Funeral cover options for people under 50

Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Updated 2026-10-20 · Reviewed quarterly, when the underlying data is restated.

Financial advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a trading name.

Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance is open only to New Zealanders aged 40 to 75. People aged 40 to 49 can apply, and anyone under 40 cannot. Acceptance is guaranteed with no health questions, but for the first 24 months only accidental death pays. Healthy adults under 50 can usually get more cover for less from fully underwritten life cover arranged through a licensed adviser.

Get a quote and apply online today

See your price in about a minute, then apply online with Momentum Life. Guaranteed acceptance, no health questions, no medical exams.

Life cover See your price Ages 18–65 · $50k–$300k Funeral cover See your price Ages 40–75 · $3k–$30k

Want more than $300k or have questions? Talk to an adviser

Life cover: Conditions you already have aren't covered for the first 2 years (premiums refunded instead). Suicide isn't covered for the first 2 years, and a few conditions can be excluded permanently.

Funeral cover: Only accidental death is covered for the first 2 years. Total premiums can add up to more than the cover, and it may not meet the whole cost of a funeral.

Insurer: Momentum Life Limited. Financial strength rating B (Fair) from AM Best, affirmed 11 February 2026; B ratings sit in AM Best's 'vulnerable' range. The rating scale is available for inspection at every Momentum Life office in New Zealand. What this means

Already have cover? Keep it. New cover won't pay for a condition you already have in its first 2 years.

Opens Momentum Life's online application; its guidance only covers eligibility. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy. General information, not advice.

The age 40 floor is Momentum's own entry limit, set out in its policy wording. It is not a rule across the industry. Other insurers accept younger people, as the table below shows, and a funeral policy for a younger adult is a long commitment: premiums are paid for decades, and the benefit is a fixed lump sum of $3,000 to $30,000 at Momentum. Under Momentum's Funeral Insurance any death other than an accident in the first 24 months pays no benefit and returns all premiums for that person. The total premiums can exceed the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole funeral (Momentum Life: Funeral Insurance Policy Wording).

What is open at each age

Compared: Momentum Life, NZ Seniors, OneChoice, Unity and Greenwich Life funeral products, and Momentum's Quick Life, on entry age and amount, as at 20 October 2026, from each provider's own pages. Not every insurer is included.

Your age	Funeral policies whose entry ages include you	Notes
18 to 29	NZ Seniors, OneChoice (18 to 79); Unity (18 to 75)	Momentum's Funeral Insurance is not open
30 to 39	The above, plus Greenwich Life (30 to 70, $5,000 to $20,000 on its website)	Momentum's Funeral Insurance is not open
40 to 49	The above, plus Momentum Life (40 to 75, $3,000 to $30,000)	Momentum's Funeral Insurance opens at 40

NZ Seniors and OneChoice are two brands of one insurer, Pinnacle Life; their accident-only window is 12 months, and OneChoice says you cannot get a refund of premiums after the cooling-off period. Unity's page does not say how long its waiting period is. Quick Life, Momentum's other product, accepts ages 18 to 65, but it is life cover from $50,000 to $300,000, not funeral cover, and it has different terms. For the first 2 years it excludes pre-existing conditions and suicide, and its premiums rise each year until 75. Do not read it as a cheaper way into funeral cover.

Why Momentum starts at 40

The wording gives no reason for the age 40 floor, so we cannot say why. What the entry age changes is how long you pay. Premiums are level each year until the 89th birthday, then stop. The earlier you start, the more years you pay.

Age at entry	Most years of premiums to the 89th birthday
40	49
45	44
49	40
60	29
75	14

The totals are maximums, since premiums stop at a claim. Momentum publishes no funeral premium, so here is the arithmetic with a round number that is not a price. Say a $10,000 benefit cost $300 a year (a made-up figure, not a Momentum or other insurer's price): 40 years of premiums would total $12,000, above the benefit, and 49 years would total $14,700. Premiums can also be changed for everyone on the plan, on 30 days' notice, for a change in tax or other law or for claims experience that differs significantly from expected. The funeral insurance break-even calculator lets you test your own figures.

Underwritten life cover for healthy adults

Fully underwritten life cover asks health questions and may need more evidence, so acceptance is not guaranteed, and terms depend on your health. If you are healthy it can be much cheaper for the amount of cover. QuoteHub's Premium Index shows indicative monthly costs for $500,000 of stepped life cover for a non-smoker in occupation class 1, taken from insurers' published rate cards on 8 September 2026. They are ranges across the insurers that priced each row, with standard rates and no loadings or exclusions, so your own premium depends on underwriting. See the Premium Index and its method.

Age	Man, $500,000: typical monthly cost	Woman, $500,000: typical monthly cost
30	$30 to $40	$20 to $30
40	$40 to $50	$35 to $40
50	$90 to $120	$80 to $100

Stepped premiums rise each year with age, so these ranges climb quickly after 40. That cost curve is what stepped cover looks like, and it is not a funeral premium. Life cover pays a larger sum to the people you name for any purpose, not only a funeral. If your reason for wanting funeral cover is that people depend on you, life cover is the product that addresses it. See funeral insurance against life insurance.

Is it worth it at 40 to 49?

It can suit: someone who has been declined or loaded elsewhere and still wants a fixed sum in place, and accepts the 24-month limit.
It rarely suits: someone healthy, who can answer health questions and can put money aside. FDANZ's 2026 report averages are $11,700 (cremation) and $14,300 (burial), both for 50 guests (FDANZ, 2026 Industry Trends Report). A savings account for that amount avoids premiums, and the money stays yours if you never need it.
Prepaid plans. "Funeral plans for over 30s" can mean prepaid plans as well as insurance. Greenwich's The Funeral Plan is insurance. Prepaid plans from a funeral provider or trust are a different product; see funeral insurance against prepaid funerals.

Work and Income's Funeral Grant has a $2,697.43 maximum and an asset test, and its page warns that prepaid funeral cover can stop you getting it (Work and Income: Funeral Grant). Our page on whether funeral insurance is worth it sets out the trade-offs, and funeral insurance over 50 covers the next band.

Where to get advice

The buttons on this page open Momentum Life's online application: Funeral Insurance (ages 40 to 75) and Quick Life (ages 18 to 65). From 18 to 39, only Quick Life is open from Momentum. Momentum Life Limited's financial strength rating from A.M. Best is B (Fair), affirmed 11 February 2026, which Momentum's own table places in its "Vulnerable" range; see its financial strength page. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy a Momentum policy; see how we are paid. A licensed adviser can compare underwritten cover with funeral cover on your own details. Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). This page is general information, not advice. Back to the funeral insurance hub.

Get a quote and apply online today

See your price in about a minute, then apply online with Momentum Life. Guaranteed acceptance, no health questions, no medical exams.

Life cover See your price Ages 18–65 · $50k–$300k Funeral cover See your price Ages 40–75 · $3k–$30k

Want more than $300k or have questions? Talk to an adviser

Funeral cover: Only accidental death is covered for the first 2 years. Total premiums can add up to more than the cover, and it may not meet the whole cost of a funeral.

Already have cover? Keep it. New cover won't pay for a condition you already have in its first 2 years.

Adviser's view

Funeral insurance for under 50s is possible but rarely the right tool. Starting early means paying premiums for decades, and the total can pass the benefit many times over. A healthy adult who wants real protection for others will usually get more cover for less from fully underwritten life cover, and someone who only wants funeral money can often just save it.

Henry Smith, Financial Adviser (FSP1010699). General information, not personalised financial advice.

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Funeral Cover Under 50 NZ: Your Options by Age. www.quotehub.co.nz/funeral-insurance/funeral-cover-under-50-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.