Best Final Expense Insurance Companies in 2026

Also known as burial insurance, final expense insurance provides permanent life insurance coverage designed to help pay for funeral costs, medical bills and other end-of-life expenses. These policies offer smaller coverage amounts than traditional life insurance products and simplified underwriting, so most applicants qualify without a medical exam.

To find the best final expense insurance companies, we compared policies from top insurers using key factors such as pricing, financial stability, customer satisfaction and available coverage options.

Based on MoneyGeek’s analysis, the best final expense insurance companies include Transamerica, Mutual of Omaha, Americo, Aetna and Lincoln Heritage. Monthly premiums for these providers range from $53 to $77 for 70-year-olds with $10,000 coverage range from, with eligibility for ages 18 to 89 and coverage limits up to $50,000.

* Rates shown are based on quotes for a 70-year-old with $10,000 coverage. Your rates will vary depending on your coverage needs, age and health.

Final expense or burial insurance is a type of whole life insurance that provides permanent coverage. Unlike term life insurance, final expense insurance doesn't expire after a specific period. Coverage lasts your entire life, though some policies have a maturation age, usually 100. 

Final expense insurance works like other whole life policies but has a smaller death benefit, making it more affordable. While your beneficiaries can use the payout as they see fit, these policies are designed to cover end of life expenses from memorial services and embalming to purchasing a casket or cremation.

Final expense and burial insurance is popular among seniors so their families don't pay out-of-pocket for end-of-life costs. Based on our analysis, death benefits range from $1,000 to $50,000.

Final expense insurance premiums increase steadily with age and the amount of coverage purchased. For example, a 50-year-old woman pays about $30 per month for a $10,000 policy, while a man of the same age pays $38. By age 70, those averages rise to $64 for women and $84 for men. Older applicants are riskier to insure, which is why rates climb faster after 65.

Coverage size also has a major impact on price. For instance, a 70-year-old man pays around $84 per month for $10,000 in coverage, but $373 per month for a $50,000 policy, more than four times as much. Across every age group and coverage level in our analysis, women consistently pay lower premiums than men due to longer life expectancies.

* These rates are for nonsmokers of average health, height and weight.

Choosing burial insurance comes down to matching your health profile, budget and coverage needs to the right carrier. These factors will help you narrow your options.

• Assess your health history. Some carriers accept high-risk conditions like COPD, diabetes and congestive heart failure that others decline outright. You'll know upfront which carriers offer level coverage and which will put you on a graded plan.
• Decide how much coverage you need. Final expense policies range from $2,000 to $50,000. Get quotes for at least $8,000 to $12,000, enough to cover a traditional burial in most areas.
• Compare premiums by age and gender. Rates vary widely across carriers for the same coverage amount. Get quotes from at least three companies to compare real pricing.
• Check the carrier's financial strength. AM Best ratings and NAIC complaint indexes tell you how financially stable an insurer is and how often policyholders file complaints. Look for an AM Best rating of A or better and an NAIC index below 1.00.
• Consider payout speed. Some carriers, like Lincoln Heritage, pay claims within 24 hours of approval. Fast payout matters when your family needs to cover funeral costs quickly.
• Look for additional benefits. Features like accelerated death benefit riders, funeral planning services and accidental death riders add value without raising your premium.

We answer common questions about final expense insurance:

We analyzed thousands of final expense insurance quotes along with customer satisfaction data, financial strength ratings and policy features to determine which insurers offer the best balance of affordability and reliability.

Our Scoring Framework

We ranked final expense insurance companies using the following criteria:

• Affordability (50%): We compared real quotes across ages, genders, smoking status and coverage levels to identify the most competitive pricing.
• Customer Experience (30%): We reviewed AM Best financial strength ratings, BBB grades, consumer feedback and overall ease of application and approval.
• Coverage Options (20%): We evaluated policy availability, coverage limits, eligibility ages, riders and additional benefits.

Sample Customer Profile

Unless otherwise noted, rates in this article are based on the following baseline profile:

• Age: 70
• Smoking status: Nonsmoker
• Coverage amount: $10,000
• Health: Average health rating

We adjusted age, gender, coverage amounts and smoking status from this baseline to estimate what different applicants may pay and to identify insurers that consistently offer lower rates across a range of customer profiles.