Last updated September 2026 · PolicyChat
Term life insurance rates by age (2026)
PolicyChat's dated rate tables: what level term life insurance costs per month for ages 25 to 65, by rate class, term length and coverage amount. Every figure is generated by the PolicyChat pricing engine, the same one Sage and the two-minute estimate use, following the methodology below. They are industry estimates, not quotes; the carrier confirms the price when it underwrites.
- $14–$24a month at 30, $500,000, 20-year term, best health class(PolicyChat, September 2026)
- $24–$38a month at 40, same policy and class(PolicyChat, September 2026)
- $56–$88a month at 50, same policy and class(PolicyChat, September 2026)
Table 1 · rate class
$500,000 of 20-year term, monthly, by age and rate class
Age is the biggest lever and health class is the second. At 40, the best class runs $24–$38 a month and Standard runs $34–$55 (PolicyChat, September 2026); a tobacco user in the Standard class pays $83–$131 (PolicyChat, September 2026). Click an age for that year's full table across every term and amount.
| Age | Preferred Plus | Preferred | Standard | Standard, rated | Standard, tobacco |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $12–$20 | $14–$23 | $17–$29 | $28–$46 | $41–$69 |
| 30 | $14–$24 | $16–$28 | $20–$34 | $32–$56 | $48–$83 |
| 35 | $18–$28 | $21–$32 | $26–$40 | $42–$65 | $62–$97 |
| 40 | $24–$38 | $28–$44 | $34–$55 | $56–$88 | $83–$131 |
| 45 | $36–$56 | $41–$64 | $52–$80 | $83–$130 | $124–$193 |
| 50 | $56–$88 | $64–$101 | $80–$126 | $130–$204 | $193–$304 |
| 55 | $88–$144 | $101–$166 | $126–$207 | $204–$333 | $304–$497 |
| 60 | $160–$240 | $184–$276 | $230–$345 | $370–$555 | $552–$828 |
| 65 | $280–$440 | $322–$506 | $402–$632 | $648–$1,018 | $966–$1,518 |
Each cell is a monthly range: the low end is what the most competitive carrier for that profile tends to charge, the high end is typical. Rate classes: Preferred Plus is the best health class; Preferred is the next-best health class; Standard is the typical class, with a controlled condition; Standard, rated is a Standard class with a health rating. Between ages, expect a number between the rows.
Table 2 · term length
$500,000 in the best health class, monthly, by age and term length
A longer term guarantees the rate through older ages, so it costs more up front. At 40, the best class is $15–$24 a month for 10 years, $24–$38 for 20 and $36–$56 for 30 (PolicyChat, September 2026).
| Age | 10-year term | 20-year term | 30-year term |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $8–$12 | $12–$20 | $18–$30 |
| 30 | $9–$15 | $14–$24 | $21–$36 |
| 35 | $11–$17 | $18–$28 | $27–$41 |
| 40 | $15–$24 | $24–$38 | $36–$56 |
| 45 | $22–$35 | $36–$56 | $53–$83 |
| 50 | $35–$55 | $56–$88 | $83–$130 |
| 55 | $55–$89 | $88–$144 | $130–$213 |
| 60 | $99–$149 | $160–$240 | ask |
| 65 | $174–$273 | $280–$440 | ask |
"ask": Most carriers stop issuing a 30-year term around age 55 and a 20-year term around 65; cells past those ages are shown as 'ask' rather than priced. That is an industry convention, not an engine output; Sage can price a ladder of shorter terms instead.
Table 3 · coverage amount
20-year term in the best health class, monthly, by age and amount
Price scales almost linearly with the amount, with a small discount above $500,000. At 40, $250,000 is $12–$19 a month, $500,000 is $24–$38 and $1,000,000 is $46–$72 (PolicyChat, September 2026).
| Age | $250,000 | $500,000 | $1,000,000 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | $8–$11 | $12–$20 | $23–$38 |
| 30 | $8–$12 | $14–$24 | $27–$46 |
| 35 | $9–$14 | $18–$28 | $34–$53 |
| 40 | $12–$19 | $24–$38 | $46–$72 |
| 45 | $18–$28 | $36–$56 | $68–$106 |
| 50 | $28–$44 | $56–$88 | $106–$167 |
| 55 | $44–$72 | $88–$144 | $167–$274 |
| 60 | $80–$120 | $160–$240 | $304–$456 |
| 65 | $140–$220 | $280–$440 | $532–$836 |
By age
The full table for your age
Each age page has every cell: 4 rate classes plus tobacco, 10, 20, 30-year terms, $250K, $500K, $1M, the step at your next birthday, and what the same policy costs five years on.
- Age 25 $12–$20 best class · $17–$29 Standard $500K, 20-year, monthly (PolicyChat, September 2026)
- Age 30 $14–$24 best class · $20–$34 Standard $500K, 20-year, monthly (PolicyChat, September 2026)
- Age 35 $18–$28 best class · $26–$40 Standard $500K, 20-year, monthly (PolicyChat, September 2026)
- Age 40 $24–$38 best class · $34–$55 Standard $500K, 20-year, monthly (PolicyChat, September 2026)
- Age 45 $36–$56 best class · $52–$80 Standard $500K, 20-year, monthly (PolicyChat, September 2026)
- Age 50 $56–$88 best class · $80–$126 Standard $500K, 20-year, monthly (PolicyChat, September 2026)
- Age 55 $88–$144 best class · $126–$207 Standard $500K, 20-year, monthly (PolicyChat, September 2026)
- Age 60 $160–$240 best class · $230–$345 Standard $500K, 20-year, monthly (PolicyChat, September 2026)
- Age 65 $280–$440 best class · $402–$632 Standard $500K, 20-year, monthly (PolicyChat, September 2026)
Term rates step up every birthday, then lock for the whole term.
At 40 the estimate rises about 10.1% at the next birthday; the step is about 13.1% at 50 and 15.8% at 60 (PolicyChat, September 2026). Buying before the birthday keeps the lower rate for 10, 20 or 30 years. Sage can tell you exactly how many days you have.
Beat my birthday rate stepMethodology
Where these numbers come from
PolicyChat life pricing engine (the same estimates Sage and the two-minute estimate use), calibrated to public term-life quoting tools, 2026. The tables are produced by running the PolicyChat pricing engine once per cell
(src.chat.life_underwriting.price_band), so what a page shows and what Sage says agree by construction. The
engine holds a base monthly premium per $100,000 of 20-year non-tobacco term by age, interpolated between
anchor ages, and applies fixed multipliers for rate class, term length, coverage amount and tobacco. Rates
are industry estimates aggregated from public term-life quoting tools; they are not carrier-bindable and the
carrier confirms the price when it underwrites.
- Last updated
- 2026-09-19 (September 2026)
- Generator
scripts/export_life_rate_tables_by_age.py— re-run to refresh every page, the JSON and the CSV together;--checkverifies the published tables still match the engine- Engine
policychat-intelligencecommitd1e76279e7cc,life_underwriting.pySHA-25669db3cb0841c3f4a…- Class multipliers
- Preferred Plus ×0.8, Preferred ×0.92, Standard ×1.15, Standard, rated ×1.85 on the Standard non-tobacco base; tobacco ×2.4
- Coverage
- monthly premium; non-tobacco unless the row says tobacco; gender blended (women typically ~12% less, men ~5% more in the engine)
- Availability
- Most carriers stop issuing a 30-year term around age 55 and a 20-year term around 65; cells past those ages are shown as 'ask' rather than priced. (editorial convention, not an engine output)
- Self-checks
- every table must rise with age, with a worse class, with a longer term and with a larger amount; 20-year cells must match the dated table on the cost-by-age answer page
Cite this table
PolicyChat. "Term Life Insurance Rates by Age (2026): Monthly Cost by Rate Class, Term, and Amount." September 2026. https://life.policychat.com/life-insurance/rates/
Download the dataset
Questions
Frequently asked, answered with the table
How much does $500,000 of 20-year term life insurance cost per month in 2026?
For a non-tobacco applicant it runs about $14–$24 a month at 30, $24–$38 at 40, and $56–$88 at 50 in the best health class, and $20–$34, $34–$55 and $80–$126 in the Standard class (PolicyChat, September 2026). These are industry estimates from the PolicyChat pricing engine, not quotes; the carrier sets the final price when it underwrites.
How much does the price change with term length?
At 40, $500,000 in the best health class is about $15–$24 a month for a 10-year term, $24–$38 for 20 years and $36–$56 for 30 years (PolicyChat, September 2026). Longer terms cost more because the carrier is guaranteeing the rate through older, riskier ages.
Does $1,000,000 cost twice as much as $500,000?
Slightly less than twice. At 40 in the best class, $500,000 of 20-year term is about $24–$38 a month and $1,000,000 is about $46–$72 (PolicyChat, September 2026). Carriers price larger policies a little more aggressively per dollar of coverage.
How much more do tobacco users pay?
Roughly two to two and a half times the non-tobacco rate. At 40, $500,000 of 20-year term in the Standard class is about $34–$55 a month for a non-tobacco applicant and $83–$131 for a tobacco user (PolicyChat, September 2026). Most carriers treat you as a non-smoker after 12 months tobacco-free; vaping and nicotine patches count as tobacco.
Are these rates quotes?
No. They are dated industry estimates generated by the PolicyChat pricing engine, the same one Sage and the two-minute estimate use, calibrated to public term-life quoting tools and last updated September 2026. Your price depends on the health class the carrier assigns after underwriting. Sage shows the range you would actually get before anyone asks for your phone number.
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