Written by · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver — licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Last updated 2026-10-20

Life insurance and funeral cover at age 75

At 75, life insurance options in New Zealand are limited. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance accepts New Zealanders aged 40 to 75, so 75 is its last entry age: $3,000 to $30,000, level premiums that stop at the 89th birthday, accidental death only for the first 24 months. Quick Life is closed to you, because it takes ages 18 to 65. A few other insurers publish later limits.

In short

At 75, the question is usually what is still open, and whether the arithmetic works for you. This page works through exactly that for someone starting a policy at 75. It covers funeral and life cover together; for people already past 75 read life insurance over 75, and for the step before this one see life insurance over 70. A funeral-only view of the same age is on funeral insurance at age 75.

What can you apply for at 75?

Product Published entry age Open at 75? How you are assessed
Momentum Life, Funeral Insurance 40 to 75 Yes, at the top of the range No health questions
Momentum Life, Quick Life 18 to 65 No Closed
NZ Seniors and OneChoice, funeral cover 18 to 79 Yes No health questions; accident-only for 12 months
AA Life, Funeral Cover 50 to 79 Yes No health questions; accident-only for 24 months, premiums refunded for another cause
Chubb Life, Funeral Cover 50 to 80 Yes No health questions; accident-only for 24 months
Unity funeral insurance 18 to 75 Yes, at the top of the range No health questions; waiting period length not stated
NZ Seniors Life 45 to 79 Yes Eight health questions by phone
Golden Insurance 40 to 80 Yes Health and lifestyle questions
Fidelity Life, life cover 16 to 75, no expiry age Check Full application; confirm with Fidelity whether 75 is included

An entry age is a limit, not an offer. Insurers decide who they accept for products with health questions, and the early windows decide what is paid first.

Momentum Funeral Insurance at the final eligible age

The wording gives the entry range as "40 – 75 years" and says "acceptance is guaranteed for New Zealanders aged 40 to 75". It does not say how age is counted, so a person who is 75 and some months should confirm with Momentum before relying on it. "New Zealander" means living in New Zealand at application and being an NZ or Australian citizen, a permanent resident visa holder, or someone continuously in New Zealand for at least 12 months on a valid temporary work visa.

What you get: a benefit of $3,000 to $30,000, with a $30,000 cap per life across all Momentum funeral policies; accidental death pays three times the benefit, where death happens within 90 days of the accident; cover continues for life once premiums end at the 89th birthday. What you do not get: a terminal illness benefit, or any payout for death from illness in the first 24 months. Total premiums can end up larger than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral.

Momentum Life's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair), which Momentum's own table groups in its "Vulnerable" range, and its solvency ratio was 107% at 30 June 2026; see its financial strength page. The Funeral Insurance plan page has the product summary.

Why Quick Life is closed at 75

Quick Life automatically accepts people aged 18 to 65. A true age over 65 at the start voids the policy and refunds all premiums, so there is no route to apply at 75. If you already hold Quick Life, the position is different: at 75, $20,000 of the benefit becomes free, and the policyholder can elect a free $20,000 funeral benefit or continue Quick Life with the free component. Indexation stops at 75, and premiums are fixed from 75.

Underwritten cover is not uniformly closed at 75: Fidelity Life publishes entry ages of 16 to 75 with no expiry age, and NZ Seniors Life and Golden Insurance publish limits of 79 and 80. Health decides the answer. See guaranteed acceptance life insurance over 70 for the products without health questions.

A walkthrough: a policy started at 75 and paid to 89

Premiums on Funeral Insurance are fixed each year until the 89th birthday. From the 75th to the 89th birthday is 14 years, or 168 monthly payments. Momentum publishes no funeral premium, so the table uses round hypothetical yearly costs for a $10,000 benefit.

Hypothetical yearly cost Total paid over 14 years As a share of $10,000 Payments needed to equal $10,000
$480 a year $6,720 67% 250 months (about 20.8 years): never reached before 89
$720 a year $10,080 101% 167 months (about 13.9 years): reached at about 89
$960 a year $13,440 134% 125 months (about 10.4 years): reached at about 85

The break-even is the benefit divided by 168: about $714.29 a year for $10,000, or about $71.43 a year for every $1,000. It scales: for a $3,000 benefit, the break-even is about $214.29 a year; for $30,000, about $2,142.86 a year. These figures are the dividing line, not a prediction of your price.

What a person has paid by the time of death, at a hypothetical $720 a year:

Death at Years of payments Total paid What is paid
76 (in the first 24 months) 1 $720 Accident only: $30,000 (three times). Other cause: nothing, and $720 refunded
80 5 $3,600 $10,000 from any cause ($30,000 if an accident, within 90 days)
85 10 $7,200 $10,000 (or $30,000 for an accident)
89 or later 14 $10,080 $10,000, with no more premiums

The 24-month window is the same at every entry age. Weigh it as a real risk, not a footnote: a death from illness inside it pays no benefit. Momentum publishes no claims statistics, and we give none. If the rate changes, Momentum must give 30 days' notice; it can change only for a change in tax or other legislation, or claims experience significantly different from expected. And if you stop paying, cover can be cancelled after a month, reinstatement is not guaranteed and the premiums paid are lost.

Alternatives at 75

Funeral Insurance is one of several ways to meet the cost. FDANZ's 2026 report gives $11,700 for a full funeral for 50 guests with cremation, $14,300 with burial and $4,700 for an unattended cremation. The Funeral Grant maximum is $2,697.43, and prepaid funeral cover can stop you getting it. Saving, a prepaid trust or doing nothing may suit some households; see funeral insurance versus a prepaid funeral and paying for a funeral. Use the break-even calculator with the premium from an actual quote.

Next steps: applying directly or asking a licensed adviser

You can apply to Momentum directly through the buttons on this page, or ask a licensed adviser what other insurers would offer for your health. Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy through our link; see how we are paid. Test your own age against each product with the guaranteed acceptance hub, and for the next band see funeral insurance over 80.

Frequently asked questions

Can you get life insurance after age 75?

Some insurers publish entry ages beyond 75: NZ Seniors and OneChoice funeral cover and AA Life to 79, Chubb Life funeral cover to 80, NZ Seniors Life to 79 and Golden Insurance to 80. Momentum Life takes no new applicants over 75.

Is Quick Life available at 75?

No. Quick Life accepts ages 18 to 65. Only Funeral Insurance, with entry to 75, is open at that age.

How much is a $10,000 policy for a 75-year-old?

Momentum publishes no funeral premium, so we give none. The break-even figure above shows what a premium would need to be to total $10,000 by the 89th birthday.

References

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