Long-Term Care Insurance Cost Calculator
Estimate your long-term care insurance premium by age, gender, and inflation protection option using real 2025-26 industry pricing data, plus the IRS tax deduction it may qualify for.
Enter Your Details
Adjust values to see instant results
Estimated Annual Premium
$2,610.00
Estimated • Based on your inputs
IRS-Eligible Deductible Premium
$1,860.00
Detailed Breakdown
Disclaimer: This calculator provides estimates for informational purposes only. Results should not be considered financial, tax, or legal advice. Consult a qualified professional for your specific situation.
How This Calculator Works
Calculation methodology and assumptions
This calculator estimates a traditional long-term care insurance premium by interpolating between the American Association for Long-Term Care Insurance's (AALTCI) 2025 Price Index survey anchors at ages 55, 60, and 65 for a $165,000 initial benefit pool per person, split out by gender (or a combined couple rate) and by inflation protection option (level, 2%, 3%, or 5% compound). These are national benchmark rates for a "Select Health" applicant priced in Illinois -- AALTCI's own index found rates for identical coverage can vary by up to 80% between the cheapest and priciest carrier, and your state, exact health class, and insurer will all move the real quote you receive. On top of the premium estimate, the tool applies two real, separate IRS tax rules that only apply to a "tax-qualified" LTC policy: the 2026 per-person limit on how much of your premium counts as a deductible medical expense (IRC 213(d)(10), which rises with your attained age), and the 7.5%-of-AGI floor that governs whether your total itemized unreimbursed medical expenses (including that eligible premium) produce any deduction at all on Schedule A (IRC 213(a)) -- this only helps if you itemize instead of taking the standard deduction. For couples, the combined premium is assumed to split evenly between both applicants before each person's own age-based limit is applied. Finally, the benefit-pool-at-85 figure is a straightforward compound-growth projection of the $165,000 starting pool at your selected inflation option, and the tax-free benefit limits show the 2026 IRC 7702B(d)(4) per-diem amount a qualified policy can pay out tax-free.
How to Use This Insurance Planning Calculator
- 1
Enter your information
Input the required values. The calculator is pre-filled with your state's data where applicable — adjust to match your specific situation for accurate results.
- 2
Review default values
Check that the pre-filled state-specific data (tax rates, median values, etc.) matches your local situation. You can override any value to customize the calculation.
- 3
Analyze your results
Review the calculated outputs. Use the breakdown table to understand exactly how each factor contributes to the final result.
- 4
Compare across states
Use the related state calculators linked below to compare results across different states — useful for relocation planning and financial comparison.
Example Calculation
Here's a practical example using this state's data.
The calculator uses state-specific public data and documented estimates where available — including tax rates, median values, and cost benchmarks — to produce a personalized estimate for the inputs you provide.
Result: Results will vary based on your individual inputs. Use this calculator as a starting point, then adjust the values to test different scenarios. The methodology section below explains exactly how each result is calculated.
What Affects Your Results
State-Specific Inputs
Each state has unique rates, fee schedules, and regulatory requirements that can affect results. This page's methodology and source card identify which inputs are sourced, modeled, or user-adjustable.
Income Level
Many calculations are income-dependent due to progressive tax brackets, phase-outs, or income-based eligibility thresholds. Higher income doesn't always mean proportionally higher costs.
Local Variations
State averages may not reflect your specific city or county. Local taxes, fees, and market conditions can vary ±20% from state averages.
Annual Changes
Tax rates, fee schedules, and regulations change. Check the recorded source-review date and verify critical numbers with the relevant agency.
Tips & Best Practices
- Always verify pre-filled values against your actual data. State averages are a good starting point but your situation may differ significantly.
- Run multiple scenarios by adjusting key inputs to see how changes affect your results. This helps with planning and decision-making.
- Compare your results across states using the related calculators linked below — especially valuable if you're considering relocating or doing business in another state.
- Bookmark this page to recalculate periodically as rates change. Check the page source card and review date before relying on a pre-filled value.
- Consult a qualified professional for major financial decisions. These calculators provide estimates based on standard formulas — a CPA or financial advisor can factor in your complete financial picture.
Newsletter Signups Are Paused
We're building the email delivery behind our newsletter so we can do it properly — signups aren't open yet. Check back soon.
No form here and nothing is collected. Read our privacy policy.
StateCalc Team
Editorial Team
The StateCalc team builds free financial calculators using data from official government sources including the IRS, U.S. Census Bureau, BLS, and state revenue departments. All formulas are validated by an automated test suite and cross-referenced against published data.
Our editorial standardsFrequently Asked Questions
How much does long-term care insurance cost?
According to AALTCI's 2025 Price Index, a healthy 60-year-old woman buying a $165,000 benefit pool with 3% compound inflation protection pays around $4,550/year, while a 60-year-old man in the same scenario pays around $2,610/year -- women typically pay 40-80% more than men for identical coverage because they statistically need care for longer. Costs rise noticeably with age: the same coverage was roughly $3,750 at age 55 and $5,290 at age 65 for a woman.
Why do women pay more for long-term care insurance than men?
Insurers price long-term care coverage based on the statistical likelihood and duration of a claim. The U.S. Administration for Community Living (part of HHS) reports that women who need long-term care use it for an average of 3.7 years, versus 2.2 years for men -- a real, well-documented difference in claim duration that insurers reflect directly in premiums.
Is long-term care insurance tax deductible?
Premiums for a "tax-qualified" LTC insurance policy count as a deductible medical expense, but only up to an age-based per-person limit set by the IRS each year -- for 2026 that's $500 (age 40 or under) up to $6,200 (over age 70). That eligible amount then has to clear the same 7.5%-of-AGI floor as your other itemized medical expenses before it actually reduces your taxes, and it only helps at all if you itemize deductions on Schedule A rather than taking the standard deduction. Most modern "linked-benefit" or hybrid life-insurance-plus-LTC policies do NOT qualify for this deduction.
What's my actual chance of needing long-term care?
The U.S. Administration for Community Living estimates that someone turning 65 today has almost a 70% chance of needing some type of long-term care support in their remaining years, though about a third of today's 65-year-olds may never need it and roughly 20% will need it for more than 5 years -- a wide range that makes insuring against the tail risk appealing to many people even though the "average" outcome is moderate.
Why does inflation protection matter so much for the price?
Long-term care costs have historically risen faster than general inflation, and a policy you buy today may not pay out for 20-30 years. Starting from a $165,000 benefit pool at age 55, simple compound growth means that pool is worth about $713,000 by age 85 with 5% compound growth, versus roughly $400,500 at 3% and still just $165,000 with no inflation protection at all -- but that 5% option can cost roughly 3-4x more per year in premium than the level-benefit option for the same starting pool.
What is the tax-free benefit payout limit, and does it matter?
For 2026, a qualified LTC insurance contract can pay out up to $430 per day ($156,950/year) completely tax-free under a per-diem (indemnity) design, regardless of your actual care costs. Reimbursement-style policies that pay your actual documented long-term care expenses are tax-free with no dollar cap at all -- the per-diem limit only applies to policies that pay a flat daily amount whether or not your real costs are lower.
People Also Calculate
Frequently used together with this calculator