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What if you were suddenly getting less – or nothing – for a long time?
Income protection insurance is designed to provide essential financial relief if illness or injury prevents you from working for an extended period.
An income protection policy ensures a steady flow of income, helping you meet important expenses like mortgage payments and household bills for a specified period. You can select from a range of coverage options, both short-term and long-term, to suit your individual requirements. During unforeseen circumstances, this insurance can lessen the financial strain on your family, granting peace of mind and stability.
Cleerly specialists evaluate a spectrum of income protection options available to residents in the UK, including standard income protection insurance, self-employed income protection, and budget income protection.
Feeling inspired?
Do you wish to safeguard your earnings for a time when you may not be earning as much?
Whether you’re looking to get the ball rolling on an application or you’re just after some friendly advice, don’t hesitate to give us a call on 02394 212912 or complete the form below.
What does Income Protection Cover?
Your Income Protection policy is designed to provide support if you are unable to work due to:
- Accidents or physical injuries
- Periods of ill health
Income Protection policies typically offer minimal exclusions, making it one of the most thorough incapacity insurance options available.
When establishing your policy, ensure it includes coverage specific to your own occupation. This means you can file a claim if you're unable to perform the duties of your job.
Support Services and Additional Benefits
Current Income Protection policy offerings come with a range of supplementary benefits to enhance your health and wellbeing. These additional services often include:
- Access to 24/7 virtual GP services
- Physiotherapy sessions, available both online and in person
- Counselling services, available both online and in person
- Discounts on gym memberships
- Services offering second medical opinions
These well-being benefits can be utilised outside of a claim, allowing you to take advantage of them as soon as your policy is active. Many of these services are also accessible to your immediate family members, such as a spouse or dependent children.
What do Income Protection schemes not cover?
Exclusions in Income Protection Insurance
While comprehensive, Income Protection policies do come with certain limitations and exclusions, including:
- Self-inflicted injuries
- Substance misuse, such as drugs or alcohol
- Traveling to countries with ongoing internal conflict or political instability where the Foreign Office advises against travel
Pre-Existing Medical Conditions
When applying for Income Protection, you will need to provide your medical history. If you have experienced a health issue in the past five years, the insurer might exclude it from your coverage. Depending on the condition's nature and severity, the insurer may:
- Offer coverage without altering the premium
- Offer coverage with an increased premium
- Exclude the condition entirely
By understanding these aspects, you can tailor your policy to ensure it meets your specific needs while providing peace of mind.
How much is Income Protection?
The cost of an income protection policy is influenced by several factors, including the type of policy you're electing, and it can vary over time based on the type of premiums—whether they are fixed, reviewable, or age-rated. Here are the key elements affecting the cost from the beginning:
- Salary: Since benefits are calculated based on your income, a higher salary often results in a more expensive policy.
- Level of Cover: Some insurers let you decide what percentage of your salary you'd like to be covered. Opting for a higher percentage typically increases the policy's cost.
- Occupation: Jobs that pose more health risks or are physically or mentally demanding generally lead to higher premiums due to the increased likelihood of claims.
- Deferred Period: Opting for a longer deferred period can reduce your premiums, although it means you'll need to manage financially for a longer time before benefits kick in.
- Pre-existing Conditions: Existing health issues can raise the cost of your policy, particularly if you wish to have these conditions covered. It's crucial to be transparent with your insurer and disclose all relevant medical information.
- Payout Term: Policies that offer longer payout durations, especially those extending until retirement age, tend to be more costly compared to those with a shorter claim period.
Just like mortgages, not every option out there works for you and the way in which you work. One of Cleerly's specialist protection consultants can help you find the most comprehensive, cost-effective and suitable income protection cover tailored to your circumstances.
Important factors to consider when choosing Income Protection cover
Cleerly's experienced consultants will discuss in depth how best to tailor your policy to your unique needs. Vital factors to consider include:
Short-term vs. Long-term Coverage: Decide whether you need short-term or long-term income protection. Short-term policies typically provide payouts for up to 1, 2, or 5 years per claim. In contrast, long-term coverage can continue until you reach retirement age, offering sustained income security.
Indexation: To safeguard against inflation, consider index-linking your policy. This ensures your benefits keep pace with inflation, preserving the value of your coverage over time. Note that your premiums will adjust to reflect any increases in the benefit amount.
Types of Premiums:
- Reviewable Premiums: These allow insurers to adjust your premiums based on various factors, such as a rise in claims or economic shifts. While often starting lower, they may increase over the policy term.
- Age-banded Premiums: Initially more affordable, these premiums rise annually, with increases predetermined in your policy. The adjustments are linked to your age and the heightened risk of illness or injury as you grow older.
- Guaranteed Premiums: These remain constant throughout the policy's duration. Although they might appear higher initially, they offer long-term cost-effectiveness as they are immune to future changes.
When choosing income protection insurance, carefully consider these elements with a specialist Protection Consultant to ensure your policy aligns with your financial needs and goals.
Alternatives to Income Protection Insurance
If income protection insurance isn't suitable for your needs, consider these alternatives:
- Life Insurance: This provides financial security for your loved ones with a payout if you pass away during the policy term. Options include level-term coverage, which maintains a consistent payout, and decreasing cover, where the payout reduces over time.
- Death in Service Benefit: Often provided by employers, this benefit delivers a lump sum to your family should you pass away while employed. The payout is generally calculated as a multiple of your annual salary.
- Critical Illness Cover: This policy issues a lump sum payment if you're diagnosed with a serious illness specified in the policy's terms. It may also be available as a feature within some life insurance products.
- Savings: Consider setting aside a portion of your salary each month to build an emergency fund. Placing these funds in a separate savings account can help you resist the temptation to use the money for non-emergencies, ensuring it's available if you're unable to work.
Examining these options with the help of a Cleerly specialist adviser can provide peace of mind and financial security tailored to your unique circumstances. Contact us for an obligation-free consultation on 02394 212 912 or complete an online quote.
Income Protection FAQs
While you won't need to reapply, changing jobs presents a valuable opportunity to review your policy with your insurer. Inform them about your new position, as it might impact your premium, especially if it's considered high-risk. If your salary increases with your new role, you might want to enhance your coverage to align with your updated income.
Life insurance provides a lump sum to your family if you pass away during the policy term, helping them manage financial obligations in your absence. In contrast, income protection offers a monthly payment if you're unable to work due to illness or injury, ensuring ongoing financial support during challenging times.
Critical illness insurance provides a lump sum if you're diagnosed with a serious condition listed in your policy. However, it comes with certain limitations.
Income protection insurance typically offers a wider scope, covering various illnesses and injuries. For instance, conditions like a severe back issue or depression may not be included under critical illness insurance but are generally covered by income protection.
When calculated accurately, income protection benefits can cover both your mortgage payments and essential living expenses.
For those seeking a policy specifically for mortgage coverage, mortgage payment protection insurance (MPPI) is an alternative. Typically more affordable than income protection, MPPI is designed to cover some or all your mortgage payments, though it generally does not extend to everyday living costs.
Income protection is available to self-employed individuals, independent professionals and business owners. Instead of basing benefits on a fixed salary, the policy calculates your benefits from your average monthly income.
However, there are specific considerations for self-employed policyholders. For instance, since self-employed professionals and business owners cannot be laid off in the traditional sense, they are not eligible for unemployment cover under an income protection policy. Their coverage is limited to instances of accidents or sickness.
Our other protection products
There are a myriad of different options available so your policy can be tailored to your family’s needs.