Glossary

Issue age

The age an insurer assigns you on the policy date to set your premium, counted from your nearest or your last birthday depending on the company.

Also called: age at issue, insurance age

Issue age is the insured's age as of the policy's effective date, as the insurer defines it. Premiums for level term and most permanent policies are based on issue age and stay at that age's rate for the guaranteed period. Products also have issue age limits; a 30-year term, for example, may not be offered past a certain age.

Insurers use one of two methods. Age last birthday is simply your current age. Age nearest birthday rounds up once you're more than six months past your last birthday. Say, hypothetically, you turned 44 seven months ago: an age-last-birthday insurer rates you at 44, while an age-nearest insurer rates you at 45, which could mean a higher premium for the life of a level policy.

Two related provisions help. Many insurers allow backdating the policy date up to six months to lock in a younger issue age, though you pay premiums for the backdated months. If your age is wrong on the application, the misstatement of age clause adjusts the benefit at claim time. Issue age differs from attained age, your current age, which drives renewal premiums and cost-of-insurance charges. See age nearest vs last birthday.

Last reviewed October 4, 2026

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Related terms

Attained age The insured's current age on a given date, used to price renewals, conversions and the rising monthly charges inside universal life. Policy date The date printed in a life insurance contract from which premium due dates, anniversaries and usually the insured's rating age are measured. Backdating Setting a policy's effective date earlier than its issue date so the premium is based on a younger age, in exchange for paying the back premiums. Misstatement of age clause A provision that adjusts the death benefit to what the premiums paid would have bought at the correct age or sex, instead of voiding coverage. Level premium A premium that stays the same each year for a set period or for life, with early overpayments offsetting the rising cost of coverage at older ages.

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