Life insurance with ADHD in NZ

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.

Having ADHD does not by itself put life insurance out of reach in New Zealand, but no insurer publishes how it rates ADHD, so the outcome cannot be promised. Cover with no health questions exists, yet its first two years exclude pre-existing conditions. A healthy person can usually get more cover for less through a licensed adviser.

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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.

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.

Healthify says ADHD affects about 1 in 20 adults, about 280,000 New Zealanders (Healthify: ADHD in adults). That is a large group, and the usual advice online splits in two: "get no-medical cover" or "you will be fine". We could not source either. This page lays out what we can say: what an application with health questions involves, what Momentum Life's no-health-question Quick Life changes, and a short path for choosing between them. We do not know how any particular insurer would treat your ADHD, and an adviser asking on your behalf is the only way to find out.

Where the evidence stops

We found no NZ insurer that publishes ADHD underwriting terms. The only conditions where a NZ insurer has published terms we could source are diabetes (Chubb) and cancer (Asteron Life). For everything else, including ADHD, the honest statement is the one Asteron Life makes: with an existing condition it can usually still offer cover, but it may add a stand-down, raise the premium, or exclude the condition permanently or for a set time (Asteron Life). Standard terms are also possible. Which one applies to you depends on your history and the insurer.

So we do not give you a loading, a waiting time or a "usually accepted at standard rates" claim. Some pages online do; we found none that cite an insurer document for ADHD.

What an application with health questions involves

Expect to be asked about the diagnosis and its treatment. In practice that means:

When and by whom you were diagnosed. Healthify says the diagnosis needs to be made by a health professional with experience in assessing ADHD.
Medicines. Healthify lists methylphenidate, dexamfetamine, lisdexamfetamine and atomoxetine as the medicines used for ADHD in adults in New Zealand. Have your current medicine, dose and start date to hand.
Other conditions. Healthify says it is common to have other mental health conditions as well as ADHD, naming depression, anxiety and bipolar disorder. An underwriter assesses what you disclose, so a co-existing condition is dealt with on its own terms. See our pages on depression and mental health and insurance.

We found no published ADHD-specific question list, so treat the bullets above as the information to have ready, not a guarantee of what a form asks.

Disclose everything, accurately

IFSO says insureds are obliged to disclose all material information, and its published cases show insurers avoiding or reducing cover after an omission (IFSO case study). From 15 November 2027 (not yet in force) the Contracts of Insurance Act 2024 sets a duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation, and the insurer's remedies become proportionate (Contracts of Insurance Act 2024, ss 13 and 23). Until then, answer every question fully. A frank answer that leads to a loading is better than an omission that puts a later claim at risk.

What no-health-question cover changes

Momentum Life's Quick Life accepts people aged 18 to 65 with no health questions or medical exam, for $50,000 to $300,000 per person (Quick Life policy wording, November 2025). For ADHD, three rules from the wording matter:

The 2-year pre-existing exclusion. For the first 2 years Momentum does not pay for a death, or a terminal illness, "directly or indirectly related" to a pre-existing condition. A pre-existing condition includes anything you had treatment or advice for in the 2 years before the policy began, so ADHD treated in that period would count. The exclusion only bites if the death is related to the condition. If it is, premiums are refunded when no claim is payable.
The suicide exclusion. In the first 2 years the policy also excludes suicide and intentional self-harm "regardless of your mental state". If ADHD comes with a co-existing mood or anxiety condition, this is the rule to read most closely. See the two-year exclusion.
Premiums rise each year until 75. They are stepped, so the cost climbs with age, and total premiums can exceed the benefit.

Momentum Life Limited is rated B (Fair) by A.M. Best, affirmed on 11 February 2026 and placed in the "Vulnerable" range on Momentum's own table (Momentum: financial strength).

Underwritten cover or guaranteed acceptance: a comparison

	Cover with health questions (through an adviser)	Quick Life (no health questions)
Health questions	Yes; records may be requested	None
Can the insurer decline you for health?	Yes	Acceptance is guaranteed within ages 18 to 65 and the residency rules
Early period	Per insurer; none is published for ADHD	2 years: pre-existing conditions and suicide excluded
Amounts	Much higher amounts available	$50,000 to $300,000 per person (indexed 3% a year to a $500,000 cap)
Price	Set by age, health and other factors	Set by age, gender, smoking status and amount
Typical use	Healthy people wanting more cover for less	People declined or heavily loaded elsewhere, or who want cover started without health questions

We do not publish a price for Quick Life and cannot say what ADHD would add elsewhere. For general price ranges by age, see QuoteHub's Premium Index, and for the middle ground read life insurance with no medical exam.

A short decision path

Gather the facts: diagnosis date, who diagnosed, current medicines and dose, any other condition, and any past insurance outcomes.
Ask a licensed adviser to approach underwriting insurers. Most insurance advisers are paid commission by the insurer, and must disclose how much (FMA: insurance advice).
Compare the offer: price, any loading or exclusion, and the amount.
If the offers are declined or unaffordable, consider Quick Life as a fallback, knowing the 2-year rules. See guaranteed acceptance versus full medical.
If you only want to help with funeral costs, Funeral Insurance takes New Zealanders aged 40 to 75 with no health questions; for its first 24 months only accidental death pays and other deaths refund all premiums, and total premiums can exceed the benefit (Funeral Insurance wording). See funeral insurance.

The buttons on this page go to Momentum's online quote; QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner (how we are paid).