Comparing funeral cover after 60

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.

People over 60 can still buy funeral insurance in New Zealand. Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance accepts new applicants aged 40 to 75, so a 60-year-old can apply. Its Quick Life guaranteed-acceptance life cover stops accepting new applicants at 65. After 65, Funeral Insurance is the only guaranteed-acceptance product Momentum sells, with premiums level to the 89th birthday.

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

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

Want more cover 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.

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.

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.

What Momentum Life offers by age

An age limit for funeral plans depends on the product. Momentum has two guaranteed-acceptance products, and the table shows who can start each one, from the policy wordings (Funeral, 17 August 2023; Quick Life, November 2025):

Your age when you apply	Funeral Insurance	Quick Life
Under 40	Not open	Open from 18
40 to 60	Open	Open
61 to 65	Open	Open
66 to 75	Open	Not open
76 and over	Not open	Not open

A true age over 65 at the start voids a Quick Life policy and refunds the premiums, so do not apply at 66 hoping to be accepted. These two products are not interchangeable:

	Funeral Insurance	Quick Life
Amount	$3,000 to $30,000 (an accident within 90 days of death pays 3 times)	$50,000 to $300,000, rising 3% a year
First window	24 months: accident only; other deaths refund all premiums	2 years: pre-existing conditions and suicide excluded
Premiums	Level to the 89th birthday, then none	Stepped (rise each year) to 75, then fixed
Terminal illness	No	Yes, expected death within 12 months

Both carry the same early-death caveat. Total premiums can exceed what is paid, and the funeral benefit may not cover the whole funeral. Quick Life's pre-existing conditions include named markers such as a BMI over 40, cholesterol over 7.0, very high blood pressure and diabetes complications. See Momentum Life's Quick Life for the full exclusions.

How premiums behave after 60

Momentum publishes no funeral premium, and neither do we. Two rules show how the cost works:

Funeral Insurance premiums are fixed each year until the 89th birthday. A policy started at 60 can run 29 years of premiums, and at 65 it is 24. They can be changed for everyone on the same offer on 30 days' notice, for tax or legislative change or different claims experience.
Quick Life premiums are reset each anniversary for age, gender and smoking status. They generally rise every year, then are fixed from 75. At 75, $20,000 of the benefit becomes free: you can elect a free $20,000 funeral benefit or continue Quick Life with the free component.

For a feel of how age drives cost in underwritten life cover, QuoteHub's Premium Index shows indicative monthly costs from insurers' published rate cards as at 8 September 2026, for $500,000 of stepped cover, non-smoker, standard rates. At 60 the monthly cost ranged from $300 to $375 for a man and $225 to $275 for a woman. At 65 the ranges were $625 to $725 and $400 to $475. Your own premium depends on underwriting, and Momentum is not in those rows. See the Premium Index and its method.

Which funeral policies are open at 60

As at 20 October 2026, from each insurer's own pages, every guaranteed-acceptance funeral policy we looked at is open to a 60-year-old: Momentum Life (40 to 75), NZ Seniors and OneChoice (18 to 79), AA Life (50 to 79), Chubb Life (50 to 80) and Unity (18 to 75). Greenwich Life's Funeral Plan stops accepting at 70. The full comparison is in our funeral insurance age limits guide.

What changes at 65 and after

At 65 Quick Life's last entry age passes. Anyone who wants guaranteed life cover from Momentum can only do so by 65. See guaranteed acceptance life insurance over 65.
At 66 to 75 only Funeral Insurance can be started. See funeral insurance over 65.
After 75 Momentum accepts no new applicants for either product. See funeral insurance over 80 for later ages.
From 89 Funeral Insurance premiums stop and cover continues for life.

Should you compare with other cover?

Underwritten life cover asks about your health, and the price at 60 is far higher than at 50. A licensed adviser can tell you whether you would be accepted and on what terms. Cover that is stepped costs more each year, and a funeral benefit paid for 29 years can total more than it pays. Other routes include savings, a prepaid funeral trust and the Work and Income Funeral Grant of up to $2,697.43, which can be reduced by other help such as prepaid funeral cover (Work and Income: Funeral Grant). FDANZ's 2026 report puts a cremation funeral with 50 guests at an average of $11,700 (FDANZ).

Where to get advice

The buttons on this page open Momentum Life's online application, one option among several insurers. Momentum Life Limited holds an A.M. Best rating of B (Fair), which Momentum's own table groups as "Vulnerable" (Momentum Life: Financial Strength). A rating is an opinion, not a recommendation. 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. Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). Back to the funeral insurance hub or read Momentum Life Funeral Cover.

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.

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

Want more cover 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

At 60 you can still choose between funeral cover, guaranteed-acceptance life cover until 65, and underwritten cover if your health allows. The choice narrows as you get older, and premiums rise with age. A small funeral benefit can total more in premiums than it pays, so compare quotes and the alternatives, including saving, before you commit.

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

Talk to a licensed adviser about funeral cover · free, no obligation.

Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Funeral Insurance Over 60 NZ: Costs and Options. www.quotehub.co.nz/funeral-insurance/funeral-insurance-over-60-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.

References

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