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Accidental death insurance is cheap because it only pays in one narrow case: death caused by an accident. Mutual of Omaha’s published sample rates for its Guaranteed ADvantage accidental death product put $100,000 of cover at $16.19 a month for a man aged 18 to 50 and $10.68 a month for a woman the same age. A $50,000 policy runs $10.29 a month for a man and $7.53 for a woman in that age band. Rates rise with the benefit amount and with age, and a family plan costs more than an individual one. This guide explains what those numbers buy, what moves the price, and when this cover makes sense instead of, or alongside, term life insurance.
What is accidental death insurance?
Accidental death insurance is a policy that pays a lump sum to your beneficiaries only if you die as the result of an accident. A fatal car crash, a fall, drowning, or a fatal injury at work are the kinds of events it covers. Death from illness, disease, or natural causes is not covered at all. That single limitation is the whole product. It is what makes the premiums low and what makes the cover incomplete on its own.
AD and D, or accidental death and dismemberment insurance, is the wider version of the same idea. It adds a payout for serious non-fatal injuries, such as losing a limb, losing sight in one or both eyes, or losing hearing. Many employers offer AD and D as a workplace benefit, and the benefit is often a multiple of your salary. Standalone accidental death policies, like the Mutual of Omaha product in this guide, are usually sold direct to consumers and are guaranteed acceptance, meaning no health questions and no medical exam. You cannot be turned down if you meet the age rules. Issue ages run 18 to 70 on the Mutual of Omaha product, with face amounts from $50,000 to $500,000.
The difference from life insurance is the trigger. Term life insurance pays no matter what causes the death, with a few standard exclusions such as suicide in the first two years. Accidental death insurance pays only for accidents. That is why the price per dollar of cover is far lower, and why it can never replace life insurance. Our guide to accidental death insurance vs life insurance explains the two products side by side.
How much does accidental death insurance cost?
The table below carries Mutual of Omaha’s published sample monthly rates for its Guaranteed ADvantage accidental death product, for individual cover. These are the carrier’s published sample rates, not a quote. Your actual premium depends on your age, your sex, your state, and the benefit amount you pick. Get a current quote before you buy, because sample rates change and not every state offers every face amount.
| Benefit amount | Man, age 18 to 50 | Woman, age 18 to 50 | Man, age 51 to 60 | Woman, age 51 to 60 | Man, age 61 to 70 | Woman, age 61 to 70 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $10.29 | $7.53 | $10.72 | $8.27 | $13.22 | $10.68 |
| $100,000 | $16.19 | $10.68 | $17.07 | $12.17 | $22.06 | $16.98 |
| $150,000 | $22.10 | $13.83 | $23.41 | $16.06 | $30.89 | $23.28 |
| $200,000 | $28.01 | $16.98 | $29.76 | $19.96 | $39.73 | $29.58 |
| $250,000 | $33.91 | $20.13 | $36.10 | $23.85 | $48.57 | $35.88 |
| $300,000 | $39.82 | $23.28 | $42.44 | $27.74 | $57.41 | $42.18 |
| $500,000 | $63.44 | $35.88 | $67.81 | $43.31 | $93.19 | $67.38 |
Read the table as a price per unit of cover, not as a ranking. A $100,000 policy for a 40-year-old man costs about $194 a year, or about 19 cents per $100 of cover per year. A $500,000 policy for the same man costs about $761 a year, or about 15 cents per $100. The per-unit price falls as the benefit rises, which is normal for this product. Women pay less than men at every benefit level and every age band, because men die in accidents at higher rates. Age moves the price less than it does for life insurance, because accidental death risk rises more slowly with age than illness risk does. A man aged 61 to 70 pays $22.06 a month for $100,000, against $16.19 at age 18 to 50. That is a 36% rise across two decades, where a term life premium for the same ages would more than triple.
Family plans cost more than individual plans, because they cover a spouse and children as well. On the same Mutual of Omaha rate sheet, a family plan with one adult and children runs $19.78 a month for a man aged 18 to 50 at $100,000 of cover, against $16.19 for an individual policy. The spouse typically gets 50% of the primary insured’s benefit and each child gets 10%, so the family price buys a different shape of cover than a second individual policy would. Check the split before you compare a family price with an individual one.
What moves the price up or down?
Benefit amount is the biggest lever. Doubling the benefit roughly doubles the premium, with a small discount at higher amounts. Age is the second lever, as the table shows. Sex is the third, with men paying more at every level. The product you pick is the fourth. A guaranteed acceptance policy with no health questions costs more per dollar than an underwritten AD and D policy that asks about your health, because the carrier takes on risk it cannot screen for.
Two features can raise the price. A return of premium rider returns some or all of the premiums you paid if you outlive the policy or cancel it, and it costs extra. The rider is not available in every state and is usually limited to ages 18 to 50. Increased benefit options for auto, pedestrian, and common carrier accidents also cost more. On the Mutual of Omaha product, the payout for a fatal auto or pedestrian accident and for a common carrier accident is higher than the payout for a general accident. Check whether your policy includes those increases or charges for them, because the headline benefit amount is not always the amount that pays out.
Occupation usually does not move the price on a guaranteed acceptance product, because there are no health questions and no occupation restrictions. That is a real difference from life insurance, where a high risk job can raise the premium or limit the cover. It is also the reason accidental death insurance appeals to people who have been turned down for life insurance or who work in a job that makes life insurance expensive.
How does the cost compare with term life insurance?
Accidental death insurance is far cheaper per dollar of cover than term life insurance, and the reason is the payout odds. A term life policy pays on death from any cause, and most deaths are from illness. An accidental death policy pays only on accidents, which are a small share of deaths. The carrier prices that difference in. A $100,000 accidental death policy for a healthy 40-year-old man costs about $16 a month in the sample rates above. A $100,000 term life policy for the same man would cost more, and a $500,000 term policy would cost several times more, because the life insurer expects to pay far more often.
That gap is the trap as well as the bargain. If you buy accidental death insurance thinking it is a cheap substitute for life insurance, your family gets nothing if you die of a heart attack, cancer, or any other illness. The cover is real and the price is honest, but the protection is narrow. The right comparison is not price per dollar. It is whether the risk you are insuring is the risk you actually face. For most families, illness is the bigger risk, and term life insurance is the product that covers it. Our guide to 20 year term life insurance cost in 2026 carries the term prices by age, and our term life insurance rates by age chart shows how those prices rise with age.
Who should buy it, and who should skip it?
Accidental death insurance fits three buyers. The first is someone who has been turned down for life insurance or cannot afford it, and wants some cover rather than none. Guaranteed acceptance means the policy is available when life insurance is not. The second is someone who wants a supplement on top of a life insurance policy, to give their family extra money if the death is accidental. The third is someone whose work or travel puts them at higher accident risk than average, such as a delivery driver or a frequent flyer, who wants cover aimed at that risk.
It is a poor buy for two groups. If you have no life insurance and your family depends on your income, spend the money on term life insurance first, because illness is the more likely cause of death. And if you already have AD and D through your employer, check the benefit before you buy a standalone policy. Employer AD and D is often one or two times your salary, and doubling up may buy more accident cover than your family needs while leaving the illness gap open.
Burial insurance is sometimes confused with accidental death insurance, and the two are different products. Burial insurance is a small whole life policy meant to pay funeral costs, and it pays on death from any cause after any waiting period. Our comparison of life insurance vs burial insurance explains the difference, and our guide to the best burial insurance with no waiting period covers the funeral cost end of the market.
What is not covered?
Read the exclusions before you buy, because they decide what the policy actually pays. Death from illness or disease is not covered, by definition. Suicide is typically excluded. Death while committing a felony, death from war or military service, and death from high risk activities such as skydiving or racing are commonly excluded. Some policies exclude deaths from drug or alcohol use. The exact list varies by carrier and state, so ask for the exclusion page and read it.
Two other details deserve a check. The first is the definition of accident in your policy. Some policies require the death to be caused directly and solely by an accidental bodily injury, which means an accident that aggravates an existing illness may not count. The second is the claim process. The insurer will ask for a death certificate and may ask for a police report or medical records to confirm the cause of death. That takes time, so the payout is not instant. Tell your beneficiaries where the policy is kept, so they can file the claim without hunting for paperwork.
Key takeaways
Accidental death insurance costs little because it pays only when death is caused by an accident. Mutual of Omaha’s published sample rates put $100,000 of cover at $16.19 a month for a man aged 18 to 50 and $10.68 for a woman the same age, with $50,000 running $10.29 and $7.53. The price rises with the benefit amount and with age, and family plans cost more. Buy it as a supplement or as a fallback when life insurance is out of reach, never as a substitute for term life insurance, because illness is the risk your family is most likely to face.
Frequently asked questions
How much does accidental death insurance cost per month?
Mutual of Omaha’s published sample rates for its Guaranteed ADvantage product put $100,000 of cover at $16.19 a month for a man aged 18 to 50 and $10.68 a month for a woman the same age. A $50,000 policy runs $10.29 and $7.53. Rates rise with the benefit amount and with age, and your actual premium depends on your state.
Is accidental death insurance the same as life insurance?
No. Life insurance pays on death from any cause, with a few standard exclusions. Accidental death insurance pays only if the death was caused by an accident. Death from illness or disease is not covered. That is why accidental death insurance costs far less per dollar of cover.
What does AD and D insurance cover?
AD and D, or accidental death and dismemberment insurance, covers death caused by an accident and pays a benefit for serious non-fatal injuries, such as losing a limb or losing sight. Many employers offer it as a workplace benefit. Standalone accidental death policies cover the death benefit only, unless dismemberment cover is added.
Can I get accidental death insurance with no medical exam?
Yes. Most standalone accidental death policies are guaranteed acceptance, with no health questions and no medical exam. Mutual of Omaha’s Guaranteed ADvantage product accepts applicants aged 18 to 70 with no exam. You cannot be turned down for health reasons.
How much accidental death insurance do I need?
Enough to cover the costs an accident would leave behind, such as funeral expenses, medical bills, and a period of lost income for your family. Many buyers pick $100,000 to $250,000. If your family depends on your income, term life insurance should come first, because it covers death from any cause.
Does accidental death insurance pay for a heart attack?
No, unless the heart attack was caused by an accident. Death from illness, including a heart attack, stroke, or cancer, is not covered by accidental death insurance. The policy pays only when the death was caused directly by an accidental injury.
