Long-Term Care Insurance Calculator

Long-term care insurance covers help with activities of daily living (bathing, dressing, eating, transferring) when age or chronic illness makes you dependent. Medicare does NOT cover custodial long-term care — only short-term skilled rehab. Out-of-pocket, a semi-private nursing facility runs $95,000–$115,000 a year nationally; a private room runs $108,000–$135,000. Home health aides average $33–$40/hour.

Real example. A 55-year-old couple buys $200/day benefit, 3-year pool, 3% inflation rider. Pool today: $219,000 per person. Pool at age 85 (30 years out at 3% compounding): $531,000. Annual premium ≈ $2,800–$3,400 per person depending on health and carrier. If only one spouse ends up needing care (the statistical likelihood), total premiums paid over 30 years ($3,200 × 30 × 2 = $192,000) against a $531,000 benefit pool is a good trade.

Shop LTC between ages 52 and 60. Before 52, premiums are cheap but the money compounds on "nothing" for too long; after 60, premiums spike 5–8% per year of age and health underwriting tightens dramatically. Pick a daily benefit equal to roughly 80% of the median daily cost in your state. Pick a 3-year benefit period (the average nursing stay is 2.5 years) unless family history suggests dementia, in which case consider 5-year or unlimited.

If you want to stress-test the answer, pair with life insurance calculator and Medicare supplement calculator — the two numbers should corroborate each other within ~15%. If they don't, one of your inputs is off.

Mistakes: waiting until 65 to shop (premiums can be 3× at 65 vs. 55); skipping the inflation rider (a $200/day benefit in 2026 dollars is worth $82/day in 2026 purchasing power at age 85 without inflation — functionally useless); buying a standalone LTC policy instead of a hybrid life-LTC policy that returns premium if you never use the LTC benefit; and self-insuring when your net worth is under $2M (the risk of burning through $400k of retirement savings on 3 years of care is real).

Underwriters look at: age at purchase (the single biggest factor), current BMI, smoker status, family history of Alzheimer's or early-onset dementia, current medications (cognitive enhancers, antidepressants in certain combinations will decline), and any ADL limitations. Women pay 25–50% more than men because women claim LTC at higher rates and live longer post-claim.

Partnership programs in 45 states let LTC policyholders protect a dollar of Medicaid-exempt assets for every dollar the policy pays — valuable if you may eventually spend down to Medicaid. Washington State has a mandatory payroll tax for WA Cares (public LTC), but residents who own a private LTC policy can opt out.

Before you pull quotes, write a one-page spec: exact limits, exact deductible, exact riders, exact coverage period. Give all carriers the same spec. When quotes come back, ignore the headline premium and normalize — is the deductible identical, are the riders identical, is the liability limit identical? Only then compare.

Drop each carrier's real number back into this calculator to see the expected annual cost (premium + deductible × claim probability), not just the sticker. A $150 cheaper premium with a $750 higher deductible is usually worse once you account for probability. Pair with long-term disability calculator and critical illness calculator to confirm you're sizing limits correctly.

Rerun annually near the renewal date. Carriers file rate increases with state regulators every 3–5 years; 15–30% increases on in-force policies are normal. If a big increase hits, you can usually reduce the daily benefit, reduce the benefit period, or drop the inflation rider to keep the premium flat. Pair with Medigap planning and life insurance sizing as part of a retirement-era coverage stack.

Calendar a reminder for 45 days before the renewal. Pull three fresh quotes — one from a direct writer (GEICO, Progressive), one from a captive agent (State Farm, Allstate, Farmers), and one from an independent agent who represents 8–12 carriers. Combine with term vs. whole life calculator for your full portfolio view.

This tool is educational, not financial or insurance advice. Actual premiums depend on factors no web tool can perfectly model, including carrier-specific underwriting, state regulations, your individual history, and policy-form details. Formulas here use simplified national averages to get you within a reasonable planning range — not to produce a bindable quote. Before purchasing any long-term care insurance policy, consult a licensed insurance agent in your state. Carrier links on this page are sponsored affiliate placements; we may earn a commission if you click and purchase, at no additional cost to you. This does not influence the calculator math or our editorial picks.

This calculator runs entirely in your browser using JavaScript. Nothing you type is transmitted to our servers. Nothing is stored after you close the tab. Use the Export PDF button to take the inputs and results with you. If you want a long-term care insurance feature that doesn't exist yet, send a note via the contact page — we prioritize tool-building based on real user requests.