Here’s How Quitting Smoking Can Affect Your Life Insurance

When you apply for a life insurance policy, inevitably, one of the first questions the application will ask is whether you smoke or use tobacco products.

Fabric by Gerber Life’s term life insurance quote, for example, asks five questions before giving you an initial estimate—and one of them is whether you use tobacco.

It’s common knowledge that smoking increases the likelihood of several different cancers, heart disease, stroke and other serious health conditions. According to a 2024 study by the Society for the Study of Addiction, each cigarette someone smokes shortens their life by about 20 minutes.

The amount you’ll pay for term life insurance ultimately depends on the likelihood that you’ll pass away during the term or time period for which you’re covered. So it makes sense that smoking is a relevant factor when underwriters figure out whether they can offer you a policy and at what price.

How Insurance Companies Classify Smokers and Non-Smokers

Pretty much across the board, regardless of your insurer, you’re going to pay a higher premium if you smoke or use tobacco products.

For example, a 30-year-old woman living in Michigan who doesn’t smoke and is in generally good health can expect to pay around $14 per month, according to a Fabric by Gerber Life quote as of January 2025. That’s for $250,000 of coverage over a 15-year term life insurance policy.

That same woman, if she smoked, could expect to pay almost $39 for the same policy. And the difference in rates only gets steeper as you get older.

Different insurers approach smoking policies differently. Many will consider you a nonsmoker if you haven’t consumed any nicotine products — which include quitting aids like gum and vapes — in the last 12 months.

Some firms have a strict no-tolerance policy for all tobacco and nicotine products, while others allow policyholders to smoke a few cigars a year while maintaining their nonsmoking status. Many providers have different tiers of smoking/non-smoking policies, in which the more time that has elapsed since you quit, the cheaper your rate will be.

These distinctions can leave people who smoke, especially those who are trying or planning on trying to quit, in a bit of a pickle.

Should Smokers Apply Now or Wait Until They Quit?

For a tobacco and nicotine user who hasn’t quit yet, there are a few competing factors at play that could influence a decision about when to apply for life insurance:

1. Smoking rates are almost always significantly higher than non-smoking rates, so people who are trying to quit may be tempted to wait until they’ve quit for a certain period of time so they can get lower rates.

2. The younger you are, the lower your rate typically is, so smokers may be inclined to get life insurance sooner than later, despite the fact that they’ll get smoking rates.

3. Most people experience improved health pretty shortly after quitting. So in some cases, it might make sense to apply for life insurance a few months after quitting, because although you’ll still have to pay a smoker’s rate, your improved health could knock down the cost a bit.

What if you put off applying for insurance because you keep planning to quit, but you don't? Or you relapse? You’re likely better off getting insurance now rather than waiting for a day that might take longer than you anticipate to come.

Applying for a policy now, when you’re the youngest you’re ever going to be, could give you the best chance at locking in coverage for the next 10, 15 or 20 years, rather than counting on quitting if you haven’t already. Even at a higher smoker’s premium, you might find that having coverage in place helps you feel more secure about the future.

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