Life Insurance With a Dangerous Occupation: How to Secure the Best Rates in 2025 + YouTube Video
Applying for life insurance with dangerous occupations is a streamlined process. Millions of Americans work in jobs that come with dangerous side effects. There are many risky occupations that most people would never consider negatively impacting a life insurance application. 
However, using the right company with an experienced independent agent can significantly impact the outcome of your application.
The safety of an applicant’s occupation is the only factor insurers consider, as it could potentially end his or her life.
Your job could be just as serious as a medical condition or being a heavy smoker. Thousands of people in the United States die yearly due to an accident or an illness connected to their job activities.
Seeking life insurance for a dangerous occupation may seem challenging, but the application process is surprisingly quick and straightforward.
Table of Contents
The Most Dangerous Occupations in the United States
These occupations are listed as the most hazardous jobs based on death statistics.
1. Logging Industry
2. Commercial Fishermen
3. Structural Ironworkers
4. Aircraft Pilots
5. Truck Drivers
6. Underground Mining
7. Farming Workers
8 Refuse Collectors
9. High Voltage Line Repairman
10. Roofers
How to Apply for Life Insurance With a Dangerous Occupation: YouTube Video
What Steps Can You Take to Secure the Lowest Rates?
This is where an experienced independent agent, otherwise known as a broker, comes in. We use over 40 top-rated life insurance companies and shop the market to make sure we have our applicants apply with the most liberal carrier for their specific occupation.
Once the application process is complete, we will carefully review the final rates. If we believe there is a possibility of getting a lower premium for our client, we apply to several other companies simultaneously.
Once all projected rates come in, we choose the carrier that offers the lowest rates and then present them to our clients for their consideration. When the smoke clears, our client will be guaranteed to receive the lowest premium possible. The complete process is straightforward and requires little to no work for the applicant.
Insurers Can Adjust Your Rates Based on Your Occupation
Not every so-called dangerous occupation results in an increase in rates. The calculation of premiums will be based on a case-by-case basis. Applying with the correct company will result in being approved with an excellent rate class and enjoying low rates.
Life insurance companies base their underwriting guidelines on statistics related to on-the-job deaths each year and what occupations claim the most lives.
One common practice is to possibly adjust your health classification to match the added risk they are assuming. Keep in mind that many times there is no rate adjustment at all. This is mainly used for very hazardous jobs with the highest risk factors.
Most people don’t realize that some of the more risky occupations could raise a red flag on your life insurance application. The classification you receive can vary from one carrier to another, depending on their underwriting guidelines. It is very important to apply with the carrier that is most friendly to your specific job description.
Read our blog post designed to explain how health classifications work and how you can get the best classification possible if you decide to apply.
Here is a basic breakdown of the classifications:
Preferred Best Non-Tobacco:
Preferred Non-Tobacco:
Standard Plus Non-Tobacco:
Standard Non Tobacco:
If you use tobacco products:
Preferred Tobacco:
Standard Tobacco:
What Are Flat Extra Fees & How Do They Work?
Flat extra fees are another way an insurance company can charge an additional premium to cover a higher risk than the standard type. The flat extra fees are usually used for dangerous occupations, sports, and hobbies that could result in the insured’s death. This is accomplished by adding an additional dollar amount for every $1,000.00 in life insurance coverage.
Remember that the flat extra can be anything the insurance carrier wants it to be at the time of the application. For example, some standard flat extra numbers would be $2.50, $5.00, or $7.50 per $1,000.00 of the face amount, otherwise known as the (death benefit).
A simple example of a $2.50 flat extra fee:
If you applied for a $100,000 life insurance policy and had a hazardous sport such as drag racing, you could possibly receive a flat extra charge of $2.50 for every thousand dollars in coverage.
Since you are requesting 100 thousand dollars of coverage, you would multiply 100 times the $2.50, giving you a flat extra fee of an additional $250.00 per year added to your base premium.
What Is a Life Insurance Risk Assessment?
Medical pre-screening is a service that your agent such as ourselves would provide at no cost. A medical pre-screen simply entails taking about five to ten minutes to verbally converse with your agent about the details of your job description. Also, if you have any serious medical conditions, possibly dangerous sports you’re involved in and prescription drugs that you use.
This eliminates surprises during the underwriting process and helps us choose the best company for you to apply with. This will result in helping you receive the lowest premiums possible once the application process is completed.
Should I Work With an Independent Agent?
If you are looking for the best life insurance rates with a hazardous occupation, independent agents, also
known as brokers, work with all the top life insurance companies in the nation. They can help you choose the best company to apply with, so you get approved with the lowest rates.
On the other hand, captive agents work for companies like State Farm or Geico and have only one company to place you with.
Most of these companies do not insure any applicants with above-average risk. Also, independent agents work in their clients’ best interest, not their employers best interest like captive agents do.
How Can I Apply for My New Policy?
We always recommend using our modern SnapApp telephone application system. There are three
ways to apply: paper, online, or by phone.
Applying over the phone will take about 20 minutes to complete and will be the quickest and most effective option available.
Paper applications are for the most part obsolete, and online applications can be confusing to many people and require a computer and a relatively fast internet connection.
In Conclusion
If you are uncertain whether your job is risky, feel free to contact us for answers to all your questions and we will get you pointed in the right direction.
The process of acquiring life insurance may seem intricate, but it is quick and uncomplicated. With modern technology and underwriting guidelines becoming more relaxed, applying and getting approved with low rates is a snap.
All the best,
Jack Venturi
Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please don’t hesitate to call us at 708-334-6226 for a prompt response.
