Income protection, the cover most people skip.
A monthly replacement income if illness or injury stops you working. Statistically the policy you are most likely to claim on, and the one fewest people own.
- Free initial advice
- No credit check to talk
- FCA regulated
- No obligation
How long could your household actually last?
It is worth doing this arithmetic honestly. Add up your employer sick pay, then whatever savings you would be willing to burn through, then Statutory Sick Pay. For most households the total is a few months rather than a few years. Income protection is what covers the period after that.
The single biggest lever on the price is the deferred period, which is the gap between stopping work and the benefit starting. Setting it to match the point where your employer sick pay runs out, rather than choosing the shortest available, often cuts the premium substantially without leaving a gap.
The other decision is between a short-term policy, which pays for a capped period such as two years per claim, and a full-term policy that pays until you recover or reach the end of the policy. Short-term is cheaper and better than nothing. Full-term is what actually protects you against a genuinely serious long-term illness.
What matters here
- Benefit is capped at a proportion of your gross earnings, so it will not replace your income in full
- A deferred period applies before payments start, commonly four, thirteen or twenty-six weeks
- A longer deferred period reduces the premium significantly
- Short-term policies cap each claim, often at one or two years
- Full-term policies pay until recovery, retirement or the end of the policy
- Benefit may be reduced by other income or by state benefits you receive
- Cover is available to employed and self-employed people, though the evidence required differs
Four steps, no surprises
Most people come to us unsure what they are even allowed to ask for. This is how we take it from there.
We listen
A free call, at a time that suits you. We ask what you are trying to achieve and what is worrying you. No jargon, no pressure, no obligation to go further.
We research
We look across the lenders and providers available to us and work out what is genuinely open to you, then explain the options in plain English, including the ones we would rule out and why.
We recommend
You get a written recommendation setting out what we suggest, what it costs, and the risks. You decide whether to proceed. Nothing happens until you say so.
We see it through
We handle the application, chase the lender and solicitor, and keep you updated until completion. You always know who to ring.
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Let us find out what is actually open to you
One free call. No credit check, no obligation, and a straight answer about what is realistic.
What happens when you call
- You speak to a qualified adviser, not a call centre
- We ask what you are trying to achieve, then listen
- You get an honest view of what is realistic
- No pressure and no obligation to go further
Questions we hear a lot
If yours is not here, ring us. We would rather answer it properly than leave you guessing.
How much will it pay?
Insurers cap the benefit at a proportion of your gross earnings, commonly somewhere between half and two-thirds, because a policy that replaced your income in full would remove any incentive to return to work. The benefit is usually paid free of income tax on a personal policy.
I am self-employed. Can I get it?
Yes, and it matters more for you than for most people, because there is no employer sick pay behind you. Insurers will want evidence of earnings, typically through accounts or tax calculations, and how they define your income varies, so getting matched to the right insurer at the outset is important.
What is the difference between this and critical illness cover?
Critical illness cover pays a single lump sum on diagnosis of a specific defined condition. Income protection pays a monthly amount for as long as you are unable to work, whatever the cause, including conditions such as back problems and mental health that sit outside most critical illness lists. They solve different problems and many households want both.
Does it cover redundancy?
Standard income protection covers incapacity through illness or injury, not redundancy. Some providers offer separate unemployment cover, usually for a limited period and on quite restrictive terms. We will be straight with you about whether it is worth having.
Income protection pays a monthly benefit that is capped at a proportion of your gross earnings, so it will not replace your income in full. A deferred period applies before payments begin, and benefit may be reduced by other income or by state benefits you receive.
These are protection policies. Unless stated otherwise they have no investment element and no cash-in value at any time. If you stop paying premiums, cover will end and you may get nothing back.
Tell us what you are trying to do
One short form. A real adviser will call you back, usually the same working day.