Compare underwritten and guaranteed-issue final expense in Quote & Apply, and explain the two-year graded benefit before the client applies.
▶ Watch: BackNine in 5: Final Expense (5 min)
Final expense is a small permanent death benefit, usually meant for burial costs and final bills. The intake is the same as any other case. What matters most is choosing the right path and explaining how the benefit pays.
When final expense fits
Older clients with a modest need who want coverage that lasts for life. If the client needs a larger death benefit or qualifies for fully underwritten coverage, run term or whole life alongside it.
What you need before you start
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Date of birth, gender, state, height, and weight
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Basic health information
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Desired face amount
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Beneficiary information
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Bank routing and account numbers if you may use a guaranteed-issue product
The click path
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Enter the client’s basics and select Burial / Final Expense.
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Review the products that fit the client’s age and face amount.
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Choose a product and continue into the application.
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Answer the carrier’s eligibility (knockout) questions.
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Send for electronic signature and submit.
The two products in the walkthrough
Product details below reflect the walkthrough as of October 2026. Confirm current ages, face amounts, and terms on screen.
Mutual of Omaha Living Promise (level benefit). Ages 45 to 85, face amounts $2,000 to $40,000. Includes an accelerated death benefit for terminal illness or qualifying nursing home confinement, with an optional accidental death rider.
Mutual of Omaha Living Promise (graded benefit). Ages 45 to 80, face amounts $2,000 to $20,000. If death from natural causes happens in the first two years, the beneficiary receives premiums paid plus 10%. After two years, the full benefit is payable for covered causes. Accidental death pays the full benefit from day one, subject to policy terms.
Gerber Guaranteed Life (guaranteed issue). Ages 50 to 80, face amounts $5,000 to $25,000. No exam, and an eligible applicant isn’t declined for health. It also has a two-year graded period: non-accidental death in the first two years pays premiums paid plus 10%, then the full face amount after that.
What to get right on the call
Say the graded period out loud, every time. Clients hear “guaranteed” and assume a natural death in year one pays the full amount. It doesn’t. Explain it before they apply, not after a claim.
Start with underwriting when health supports it. A level benefit is the stronger outcome if the client qualifies.
Use the knockout questions as your decision point. Any “yes” on Omaha’s eligibility questions means the client can’t qualify for that plan. Check guaranteed issue next if the client fits the age and face limits. It’s the next option to check, not an automatic swap.
Collect payment info for guaranteed issue. Gerber requires routing and account numbers to move forward. Let the client know before you start. Omaha may offer temporary coverage while the app is in review.
After you submit
The application goes out through DocuSign. The client signs, you sign, and it goes to the carrier. The case then appears in BOSS for tracking.
More markets are available
Quote & Apply doesn’t show every final expense product BackNine offers. If neither path fits, request quotes and applications for other markets through BOSS or the wholesale team.
Ready to run one? Click Launch Quote & Apply at the top of BOSS. Unsure which path fits? Send us the age, state, face amount, and basic health, and we’ll point you in the right direction.