How Much Does A Million Dollar Life Insurance Policy Cost? (2024)

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How Much Does A Million Dollar Life Insurance Policy Cost? (2)

Penny GusnerEditor

Penny Gusner is a senior insurance writer and analyst at Forbes Advisor. For more than 20 years, she has been helping consumers learn how insurance laws, data, trends, and coverages affect them. Penny enjoys translating the complexities of insurance into easy-to-understand advice and tips to help consumers make the best choices for their needs. Her work has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including The Washington Post and Kiplinger’s.

Penny Gusner

How Much Does A Million Dollar Life Insurance Policy Cost? (3)

Penny GusnerEditor

Penny Gusner is a senior insurance writer and analyst at Forbes Advisor. For more than 20 years, she has been helping consumers learn how insurance laws, data, trends, and coverages affect them. Penny enjoys translating the complexities of insurance into easy-to-understand advice and tips to help consumers make the best choices for their needs. Her work has been featured in numerous major media outlets, including The Washington Post and Kiplinger’s.

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How Much Does A Million Dollar Life Insurance Policy Cost? (5)

Les Mastersoneditor

Les Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before covering insurance, Les was a news editor and reporter for Patch and Community Newspaper Company and also covered health care, mortgages, credit cards and personal loans for multiple websites.

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    Les Masterson

    How Much Does A Million Dollar Life Insurance Policy Cost? (6)

    Les Mastersoneditor

    Les Masterson is a deputy editor and insurance analyst at Forbes Advisor. He has been a journalist, reporter, editor and content creator for more than 25 years. He has covered insurance for a decade, including auto, home, life and health. Before covering insurance, Les was a news editor and reporter for Patch and Community Newspaper Company and also covered health care, mortgages, credit cards and personal loans for multiple websites.

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      Fact Checked

      Updated: Nov 30, 2023, 12:56pm

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      How Much Does A Million Dollar Life Insurance Policy Cost? (7) Getty

      Table of Contents

      • How Much Does a $1 Million Term Life Insurance Policy Cost?
      • $1 Million Term Life Insurance Rates by Term Length
      • Buying Younger Means Paying Less for a $1 Million Policy
      • How Gender Affects the Cost of $1 Million Term Life Insurance
      • Who Sells Million Dollar Life Insurance?
      • Tips on How to Shop for $1 Million Term Life Insurance
      • Methodology
      • How Much Does a Million Dollar Life Insurance Policy Cost FAQs

      Show more

      A $1 million life insurance policy may sound extravagant, but if you want your family well taken care of after you’re gone, you may find it’s not an astronomical amount after all.

      When you calculate how much life insurance you need, you can quickly arrive at $1 million and higher.

      How Much Does a $1 Million Term Life Insurance Policy Cost?

      We analyzed term life insurance quotes for $1 million policies to determine average costs. The average cost for a 10-year term, $1 million policy is $15 a month for a 30-year-old woman who is in good health and doesn’t smoke. It’s $24 for a 20-year term for a 30-year-old woman.

      Your own cost will depend on your own age and health, plus other risk factors. However, our analysis can give you a general idea of what you can expect to pay.
      Related:

      • How Much Is A $100,000 Life Insurance Policy?
      • How Much Is A $250,000 Life Insurance Policy?
      • How Much Is A $500,000 Life Insurance Policy?

      $1 Million Average Term Life Insurance Rates by Age and Gender

      Age and gender are among the important factors that affect life insurance rates. Men usually pay more for coverage than women and people in their 50s and 60s pay more than those in their 30s.

      Monthly Cost for a 10-year, $1 Million Term Life Insurance Policy

      Monthly Costs for 15-year, $1 Million Term Life Insurance Policy

      Monthly Costs for 20-year, $1 Million Term Life Insurance Policy

      Monthly Costs for 30-year, $1 Million Term Life Insurance Policy

      Policies for a 30-year term are hard, if not impossible, to find for those aged 60 or over.

      $1 Million Term Life Insurance Rates by Term Length

      The length of a $1 million life insurance policy will also affect how much you pay for coverage. You’ll pay more if you want a term life insurance policy that has a longer period for the fixed rate. You can often renew a term life policy after this level term period ends, but you’ll likely pay substantially more each year you renew.

      Average Monthly Costs for $1 Million Life Insurance by Term Length

      Buying Younger Means Paying Less for a $1 Million Policy

      Age is a primary rating factor for life insurance, and life insurance quotes will rise every year as you age. This is simply because as your life expectancy declines, the risk for the insurance company increases. That means you should buy coverage when you’re younger to lock in cheaper rates.

      Our analysis reveals a huge savings if you buy coverage in your 30s. Buying a 20-year term policy in your 50s or 60s means you’ll pay significantly more than if you buy coverage at a younger age:

      • If you wait from age 30 to 40 to obtain a 20-year term $1 million life insurance policy, the rates jump up 63% per month for males ($19) and 71% for females ($17).
      • If you wait until 50, the rates increase 330% per month for males ($99) and 300% for females $72) compared to the cost for a 30-year-old.
      • Waiting until age 60 has a cost increase of over 1,167% per month for males ($350) and over 1,008% for females ($242), again compared to if you bought the plan back when you were 30.

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      How Gender Affects the Cost of $1 Million Term Life Insurance

      As the estimated rate quotes show, gender is also a key factor when calculating life insurance rates. Females typically live longer than males, so they get a bit of a price break.

      Our assessment shows that males continually pay higher rates, no matter the age. However, the difference between the rates varies as they age.

      For example, here is how gender affects rates for a a $1 million 20-year term life insurance policy:

      • At age 30, males pay 25% more on average than females, which comes to $6 a month or $72 per year on average.
      • At age 40, males pay 20% more, which equals $8 per month or $96 annually on average than females.
      • At age 50, males pay 34% more than females, which is $33 more per month or nearly $400 annually on average.
      • At age 60, males pay 43% more than females, which comes to $114 a month or $1,368 annually on average.
      • At age 70, males pay 33% more than females, which is $85 a month or $1,020 annually on average.

      Who Sells Million Dollar Life Insurance?

      Buying a $1 million life insurance policy isn’t different from shopping for any other amount of life insurance. One million dollar life insurance is easy to find from most life insurance companies.

      Life insurers that are top-rated in our analysis of the best term life insurance companies are:

      • Corebridge Financial (formerly AIG Life and Retirement)
      • Haven Life
      • Pacific Life
      • Penn Mutual
      • Principal
      • Protective
      • Symetra
      • Transamerica

      Tips on How to Shop for $1 Million Term Life Insurance

      • Calculate how much coverage you need. Free life insurance calculators like ours above can help you with your calculation.
      • Determine the length of the policy you need. Figure out how long your family and loved ones would need a life insurance policy. For example, if you want life insurance to cover expenses to get your kids through college in 12 years, you’d want at least a 15-year policy.
      • Consider whether no-exam life insurance works for you. No-exam life insurance can be competitively priced with policies that require medical exams. You generally need to be in good health and under age 50 to qualify.
      • Gather information you will need. Have the following information on hand when getting life insurance quotes: height and weight; personal and family medical history for immediate family; list of past and current medications; any future plans to travel outside the United States.
      • Comparison shop for life insurance quotes. You can often get term life insurance quotes online. If you’re shopping for permanent life insurance such as whole life or universal, you’ll need to contact a life insurance agent.
      • Check company financial strength. Make sure the companies you’re considering have the financial strength to pay claims long into the future. Ratings agencies such as AM Best issue financial strength ratings.

      Methodology

      Term life insurance rates are for non-smokers in excellent health. We averaged the four cheapest quotes we found online. Your own rates will be different depending on your age, health and other factors.

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      How Much Does a Million Dollar Life Insurance Policy Cost FAQs

      Do companies offer $1 million life insurance policies with no medical exam?

      Yes, many life insurance companies offer no-exam term life insurance policies with a death benefit of $1 million. Multiple life insurance companies—such as Brighthouse Financial, Banner Life, Pacific Life and Transamerica—offer no-exam life insurance policies of at least $2 million.

      No-exam life insurance may be limited to people who are in very good or excellent health.

      How much is a $1 million life insurance policy per month?

      The average monthly cost for a 20-year, $1 million term life insurance policy is $30 for a 30-year-old man and $24 for a 30-year-old woman. That average monthly cost increases to $49 for 40-year-old men and $41 for 40-year-old women—and only increases from there.

      Besides age, life insurance companies also factor in your health, the length of the level term (during which your rates won’t change), smoking status, prescription drug history and other data.

      How much is a $1 million life insurance policy for a 50-year-old man?

      A 50-year-old man pays $129 monthly on average for a 20-year, $1 million term life insurance policy.

      Policies with shorter terms, such as 10 or 15 years, usually cost less than a 20-year policy. For instance, a 10-year, $1 million life insurance policy for a male costs $69 monthly on average, while a 30-year policy costs $239 monthly on average.

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      How Much Does A Million Dollar Life Insurance Policy Cost? (2024)

      FAQs

      How Much Does A Million Dollar Life Insurance Policy Cost? ›

      The average cost for a million-dollar life insurance policy is anywhere from approximately $50 to more than $1,000 a month, depending on your age, health, annual income, policy type and other factors.

      How much a month is a 1 million dollar life insurance policy? ›

      The average cost for a million-dollar life insurance policy is anywhere from approximately $50 to more than $1,000 a month, depending on your age, health, annual income, policy type and other factors.

      How much does a $100,000 whole life insurance policy cost? ›

      The average cost of a $100,000 whole life insurance policy is about $88 a month, or $1,056 a year, based on our analysis of whole life insurance quotes for a 30-year-old nonsmoker in good health. Whole life insurance offers permanent coverage, meaning it typically lasts your lifetime as long as you pay your premiums.

      What is the monthly payment on a 5 million dollar life insurance policy? ›

      How much is a $5 million life insurance policy? A healthy 40-year-old woman could pay $251 per month for a $5 million, 20-year term life insurance policy. A 40-year-old man with a similar profile could pay $316 per month for the same coverage. Your age, gender, health, and lifestyle will influence your rates.

      How much does a 10 million dollar life insurance policy cost? ›

      A healthy 40-year-old woman could pay $500 per month for a $10 million term life insurance policy with a 20-year term. A 40-year-old man with a similar profile could pay $631 per month for the same coverage. Your rates will depend on your age, health, gender, and lifestyle factors.

      Can I get a million-dollar life insurance policy without a medical exam? ›

      Yes, some insurers offer life insurance policies without a medical exam, usually called guaranteed issue or simplified issue policies.

      Can I cash out a million-dollar life insurance policy? ›

      If you've had your life insurance policy for several years, the insurance company will often allow you to borrow from your policy's cash value. In most cases, you won't have to pay taxes on the money you borrow, but the insurance company will deduct interest payments from your cash value balance.

      How soon can you borrow against whole life insurance? ›

      No, you cannot immediately borrow against life insurance. You must wait until your policy's cash value exceeds a certain threshold, and it can take several years to reach that point. The minimum cash value required for a policy loan varies by insurer.

      When can I cash out whole life insurance? ›

      If you've had your policy in force for a few years and it has accumulated some cash value, you can cancel the policy and take the surrender value in a cash payment. By surrendering your policy, you are giving up the insurance policy and, in return, you'll receive the cash value less any fees.

      Can you borrow from whole life insurance? ›

      Life insurance loans are only available on permanent life insurance policies — such as whole life and universal life — that have a cash value component. You likely can't borrow against a term life insurance policy since it probably doesn't have cash value. Learn more about term vs. whole life insurance.

      What is the 7 pay rule for life insurance? ›

      The 7 Pay Rule is the idea that you should pay in to your IUL policy for 7 years before taking withdrawals or loans from the cash value. This rule is important for policy holders in order to maximize their cash value and ensure that they are able to capture the most out of the index's performance.

      Do you have to pay taxes on a million-dollar life insurance policy? ›

      Income tax: An income tax is collected by the government for any money earned by citizens throughout the year. Typically, life insurance proceeds are not considered taxable income.

      Can you have two life insurance policies? ›

      Yes, you can have more than one life insurance policy at a time. While many people receive enough protection with one policy, obtaining multiple life insurance policies can be beneficial after certain life events, as part of your estate planning, and other situations.

      Do you pay taxes on life insurance? ›

      Generally, life insurance proceeds you receive as a beneficiary due to the death of the insured person, aren't includable in gross income and you don't have to report them. However, any interest you receive is taxable and you should report it as interest received. See Topic 403 for more information about interest.

      Who has the most expensive life insurance policy? ›

      We've set a new Guinness World Record for the most valuable life insurance policy ever sold, worth US$250 million. Issued and fully underwritten by HSBC Life, our insurance business in Hong Kong, it was taken out by an individual customer earlier this year.

      What is the best life insurance? ›

      Top life insurance companies
      CompanyBest forAM Best Financial Strength Rating
      NationwideCustomer satisfactionA+ (Superior)
      Northwestern MutualUniversal life insuranceA++ (Superior)
      PrudentialPolicy personalizationA+ (Superior)
      State FarmTerm life insuranceA++ (Superior)
      3 more rows

      How does a $1 million dollar life insurance policy work? ›

      A million-dollar term life insurance policy provides protection for a certain number of years, whereas a whole life policy provides lifetime protection. If you pass away during the term, your beneficiaries receive the $1 million death benefit.

      How much is $100,000 in life insurance a month? ›

      Cost of a $100,000 Life Insurance Policy by Term Length
      Monthly Cost of a $100,000 Life Insurance Policy by Term Length
      20-Year Term$8.77$8.02
      25-Year Term$12.01$10.34
      30-Year Term$13.38$11.44
      35-Year Term$16.54$14.23
      6 more rows
      Oct 16, 2023

      How much do you pay for 2 million life insurance? ›

      Term life insurance costs for men — 20-year life insurance policy
      COVERAGE AMOUNTAGE 30AGE 60
      $250,000$162$1,375
      $500,000$251$2,567
      $1 million$408$4,952
      $2 million$749$9,660

      How much does a $500,000 dollar life insurance policy cost? ›

      A $500,000 life insurance policy with a 10-year term costs an average of $62.99 per month for a smoker, compared to $29.26 per month for someone in poor health or $26.88 for someone with a high BMI. This compares to the same rate for a healthy individual, which would cost around $18.44 a month.

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