Most people with epilepsy can buy traditional life insurance, and many with well-controlled seizures get Standard rates or better. Underwriters aren’t pricing the diagnosis so much as the pattern: what kind of seizures, how often, how long since the last one, and how many medications it takes to control them. The single most useful number to know before you apply is the date of your last seizure.
Why Control Matters So Much
The extra mortality in epilepsy is concentrated in people whose seizures aren’t controlled. Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy (SUDEP) accounts for roughly 7% to 17% of deaths among people with epilepsy and is linked to poor seizure control, especially frequent generalized tonic-clonic seizures, often at night and most often in men aged 20 to 40. Reinsurer research notes that well-controlled, seizure-free patients don’t appear to carry that elevated risk. That’s why the rating ladder below is built almost entirely on control and time.
Rate Class by Seizure History
| Seizure history | Typical outcome |
|---|---|
| Diagnosis or first seizure within the last ~6 months | Postponed until the pattern and treatment are established |
| Absence or focal aware seizures, none for 5+ years, little or no medication | Preferred possible at some insurers |
| Absence or focal seizures, none for about 2 years, controlled on one medication | Standard is common |
| Generalized tonic-clonic (grand mal), seizure-free several years | Often a mild table rating; Standard possible at some insurers after long seizure-free periods |
| Occasional seizures, fewer than about six or seven a year | Table rating (often around Table 2–4) |
| Recent tonic-clonic seizures, status epilepticus, or hospitalizations | Higher table ratings or postponement |
| Seven or more seizures a year, or uncontrolled despite several drugs | Usually declined for traditional coverage; simplified or guaranteed issue instead |
| Single provoked seizure (fever, alcohol withdrawal, head injury) with normal follow-up | Often treated as not epilepsy; Standard or better after a short wait |
Typical ranges from published carrier guidelines and brokerage underwriting; each insurer sets its own rules.
The Five Factors Underwriters Weigh
1. Seizure type
Absence (petit mal) and focal seizures without loss of awareness are rated far more gently than generalized tonic-clonic seizures, which carry the risks of falls, injury and SUDEP. Be precise in the application: “seizures” with no type often gets rated as the worse kind.
2. Years seizure-free
The longer the gap, the better the class. Two years is a common threshold for Standard, and five years for Preferred.
3. Number of medications
Control on a single drug (monotherapy) reads as mild epilepsy. Needing two or three drugs suggests harder-to-control disease and more breakthrough seizures, which moves the rating up even when you’re currently seizure-free.
4. Cause
Idiopathic epilepsy with normal MRI is the most favorable. Epilepsy caused by a brain injury, stroke, tumor or other structural problem is underwritten together with that cause. Successful epilepsy surgery with years of seizure freedom can bring mortality close to the general population.
5. Everything around it
Depression and anxiety, alcohol use, driving restrictions, and a job involving heights, machinery or commercial driving all factor in. Untreated depression in particular adds to the rating, because suicide risk is higher in epilepsy.
What a Rating Costs
If your file lands on a table rating, the premium is a multiple of the Standard premium, usually 25% per table:
| Rate class | Multiplier on Standard | If Standard is $40 a month |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 100% | $40 |
| Table 2 | 150% | $60 |
| Table 4 | 200% | $80 |
Illustrative. Preferred classes cost less than Standard; the discount varies by insurer.
The table rating calculator applies these multipliers to your own quote. If you’re rated because seizures were recent, ask whether the insurer will reconsider after one or two more seizure-free years; many will lower a rating on an existing policy with updated records.
Questions You’ll Be Asked
- When were you diagnosed, and what type of seizures do you have?
- When was your most recent seizure?
- How many seizures in the past one, two and five years?
- Have you lost consciousness, been injured, or been hospitalized for a seizure?
- What medications do you take, and have they changed recently?
- Is there a known cause? What did your MRI and EEG show?
- Do you drive, and has your license been restricted?
- Have you had epilepsy surgery or a device such as a vagus nerve stimulator?
Answer from your records, not memory. A seizure your neurologist documented that you left off the application is the kind of discrepancy that turns an approval into a decline — or a claim into a dispute during the two-year contestability period.
Disability Insurance Is Stricter
Individual disability insurance is harder to get with epilepsy than life insurance, because a seizure can stop you working without being fatal. Reinsurer guidance for disability underwriting looks for about five seizure-free years, normal imaging and no other concerning history before offering standard terms; otherwise expect an exclusion for seizure-related disability or a decline. Group disability through an employer usually has no individual underwriting, which makes it especially valuable. See our disability insurance calculator and disability insurance guide.
If Traditional Coverage Isn’t Available
- Simplified issue (no exam, health questions only) for amounts up to a few hundred thousand dollars; some ask only about recent seizures or hospitalizations.
- Guaranteed issue for smaller amounts with a 2–3 year graded death benefit.
- Employer group life, which doesn’t ask health questions at initial enrollment.
Work out the amount your family needs with the life insurance calculator. Related guides: life insurance after a stroke or TIA and life insurance with depression or anxiety.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you get life insurance if you have epilepsy?
Yes. Most people with epilepsy can buy traditional term or whole life insurance. Well-controlled epilepsy with no seizures for about two years often qualifies for Standard rates, and absence or focal seizures with five or more seizure-free years can qualify for Preferred at some insurers. Frequent or uncontrolled seizures usually lead to a table rating or a decline.
How many seizure-free years do you need for the best life insurance rates?
About five years without a seizure, especially with absence or focal seizures and little or no medication, is the usual threshold for Preferred rates. Around two seizure-free years is a common threshold for Standard.
Does the type of seizure affect life insurance rates?
Yes. Absence and focal seizures without loss of awareness are rated more favorably than generalized tonic-clonic seizures, which carry higher risks of injury and sudden unexpected death in epilepsy.
Do I have to disclose epilepsy on a life insurance application?
Yes. Insurers ask about seizures and neurological conditions and check prescription and medical records. Leaving out a diagnosis or a documented seizure can lead to a declined application or a denied claim during the contestability period.
Can I get disability insurance with epilepsy?
It is harder than life insurance. Individual disability insurers generally look for about five seizure-free years and normal imaging before offering standard terms, and otherwise may exclude seizure-related disability or decline. Employer group disability usually has no individual underwriting.
This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical, financial, or insurance advice. Underwriting guidelines vary by insurer and change over time; ranges shown are typical, not guaranteed offers. Speak with a licensed insurance professional about your specific medical history.