Life & Income Protection
Long-Term Care Insurance Cost Calculator
Based on the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI) 2026 Price Index, updated August 2026.
Estimate what a long-term care insurance policy is likely to cost based on your age, gender, marital status, and the daily benefit amount you want.
Data sourced from American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance (AALTCI)
Estimated annual premium
$0
How this is calculated
Source: AALTCI 2026 Long-Term Care Insurance Price Index · Last updated 2026-08-21 · See how we calculate this →
Weighing insurance against just paying out of pocket and qualifying for Medicaid later? See the Medicaid Spend-Down Calculator to compare what that alternative path actually looks like.
What drives the cost of long-term care insurance
Long-term care (LTC) insurance pays toward the cost of a nursing home, assisted living, or in-home care when you can no longer perform basic daily activities on your own.
Unlike most other insurance types, the premium is driven heavily by how old you are when you buy it, since insurers are pricing in decades of uncertainty about when, or whether, you will eventually file a claim.
Buying earlier locks in a lower rate, but means paying premiums for longer before you might ever use the coverage; buying later costs more per year but for fewer total years.
Gender is one of the few factors, alongside age, that meaningfully changes an individual LTC premium. According to the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance's (AALTCI) 2026 Price Index, a 55-year-old woman buying a standard policy pays roughly 40 to 60% more than a man of the same age buying the identical coverage, since women live longer on average and statistically file more long-term care claims, and for longer durations, than men. This calculator applies that same sourced gender gap at every age.
Marital and partner status matters too, mostly because of the couples discount. Per AALTCI's most recent reporting, that discount has shrunk from the 25 to 40% figures often cited in older articles: the current typical discount is around 15% per person when both partners buy a policy together, or about 5% if only one partner buys while the other remains eligible to apply later. This calculator uses the current, smaller figures rather than the outdated higher ones.
The benefit amount you choose, how much the policy pays per day of care, scales the premium roughly linearly. AALTCI's index anchors its published figures to a $165,000 initial benefit pool, which works out to about $150 a day over a 3-year benefit period; this calculator scales that base premium up or down proportionally for the daily benefit amount you select.
Inflation protection (this estimate assumes a common 3% compound option) is the other major lever: a policy without any inflation growth can cost 55 to 60% less at purchase, but the dollar amount it pays never increases, even if you do not need care for another 20 or 30 years.
Finally, it is worth knowing that LTC insurance pricing varies more between insurers than almost any other policy type. AALTCI's own 2026 study found up to an 80% spread in quoted premium between the lowest and highest carrier for an identical applicant profile, meaning the insurer you choose can matter as much as any input on this page.
Getting quotes from several companies, ideally through an independent agent who can shop multiple carriers, is one of the few ways to meaningfully control this cost.
Frequently asked questions
Why does long-term care insurance cost more for women than men?
Women live longer on average and file long-term care claims more often and for longer durations than men, so insurers price individual LTC policies higher for women at the same age and benefit level. AALTCI's data shows the gap can be 40 to 60% or more at the same age.
How much does the couples discount actually save?
Per AALTCI, most insurers currently offer around a 15% discount per person when both spouses or partners buy a policy together, or about 5% if only one of you buys while the other is still eligible.
These discounts have shrunk from the higher 25 to 40% figures commonly cited in older articles, so use the current, smaller figures when budgeting.
What does "inflation protection" mean for an LTC policy, and do I need it?
Inflation protection increases your daily benefit amount over time (commonly 3% compounded annually) so it keeps pace with rising care costs. Since you might not file a claim for 20 or 30 years after buying the policy, a benefit that never grows can lose much of its real purchasing power by the time you need it. It costs more upfront, but most planners recommend it for that reason.
Is long-term care insurance the only way to pay for a nursing home or in-home care?
No. Many people instead plan to spend down their own assets and rely on Medicaid once they qualify, though that requires meeting your state's asset limit first. See our Medicaid Spend-Down Calculator to see how that alternative compares for your situation.