Final expense insurance companies: who sells it, and where

Final expense insurance is a small whole life policy. It pays cash to your beneficiary (the person who gets the money) when you die. It is also called burial insurance or funeral insurance. To learn the basics, read how final expense insurance works.

We checked ten insurers that sell it straight to people or through agents. For each one, we read its own website and wrote down:

• the product name,
• the issue ages (the ages when you can apply),
• the face amounts (how much the policy pays),
• whether there is a waiting period, and
• where it is sold.

Every fact comes from the insurer's own site, checked November 1, 2026. Terms change, so confirm them before you apply.

We do not list prices. The price depends on your age, health, state, tobacco use, the amount and the insurer. To get a real price, you need to speak with a licensed agent or the insurer.

Before you compare, know the three kinds of policies. The kind decides what your family gets in the first two years.

• Level. You answer health questions. If you qualify, the full amount is paid from the first day.
• Graded (or modified). You answer health questions but have some health issues. If you die of an illness in the first two years, the policy pays less. That is often your premiums back plus some extra.
• Guaranteed issue. No health questions. You cannot be turned down because of your health. In exchange, there is a waiting period, usually two years, before the full amount is paid for a death from illness.

Most of the guaranteed issue policies below pay the full amount right away if death is from an accident. Read more in burial insurance with no waiting period.

This table shows each product, who can apply and how much it pays. Amounts are face amounts, not prices.

From each insurer's website, checked November 1, 2026.

This table shows what happens in the first years and where each policy is sold. "Ask before you apply" means the insurer's site does not list states.

From each insurer's website, checked November 1, 2026.

Aflac. Final Expense Whole Life has two plans. The Level Plan pays the full amount from the start. Its top amount drops with age, from $50,000 at ages 45 to 55 to $20,000 at ages 76 to 80. The Modified Plan pays a limited benefit for a death from illness in years 1 and 2. The page does not say how much that limited benefit is. Aflac says its products may not be sold in all states.

Colonial Penn. Guaranteed Acceptance Life Insurance is sold in units. Colonial Penn says acceptance is guaranteed because of a two-year limited benefit period. The page does not say what the limited benefit pays, so ask for the policy terms for your state.

Corebridge. Guaranteed Issue Whole Life is issued by American General Life (AGL) and sold online by Corebridge Direct. You cannot hold more than $25,000 of this coverage in total.

Foresters. PlanRight uses your health answers to place you in one of three plans. Preferred and Standard pay the full amount from the start. Basic pays premiums plus 10% yearly interest for a death from illness in the first two years. Foresters is a fraternal benefit society, a member group that sells insurance.

Gerber Life. Guaranteed Life has no health questions. You can hold no more than $25,000 across all of its Guaranteed Life policies. Gerber will not issue it if a power of attorney or guardianship is in place for the person to be insured.

Globe Life. Its final expense page says there is no waiting period and full coverage starts the first day. The same page also says some payouts may be limited in the first few years for people with serious health issues, so ask what applies to you. The policy pays for all causes of death except suicide in the first two years.

Lincoln Heritage. Funeral Advantage is whole life coverage sold in 48 states. Its program page lists whole life benefits up to $20,000, but its headline says it pays up to $35,000, and the page does not explain the gap. Ask which amount applies to you. It is not sold in New York or Washington. Its pages do not say whether a waiting period applies, so ask.

Mutual of Omaha. Guaranteed Whole Life has no health questions. If death is from natural causes in the first two years, it pays 110% of the premiums paid (all premiums back plus 10%). Death from an accident is paid in full from the first day. Mutual of Omaha also sells Living Promise, a whole life policy with a level form and a graded form.

Royal Neighbors of America. Ensured Legacy Final Expense has three paths based on your health. The page sends you to an agent for the ages and details. Royal Neighbors is a fraternal benefit society.

State Farm. Guaranteed Issue Final Expense has no health questions. If death is from natural causes in the first two years, it returns the premiums with interest. New York residents get a separate policy, Guaranteed Issue Whole Life, for ages 50 to 75.

Some well-known names are not in the tables. We left them out because we could not confirm their terms on their own sites on November 1, 2026:

• AARP / New York Life. Its site would not open for our automated check, so we could not confirm the terms. Check its site yourself.
• Americo. Its consumer pages say it does business in all states and DC except New York. They do not list the ages or amounts for its final expense policies.
• Ethos. The pages we read describe guaranteed issue coverage in general, not the terms of Ethos's own policy.
• Transamerica. We could not read the terms on its consumer page.

Leaving a company out does not mean anything bad about it. It only means we could not check its terms ourselves.

A policy that is sold in one state may not be sold in the next. Terms can differ by state too.

1. Ask the insurer or agent if the policy is sold where you live.
2. Ask for the policy form for your state. Read what it pays in the first two years.
3. Check the license. Your state insurance department can tell you if the company and the agent are licensed. Use the NAIC list of state insurance departments to find yours.

If you are buying for a parent, the parent must agree and sign. See life insurance for parents. To pick an amount, start with real funeral prices. See how much a funeral costs.