Income Protection Insurance
We have a no obligation on-line quotation service for
Income Protection Insurance:

Please ensure you read the Key Features and other product information and
fully understand the policy you are interested in. Please remember that the terms
offered by each insurer will be different and therefore price should not be the sole
consideration.
Remember your
Client Declaration
(all parties to sign), see
our process for details.
As with all online quotations of this type, the premiums quoted are
estimates only and the actual premiums will depend on individual
circumstances. If the eventual premium differs from the quotation, the
policy will not commence without your agreement.
Please note that quotations are valid for only
a limited period of time, generally 30 days. In addition, unless you
proceed to the personal illustration stage, it will be necessary to
requote. If your circumstances change between the quotation being
generated and the policy going into force, the premium may be affected.
This includes passing a birthday, half-birthday (6 months after your
birthday), or in some cases a quarter birthday (3 or 9 months after your
birthday).
What is Income Protection Insurance?
Income Protection Insurance policies are designed to replace lost
income if you are unable to work, due to illness or accident, for more
than a specified period of time. Once the benefits have started, they will
continue until you return to work, die, or reach the expiry date of the
contract. Typically the expiry date is selected to be the same as your
retirement age. There is usually a restriction in the amount of cover
based on a percentage of your income.
Income Protection Insurance is
also known as income replacement or Permanent Health Insurance. You pay
regular premiums to an insurance company, and subject to certain
conditions, they will pay you a benefit if you are too ill to work. There
is usually no limit to the number of claims that you can make.
Know the Product
Income Protection Insurance is a complex
product and policies from different providers vary. This variation
includes but is not limited to: income tests applied at the claims stage,
whether state benefits are offset, how the policy interacts with employer
sick pay/benefits, co-insurance clauses if you have more than one Income
Protection policy, and the occupational basis on which policies are
underwritten.
Incapacity
When choosing an Income Protection
Policy a key consideration is the
definition of incapacity. You must meet the specific definition in your
policy in order for the policy to pay out. Insurance companies use
different definitions of incapacity so you must check the policy
documentation for specific definitions. The most common ones are:
-
‘own occupation’ – you can claim if you cannot carry out your own
occupation;
-
‘any suited occupation’ – you can claim only if you cannot carry
out your own occupation, or any other occupation to which you are
suited (as defined in your policy);
-
‘any occupation’ – you can only claim if you cannot carry out any
job;
-
‘activities of daily living’ – you can only claim if you cannot
perform specified everyday tasks, e.g. washing and dressing; and
-
‘activities of daily
working’ – you can only claim if you cannot perform specified
work-related tasks, e.g. walking, communicating and using manual
dexterity.
Some definitions may not be
available for certain occupations. The definition that applies to you
will impact on the cost of the policy. Different policies
Most insurance companies will offer a range of different income
protection policies. Typically, you will pay more for policies offering
greater cover. For example, ‘own occupation’ cover is likely to cost
more than ‘any occupation’ cover. The cost will depend on a number of
factors, including age, sex, occupation and medical history. Deferred period
Benefits do not start to be paid until you have been unable to work
for more than a specified period of time, known as the ‘deferred period’
or ‘deferment period’. This period can range from 4 to 52 weeks. The
longer the deferral, the lower the premium will be. You will probably
wish to match this to your personal circumstances.
Length of cover
The term of the Income Protection policy (i.e. the age at which cover
ceases) is usually also the maximum period for which benefit will be
paid if you are too ill to work.
One option is to choose your normal retirement age, but the longer
the policy term, the more expensive it is likely to be.
Premium type
The amount you pay can be fixed or can change. You may have the
following choices:
-
Guaranteed – the premiums are fixed. The insurer cannot make
changes, except in agreed circumstances (e.g. to rise with
inflation).
-
Reviewable – the insurer can change the amount you pay based on
its overall claims experience, costs, etc. Typically, the changes do
not depend on any claims you have made. Usually, the insurer cannot
make changes during an initial period.
-
Renewable – premiums are set for a fixed period. After this, you
have the right to continue your plan, and your insurance company
will set the premium level for a further fixed period, based on your
age at that time.
The type of rate you choose will affect the amount you pay.
Increasing benefit?
You can choose whether the benefits under the policy remain constant
or increase over time to help compensate for the effects of inflation.
Different insurers offer different rates of increase. The premiums will
increase in line with the increasing benefit.
Limits on the amount of cover
The maximum benefit you can choose will be based on a percentage of
your normal earnings; this will vary between insurance companies. This
is to provide an incentive to return to work, and because currently for
individuals purchasing Income Protection, benefits are free of income
tax. The quotation system on our site will give an indication of the
maximum cover if you leave the ‘Monthly Benefit Amount’ box blank.
Please note that this is an indication only, and the actual maximum will
depend on your more detailed personal circumstances. If you make a
claim, depending on the policy, the benefit actually paid may be
restricted based on your recent earnings in for example the last 12
months. Assessing your needs
To determine your need for
Income Protection insurance, you will need
to consider what might happen to your income and expenses if you were
too ill to work. Relevant factors to consider will include:
-
Statutory Sick Pay or other arrangements made by your
employer;
-
State benefits such as Long Term Incapacity Benefit and the
possibility that these benefits may change in the future (see
www.jobcentreplus.gov.uk
for more information; note that the definition of incapacity for state
benefits may not be the same as that used by an insurer);
-
other insurance cover that you have including that arranged by
your employer;
- your savings & investments;
-
any pension that you are receiving or could receive in the
future;
- alternative employment;
- any other sources of income;
-
your expenses now and how these might change if you become be
too ill to work for a long period of time.
Income Protection Insurance may be unnecessary if your employer has a
satisfactory long-term sick-pay scheme (considering both the amount, and
for how long you would receive an income). Any insurer will limit the
amount they will pay you. If your employer’s scheme is adequate, this
limit may mean that you would receive very little or nothing from an
Income Protection Insurance policy.
To apply for a policy you will have to complete and sign a proposal
form. This includes questions on your age, occupation and health. You
must answer all questions truthfully. You must also inform the insurer
of any change in your circumstances between completing the application
and the policy going into force. If you do not, or if you fail to
disclose all relevant information, your policy may not
pay out. Once the insurance company has received this information, in
some cases it may need additional information for underwriting purposes.
In some cases your answers may result in you being refused cover or a
change to the premium quoted. Once the policy is in force you have an
ongoing duty to tell the insurance company about any changes in your
circumstances.
Product providers included in the Clubfinance
quote
Our on-line quotation service includes the following product
providers:
- Axa
- Bright grey
- Friends Provident
- Liverpool Victoria
- Scottish Provident
- Standard Life
- Synergy Financial Products
- Unum Provident
How does Clubfinance
provide such low quotes relative to even some of the 'Discount Life Insurance'
companies?
First, we do not give
advice or recommendations. Second, Clubfinance has a very simple policy of providing excellent value
to our customers. We do this by rebating our initial commission to
reduce the premium. We rebate up to 90% of initial commissions. We urge you obtain quotes from other companies, as we are
confident of our low quotes. Conclusion
It requires careful planning to choose the right insurance policy.
It is important to read the Key Features and other information
relating to each policy to understand the features, benefits and
limitations of each. It is also important to make sure that your cover
continues to suit your changing needs and circumstances.
This is a general overview only. You must read the
Key Features
and other product information specific to the policy you are
considering. This overview does not represent and is not intended to
represent advice or recommendation. If you need advice you must
contact a firm that can provide the advice you need.
Please click here for a no obligation online quote for income protection
insurance |