Affordable Term Life Insurance to Protect Your Family

Term lengths, issue ages, living-benefit features, underwriting classes, and availability vary by carrier and state. An estimate is not an offer of coverage, and the final premium is determined after underwriting.

What happens when term life insurance expires?

The end of a level-premium period is not always the end of coverage. Some contracts guarantee renewal without new evidence of insurability, but premiums can rise. Other coverage stops at a stated date or age. Read your policy's renewal terms.

Check three dates: when the level premium ends, when coverage ends, and when any conversion right expires. Conversion eligibility can end years before the term does. An eligible conversion may allow specified permanent coverage without new evidence of insurability; available policies, amounts, deadlines and premiums depend on your contract.

If you still need protection, compare written renewal costs, conversion options through your current insurer, and a new policy subject to underwriting. Ordinary term generally has no cash value or automatic refund; a specific return-of-premium feature follows its own conditions. Bring your policy schedule, conversion provision and renewal notice to a review.

Sources: NAIC life insurance overview and Guardian's term-expiration guidance.