Applying and underwriting
What happens between sending an application and getting an answer, and what insurers look at along the way.
11 articles in this section
Underwriting is the process an insurer uses to decide whether to offer you coverage, at what price, and on what terms. It happens between the day you sign the application and the day you get an answer, and for most people it is the least visible part of buying life insurance.
Knowing what happens in that window is useful for two reasons. It tells you what to expect, and it tells you what is worth doing before you apply rather than after.
New to this? Start with What underwriting is, then come back for whichever question below is yours.
Start here
What underwriting is
What happens between sending a life insurance application and getting an answer in Canada, what underwriters look at, and the five possible outcomes.4 minDeclined or postponed, and what to do next
Why life insurance applications are declined or postponed in Canada, what the difference means, and the practical steps that often produce a different answer.4 min
Everything else in applying and underwriting
The paramedical exam
What a paramedical appointment involves, what the blood and urine tests look for, how to prepare, and whether you can see the results.4 minWhat the application asks
The questions on a Canadian life insurance application, why each one is asked, and the ones people most often answer badly without meaning to.4 minWhat insurers check about you
The databases and records Canadian life insurers access during underwriting, what each one holds, and your right to see and correct the information.4 minRatings and substandard offers
What a table rating and a flat extra actually mean, how much they add, and how to get a rating reduced or removed later.4 minHow long approval takes
Realistic timelines for Canadian life insurance applications, what causes delays, and how coverage can be in place before a decision is made.3 minLeaving something off the application
What counts as material misrepresentation in Canada, what happens to a claim if something was left off, and how to fix an application after it was submitted.3 minThe two-year contestability period
What the two-year contestability period allows an insurer to do, what happens after it ends, and how it differs from a waiting period or the suicide clause.4 minHow family medical history is used
Which relatives and conditions insurers ask about, why age at diagnosis matters most, and what to do if you do not know your family history.4 minTravel, work and hobbies in underwriting
Which jobs, destinations and activities Canadian insurers actually care about, and why an exclusion or a flat extra is more common than a decline.4 min
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Talk it through with a licensed advisor
Reading about how coverage works only gets you so far. What is actually available to you depends on your health, your age and which insurer is looking at your file.
A few questions about you and your health, then a licensed advisor comes back with the options you can actually apply for. No obligation, and a quote is an estimate rather than an offer of coverage.
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