Funeral insurance options for people over 80

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.

Among the New Zealand funeral insurers whose pages we read on 20 October 2026, the highest published entry age is 80, at Chubb Life. We found none that takes new applicants over 80. Momentum Life takes no new applicants over 75. After 80 the usual routes are a prepaid plan, money set aside, family help and the Work and Income Funeral Grant.

Funeral insurance is a small whole-of-life policy that pays a fixed sum to the people arranging a funeral. Every product we found sets an entry age, and that age is a limit, not an offer. The limits run from 70 to 80, so the idea that most insurers stop at 75 is not quite right: several publish 79 or 80, and Momentum is one of the lower ones. Even at 79 or 80 the early terms matter, because guaranteed-acceptance funeral policies pay only for accidents in the first 12 or 24 months. Past 80, the question changes from "which policy?" to "how will the funeral be paid for, and by whom?" This page sets out what is open at each age, then the alternatives, with their costs and limits.

What entry ages do funeral insurers publish?

These are the entry ages on each provider's own page, read on 20 October 2026. The limit applies to the person who is covered. An adult child paying the premiums does not change it: Momentum's wording sets 40 to 75 for each Life Insured, and AA Life's page states its range for the "covered person". Check the policy documents for any other insurer.

Product	Published entry age	Early window	If death is not accidental in that window
Momentum Life, Funeral Insurance	40 to 75	24 months	No benefit; all premiums refunded
NZ Seniors and OneChoice (Pinnacle Life)	18 to 79	12 months	OneChoice says you cannot get a refund of premiums after the cooling-off period
AA Life (Asteron Life)	50 to 79	24 months	100% of premiums refunded
Chubb Life	50 to 80	24 months	100% of premiums refunded
Greenwich Life, The Funeral Plan	30 to 70	24 months	100% of premiums refunded
Unity (underwritten by Pinnacle)	18 to 75	Applies, length not stated	Not stated

So at 80, Chubb Life is the only one of these that still lists your age, and at 81 or older none does. Chubb's early window is 24 months: only accidental death is paid in that time. A person who dies of illness inside it gets the premiums back rather than the benefit. That is a poor fit for someone who expects to need the money soon.

None of the pages we read explains why entry ages stop where they do, so we do not guess at the reason. If you already hold a Momentum Life Funeral Insurance policy it carries on under its own terms: premiums are fixed each year until the 89th birthday and then stop, and cover continues for life. In its first 24 months it pays only for accidental death.

What else can pay for a funeral?

First, what a funeral costs. The Funeral Directors Association of New Zealand (FDANZ) reports an average of $11,700 for a cremation funeral with 50 guests and $14,300 with a burial, and $4,700 for an unattended cremation with no service (FDANZ, 2026 Industry Trends Report). Its survey found that 74% of deaths had no pre-arrangement or pre-payment. Your own figure will depend on region, director and choices; see funeral costs in New Zealand.

Money set aside. A bank can release money from the deceased's account to pay for the funeral, without the person asking being the executor and without waiting for probate (govt.nz). A separate account, with a note of where it is, makes that easier for the family.

A prepaid funeral plan. You pay a funeral director or a trust now and the plan pays later. Now For Them, run by The Funeral Trust Services Limited (a charitable company set up by FDANZ's Charitable Funeral Trust), says it is "not a savings or investment product" and pays no interest, and that the first $10,000 is excluded from residential-care asset testing under current Ministry of Social Development policy (FDANZ: Now For Them). Public Trust's Prepaid Funeral Trust has a set-up fee and an end fee and the same $10,000 exemption (Public Trust). Consumer NZ warns that money in a trust may not be withdrawable unless you are in significant financial hardship (Consumer NZ). A prepaid account also counts among the deceased's assets when Work and Income tests a Funeral Grant. Our guides explain prepaid funerals and whether one is worth it.

The Work and Income Funeral Grant. The maximum is $2,697.43 (page updated 24 June 2026). It is available where the person who died was your partner, your parent or guardian, your child under 18, or a single person over 18 whose funeral you are arranging, and they normally lived in New Zealand. If the deceased is not your partner or child, their assets are deducted from the expenses, so a grant may be small or nil where there is money in the estate. The maximum is about 23% of FDANZ's $11,700 average (our arithmetic) (Work and Income: Funeral Grant). See the Funeral Grant.

Other grants. If death results from a covered injury, ACC can pay a funeral grant of up to $8,236.40 (ACC). Veterans' Affairs can help with funeral costs where a veteran had qualifying service, at $3,297.09 from 1 April 2026 (Veterans' Affairs). Neither applies to most deaths.

Family contributions. Families often share costs. The executor, or failing that the closest relative, decides how the funeral is arranged (Community Law), and agreeing a budget while the person is alive avoids arguments later. Our guides cover who pays for a parent's funeral and funeral insurance for parents.

Is life cover an option over 80?

Funeral cover is not the only insurance, but the options narrow with age too. Our guide to life insurance over 80 sets out what we found. Life cover with health questions is a different kind of product: an insurer can accept, add conditions or decline, and nobody can promise acceptance. If you are offered cover over 80 by a caller or an advertisement you did not ask for, check that the seller is on the Financial Service Providers Register before you pay anything.

A short checklist

Write down any insurance you already have, including a funeral policy, and where the papers are.
Decide whether you want a prepaid plan, a dedicated account, or neither.
Tell the executor or a family member what you have arranged.
If you have a partner who depends on your income or pension, ask a licensed adviser what is open to you.
If you are in residential care or may be, ask about the asset test before you move money.

Where to get advice

Momentum Life's Funeral Insurance (entry 40 to 75) and Quick Life (entry 18 to 65) are not open to a new applicant over 75, and we do not suggest otherwise. Momentum Life Limited's A.M. Best rating is B (Fair), which Momentum's own table places in its "Vulnerable" range; see its financial strength page. A licensed adviser can tell you what is on offer for your age and health, and cannot make an insurer accept you. 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 on Momentum products; see how we are paid.

This is general information, not advice. Funeral policy premiums can add up to more than the benefit, and the benefit may not cover the whole cost of a funeral. We review this page quarterly. The comparison across ages is on funeral insurance age limits, and the hub is funeral insurance in New Zealand.

Adviser's view

After 80 there is no funeral insurance we could find to buy, and Momentum Life closed to new applicants at 75. The realistic routes are a prepaid plan, money set aside, help from family and the Work and Income Funeral Grant, which covers only part of an average funeral. If you are 79 or 80, check Chubb Life's 80-year limit and read the early-window terms first.

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

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Cite this page QuoteHub NZ (2026). Funeral Insurance Over 80 NZ: Options and Limits. www.quotehub.co.nz/funeral-insurance/funeral-insurance-over-80-nz. Updated 2026-10-20.