Life Insurance
4 min read • Updated September 2026
Colonial Penn life insurance rate chart by age
Quick Answer / Executive Summary
Colonial Penn doesn't publish one universal rate chart — its guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance is priced per "unit" of coverage, with the price per unit varying by your age, gender (except in Montana), and state of residence, starting at locked-in rates as low as $9.95 a month for the smallest unit. Because exact per-age pricing varies by state and gender, getting a personalized quote directly from Colonial Penn is the only way to see your actual rate.
Key Takeaways at a Glance
- Colonial Penn is a real, CNO Financial Group-owned insurer (A rating from AM Best) founded in 1968, specializing in guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance for ages 50-85 with no medical exam or health questions.
- Pricing works through a 'unit' system: each unit corresponds to a set death benefit amount, priced according to your age, gender (except in Montana, which uses unisex rates), and state — there's no single nationwide rate chart because of this variation.
- Locked-in premium rates start as low as $9.95 a month for the smallest available unit, and once issued, that rate is guaranteed never to increase for the life of the policy.
- Guaranteed acceptance policies include a two-year graded (limited) benefit period: if the insured dies of natural causes within the first two years, the payout is typically limited to a return of premiums paid plus interest rather than the full face amount, though accidental death is usually covered at the full amount from day one.
Why There's No Single Colonial Penn Rate Chart
Colonial Penn's guaranteed acceptance whole life insurance is priced using a unit-based system, where each unit of coverage has a fixed premium that depends on your specific age at application, your gender (except in Montana, where rates are unisex by law), and your state of residence, since insurance rates are filed and regulated separately in each state. This means an accurate 'rate chart' is really dozens of different tables depending on these variables, which is why Colonial Penn generates a personalized quote rather than publishing one universal chart.
How the Unit-Based Pricing Actually Works
Rather than choosing a specific death benefit amount directly, applicants purchase a number of 'units,' each corresponding to a set coverage amount at a fixed monthly premium for their age, gender, and state. Multiple units can be purchased together to reach a desired total coverage amount, and the locked-in premium for the units purchased never increases for the life of the policy, regardless of future health changes.
The Two-Year Graded Benefit Period
Because Colonial Penn's guaranteed acceptance policies require no medical exam or health questions, they include a two-year graded (or limited) benefit period as a trade-off: if the insured dies of natural causes within the first two years of the policy, beneficiaries typically receive a return of premiums paid plus interest rather than the full face amount. Accidental death, however, is generally covered at the full benefit amount from the policy's start date. This structure is standard across the guaranteed-acceptance category, not unique to Colonial Penn.
Real-Life Case Incident & Precedent
Precedent: State insurance rate regulations generally permit age-based and gender-based rate variation in individually underwritten life insurance (subject to state-specific rules, including Montana's unisex rate requirement), so different premiums for the same coverage amount at different ages reflect standard, regulator-approved actuarial pricing rather than any unusual practice.
Case Study: Comparing Unit Pricing at Two Different Ages
Scenario: Two siblings, ages 58 and 68, both requested Colonial Penn guaranteed acceptance quotes for the same number of coverage units, expecting similar monthly premiums since the coverage amount was identical.
Resolution & Judicial Outcome: The 68-year-old sibling's per-unit premium was substantially higher than the 58-year-old's for the same coverage amount, reflecting standard age-based pricing in guaranteed-issue life insurance — a reminder that locking in coverage earlier, even at a smaller amount, generally secures a lower guaranteed rate for life.
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What You Should Do: Step-by-Step Action Plan
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Step 1: Get a personalized quote directly from Colonial Penn for your specific age, gender, and state rather than relying on a generic online rate chart.
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Step 2: Decide how many units of coverage you need based on your final-expense or small-coverage goal, since guaranteed-acceptance policies typically offer lower maximum coverage than fully underwritten policies.
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Step 3: Confirm your understanding of the two-year graded benefit period and what it means for a natural-causes death within that window.
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Step 4: If you can pass basic health underwriting, compare a fully underwritten whole life or term quote as well, since guaranteed-acceptance coverage is typically more expensive per dollar of benefit.
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Step 5: Confirm the locked-in rate and coverage amount in writing once your policy is issued, since this rate is guaranteed not to increase.
Critical Mistakes to Avoid
- Assuming a single 'rate chart by age' found online reflects your actual premium — Colonial Penn's pricing varies by state and gender in addition to age.
- Not understanding the two-year graded benefit period before assuming a natural-causes death would pay the full face amount immediately.
- Overlooking that guaranteed-acceptance coverage is priced higher per dollar of benefit than medically underwritten coverage, since there's no medical screening.
- Buying guaranteed-acceptance coverage without first checking whether you could qualify for cheaper, fully underwritten term or whole life coverage.