Life insurance • Underwriting
Life Insurance Rate Classes: Preferred Plus, Standard, and Table Ratings Explained
After underwriting, the insurer places you in a rate class, a pricing tier based on your health, family history, and habits. The best classes, often called Preferred Plus or Super Preferred, get the lowest rates. Standard is roughly average, and applicants with more health risk may get a table rating, which adds about 25% to the standard price for each step.
This guide explains the common rate classes, table ratings and flat extras, tobacco classes, and how to improve your class.
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Common rate classes
| Class | Typical profile |
|---|---|
| Preferred Plus / Super Preferred | Excellent health, normal weight, blood pressure, and cholesterol; no early family deaths from heart disease or cancer; no nicotine for years |
| Preferred | Excellent health with a little more leeway on weight, blood pressure, or cholesterol |
| Standard Plus | Good health; some well-controlled conditions |
| Standard | Average health; may include being overweight or treated high blood pressure |
| Tobacco classes | Preferred and standard smoker classes, priced higher |
Profiles summarized from NerdWallet, updated July 2026. Class names and cutoffs vary by insurer.
What underwriters look at
- Build: height and weight against the insurer’s chart; see overweight applicants.
- Labs and vitals: blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar or A1C, and liver and kidney markers from the exam.
- Medical history: conditions, treatment, and medications, plus MIB and prescription database checks.
- Family history: a parent or sibling dying of heart disease or cancer before 60 can rule out the top classes.
- Nicotine: cigarettes, vaping, cigars, and chewing tobacco.
- Driving record: recent DUIs or major violations; see life insurance with a DUI.
- Lifestyle: risky hobbies like private flying or scuba diving, travel, and occupation.
Table ratings and flat extras
Applicants with more risk than Standard may be offered a table rating. Each table typically adds 25% to the standard premium: Table 1 is about 125% of standard, Table 2 about 150%, and so on. Insurers may also add a temporary flat extra charge per $1,000 of coverage, for example for a risky hobby or a recent health event (NerdWallet).
Worked example
Illustrative only: if the Standard rate for your policy is $600 a year, a Table 2 rating (+50%) makes it about $900, and Table 4 (+100%) about $1,200. A flat extra of $2.50 per $1,000 on a $500,000 policy would add $1,250 a year, often for a set number of years. Ask your agent whether a flat extra or table rating will drop off later.
Tobacco and nicotine
Smokers typically pay two to three times nonsmoker rates or more. Many insurers require at least 12 months without nicotine for nonsmoker rates and longer for the best class. Some allow an occasional cigar at nonsmoker rates if the nicotine test is negative (NerdWallet). See life insurance for smokers and marijuana users.
Moving from smoker to nonsmoker rates
Many insurers allow Standard nonsmoker rates after one year without nicotine, the second-best nonsmoker class after about three years, and the best classes after five (NerdWallet). If you quit after buying a smoker policy, ask your insurer about re-rating once you meet its nicotine-free period.
How to get a better class
- Shop several insurers; each weighs conditions differently, which is where an independent agent helps.
- Get conditions like high blood pressure under control and documented before you apply.
- Prepare well for the medical exam.
- Ask for a reconsideration later if your health improves; some insurers will review your class after a period of time.
Rate classes on no-exam policies
Accelerated underwriting can offer the best classes without an exam, but only to applicants whose data meets the insurer’s criteria; others are moved to full underwriting. Simplified-issue policies usually have fewer classes and higher prices, and guaranteed issue policies charge one rate regardless of health. See no-exam life insurance.
Why the same person can get different classes
Each insurer sets its own guidelines, so one may offer Preferred for well-controlled blood pressure while another offers Standard Plus. An independent agent can send an informal inquiry with your health details to several insurers before you formally apply, which helps you avoid declines on your record.
Rate class FAQs
What is a life insurance rate class?
The pricing tier an insurer assigns after underwriting, based on your health, family history, and habits.
What is the best life insurance rate class?
Usually Preferred Plus or Super Preferred, though names vary by insurer.
What is a table rating?
A substandard rating that typically adds about 25% to the standard premium for each table.
Can I change my rate class later?
Some insurers will reconsider your class if your health improves, so ask after a year or two.
Does family history affect my rate class?
Yes. A parent or sibling dying of heart disease or cancer before 60 often rules out the best classes.
How long after quitting smoking can I get nonsmoker rates?
Often 12 months for Standard nonsmoker, with longer nicotine-free periods for the best classes.
Do no-exam policies have rate classes?
Accelerated underwriting may offer several classes; simplified and guaranteed issue usually have fewer or one.
Related guides
Important information
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Underwriting varies. Each insurer sets its own underwriting rules, and approval and rates depend on your full application. This page is general information as of November 2026, not medical or legal advice.
Availability. Coverage, prices, discounts, and eligibility vary by insurer, state, and applicant, and are subject to underwriting. The issued policy controls.
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