance options, you can use our free life insurance quote comparison tool. It will sort through rates from companies in your area to find the best deal and coverage for you.
Your life insurance quotes are always free.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is a waiting period for insurance?
A waiting period for life insurance is the time between when you apply for coverage and when the insurance company issues a policy. Most insurance companies require you to complete a medical exam before issuing a policy, and approval can take a few weeks.
How long until life insurance coverage starts?
It depends on whether you choose a life insurance policy that goes into effect immediately or has a waiting period. Your coverage could start as early as the next day or take as long as a month.
Can you get life insurance without a life insurance waiting period?
Yes, it is possible to get a life insurance policy without a waiting period. There are usually good options for those that have been denied life insurance policies due to underlying health issues or dangerous occupations. However, these policies are usually more limited in coverage, and rates are higher if you opt out of a medical exam.
Is term life insurance effective immediately?
The timeline for obtaining life insurance largely depends on whether a medical exam is required. For best short-term life insurance options or instant answer term life insurance, if no medical exam is needed, you can often secure a policy that becomes effective within a day. However, if a medical exam is required, the process can take several weeks before the policy is issued and benefits are activated.
Your life insurance quotes are always free.
Secured with SHA-256 Encryption
Jimmy McMillan
Licensed Life Insurance Agent
Jimmy McMillan is an entrepreneur and the founder of HeartLifeInsurance.com, an independent life insurance brokerage. His company specializes in life insurance for people with heart problems. He knows personally how difficult it is to secure health and life insurance after a heart attack. Jimmy is a licensed insurance agent from coast to coast who has been featured on ValientCEO and the podcast...
Licensed Life Insurance Agent
Editorial Guidelines: We are a free online resource for anyone interested in learning more about life insurance. Our goal is to be an objective, third-party resource for everything life insurance-related. We update our site regularly, and all content is reviewed by life insurance experts.