To verify the existence of a relationship between quality of life (QV), and discomfort caused by tinnitus in the elderly. METHODS: It was amnese, the assessment instrument QV WHOQOL-old and the Tinnitus Handicap Inventory (THI). The WHOQOL-old assessing the functioning of consciousness, autonomy, past activities, present and future, social participation, death and dying and intimacy. The higher the score the better than QV. In the THI, the score indicates greater the bother. RESULTS: The sample comprised 36 respondents, 26 (72.2%) were female and 10 (27.8%) were male, mean age 68.6 ± 6.8 years. In WHOQOL-old, it was found that the score ranged from 14.2 (± 3.7) functioning in sensory, to 15.6 (± 2.6), intimate. There were no significant differences in scores by domain, it showed similar means. At THI, the scores showed a skewed distribution, indicating that the estimates should occur according to the median, which was 20.0 points. Considering the two instruments, there was correlation between the score of the WHOQOL-old and THI (r = -0.395, p <0.05). Lower scores on the WHOQOL-old were related to higher scores of the THI. CONCLUSION: In the evaluated group, there was a relationship between poor QOL and increased annoyance caused by tinnitus.