Term conversion deadlines, insurer by insurer

The two clocks on every term policy

A term policy has a level premium period, the 10, 20 or 30 years when the price stays flat. It also has a conversion period, the time when you can swap some or all of the cover for a permanent policy from the same insurer with no new medical questions. The two clocks start together. They rarely stop together.

The gap matters most to people whose health turns. If you fall ill in year 12, a new policy may be out of reach and conversion is the only door left. If it shut in year 10, nobody sends a letter. A news report on this exact problem put it plainly, "There is no public data tracking how many term buyers miss this deadline".^[14]

The drawing shows both clocks for one buyer, a non-smoker who takes a 20-year policy at 55. Age 70 arrives in year 15, so every rule that caps conversion at 70 bites before the price does.

Conversion deadlines by insurer

Each row quotes the insurer's own consumer document. Where a document is silent, the cell says so. Insurers whose rules appear only in material written for financial professionals are left out.

Checked November 11, 2026. Consumer documents only. Rules are for new policies on the document's date and may differ for older policies or by state. Your contract wins over any table.

Base rule versus paid conversion riders

Two insurers in the table sell a rider that changes the conversion clock. They belong in separate rows, because a reader who skipped the rider at purchase cannot add it later.

• Protective Conversion Choice rider with ExtendCare. Bought at issue for an extra cost, issue ages 20 to 60, $100,000 to $5 million.^[3] It lets you convert "up to two years prior to the end of the term period, up to 18 years or the anniversary nearest the insured's 70th birthday, whichever comes first." By length that means year 8 on a 10-year plan, year 13 on a 15-year plan and year 18 on 20- to 40-year plans.^{[2] [3]} The FAQ says it "can't be added later," and a form can remove it.
• Symetra Conversion Enhancement Rider. It adds more Symetra permanent products and "may extend the length" of conversion. The fact sheet still states the rider window as "through the policy's 10th anniversary or age 70, whichever is earlier," with a possible extension to universal life depending on the term period. You cannot have it and the Waiver of Premium Rider on the same policy.^[4]

Banner's consumer spec lists no conversion rider. Its base rule already runs for the full level period up to age 70.^[1]

Conversion credits and when they end

A conversion credit is money from the term premiums you already paid, applied to the first year of the new permanent policy. Only one insurer in our check publishes one to consumers. New York Life says current term owners can "apply money they've already paid to lower the cost for their first year of permanent protection," with a footnote that it is "Available during the first five years of your term life policy."^[12]

No other document in the table mentions a credit. If yours is silent, ask the insurer in writing whether one exists and when it ends. A credit that ends in year 5 changes the math of converting in year 4 against year 6.

How to find your own date in your contract

1. Find the policy data page. It shows the issue date, the issue age and the plan name, for example "OPTerm 20" or "Classic Choice 30."
2. Search the contract for the word conversion. The clause names the last policy anniversary or attained age for converting. Note how it tests age.
3. Look for riders on the schedule page. A conversion rider prints as its own line with its own premium. No line means the base rule applies.
4. Write down the earlier of the two dates. Then put a reminder 12 months before it.
5. Ask for a conversion illustration. It prices the permanent policy at your age today.

One large quote site says the conversion period "typically starts two to five years after you purchase your policy."^[13] Banner's consumer spec is convertible from issue, and among the documents above only Mutual of Omaha's Term Life Express makes you wait, until after year two. One-year policies are in short-term life insurance.

If your date is inside the next 12 months

If you are in that spot, two moves are worth making this month. First, get a fresh term quote while your health is known, because a new policy may beat converting if you are still healthy. Second, ask the insurer for a conversion illustration for part of the face amount, since some insurers allow partial conversion and Symetra says the remaining term coverage then ends. Our convert or buy new calculator lays the two paths side by side, and a fresh quote takes a few minutes.

Change log

• November 11, 2026. Tracker opened with eight rows from consumer documents. Prudential and Corebridge rows held until a policyholder-facing source states their rules.
• Symetra SwiftTerm. The 9/22 fact sheet let you convert "to a permanent policy that we offer in your state of residence." The 10/24 fact sheet narrows that to "a universal life policy (currently Symetra CAUL)" and adds the Conversion Enhancement Rider.^{[4] [5]}
• Protective Classic Choice. The base final date is not in the consumer FAQ dated 12.25. We show the gap rather than fill it from other material.

For the full spec of each product, lengths and issue ages included, see the term policy database and the SwiftTerm page. If you are still choosing a policy, the conversion row deserves as much weight as the price. It is one reason a ladder of policies should put the conversion right on its longest layer.

Questions people ask

Last updated November 11, 2026. Found an error? Call (305) 699-5857 and it goes in the corrections log.