No impact on your credit score
What Could Life Insurance Help Protect?
Life insurance usually pays out a lump sum if you die while the policy is active. Some types of cover provide regular payments instead. The money could help the people you choose to manage a mortgage, household bills, childcare and any other commitments.
Pay for a mortgage or the rent: A payment could help reduce housing costs or repay all or part of an outstanding mortgage.
Everyday household spending: The people you leave behind may need support with bills, food, transport and other regular outgoings.
Children and other dependants: Life Insurance cover could help with childcare, education or the cost of care provided by someone who is not a paid earner.
Personal debts and final expenses: A payment could be used towards debts, funeral costs or other immediate expenses.
Time to adjust: Financial support can give a household breathing room while longer-term decisions are made.
Life insurance is designed to provide a payment following death. It does not normally replace earnings when illness or injury stops you working, or pay simply because you receive a serious diagnosis.
Get a Life Insurance QuoteFree
Advice and guidance on what you need96.7%
of new life insurances claims were paidHow Does Life Insurance Work?
Life insurance is an agreement between the policyholder and an insurer. You select the person or people to be insured, the amount of cover and, for term insurance, how long the policy should last.
Step 1: Apply for cover
The application asks about areas such as health, medical history, occupation, smoking status and lifestyle. The answers must be complete and accurate.
Step 2: The insurer assesses the application
It may offer standard terms, ask for further information or propose different terms and premiums.
Step 3: Cover starts once agreed
The policy documents confirm when cover begins, what is included and the premiums that must be maintained.
Step 4: A valid claim is assessed
If the insured person dies while the policy is in force, the insurer considers the claim against the policy terms and pays it in line with how the cover has been set up.
If a term policy reaches its end without a valid claim, it normally finishes without a payment. Cover may also end if required premiums are not maintained. Who receives the money depends on the ownership and arrangement of the policy. An adviser can explain the practical role of insurance trusts and when specialist legal or tax advice may be appropriate.
We work with UK Leading Insurance Providers
Access The Most Suitable Cover at The Most Affordable Prices
Our protection specialists can scan our providers, once we understand your requirements and find you the right insurance that fits your needs.
Request a call backUK Life Insurance Statistics
There is no need to go under protected when Life Insurance has proven to pay out. Source: Association of British Insurers and Group Risk Development, figures published June 2026.
£4.03 billion
UK Insurers paid £4.02 billion across individual and group life insurance claims during 2025.
96.7%
The overwhelming majority of new life insurance claims were paid in 2025, challenging the misconception that insurers rarely pay out.
£83,892
The average value of a life insurance claim paid during 2025 was £83,892.
Which Type Of Life Insurance Could Suit Your Needs?
Different policies solve different problems. The options available to you, and the terms offered, will depend on your circumstances and the insurer’s criteria.
Level Term Life Insurance
The amount of cover stays the same for an agreed term. It can be used when you want a fixed lump sum to be available for a mortgage, other commitments or wider family support. The payment does not increase, so inflation may reduce its spending power over time.
Decreasing Term Life Insurance
The amount of cover reduces during the policy term. It is often considered alongside a repayment mortgage, where the balance is also expected to fall. The policy reduction and mortgage balance may not match exactly, so both should be checked rather than assumed to move together.
Increasing Term Life Insurance
The cover can rise over time, often by a fixed percentage or in line with a measure of inflation, subject to the policy terms. This can help protect the future value of the payment, although premiums will usually rise as the cover increases.
Family Income Benefit
Instead of one lump sum, family income benefit can provide regular payments for the remaining policy term after a valid claim. It can be useful when the priority is ongoing household spending. The total amount paid will depend on when during the term the claim occurs.
Terminal Illness Benefit
Terminal Illness Benefit is included with many life insurance policies. It may allow the cover to be paid early if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness and meet the insurer’s definition, which will usually include a specified life expectancy. This is normally an early payment of the life insurance benefit rather than an additional payout, so the policy will usually end after a valid claim. Definitions, time limits and exclusions vary between insurers and policies.
Whole-Of-Life Cover
Whole-of-life cover is designed to remain in place throughout your life, provided the required premiums are paid, and the policy conditions are met. It will usually cost more than term insurance. Premiums and benefits may be guaranteed or reviewable, depending on the product.
Personal life insurance is designed around an individual or household. If you are a company director considering business-funded cover, view Directors’ Life Insurance.
Single Or Joint Life Insurance?
A single policy covers one person. A joint policy covers two people under the same plan, but it will usually pay once, most often after the first insured person dies, and then end.
- Two separate policies: If a claim is paid on one policy, the other person’s cover would normally continue.
- One joint policy: If a joint policy pays out, it will normally end. The surviving partner would then need to make a new application if they still wanted life cover.
Before choosing, consider what each of you needs. You may want different levels of cover, different policy lengths or separate policies so one person remains covered after a claim.
Request An Life Insurance Quote
How Much Cover And How Long For?
There is no single amount that suits every household. Start with what the payment would need to achieve rather than relying on an arbitrary salary multiple.
- Mortgage and other debts: Look at what you still owe and whether you would want the balance paid off completely or reduced to a more manageable level.
- Everyday bills: Work out roughly what your household spends each month and how long your family may need help meeting those costs.
- People who rely on you: Remember childcare, education and ongoing care costs, as well as household responsibilities that someone else might need to pay for.
- Existing resources: allow for savings, investments, existing policies, death-in-service benefits and any income that would continue.
- Affordability: the premium needs to remain manageable throughout the policy, not only when it begins.
For term insurance, the end date might be linked to the end of a mortgage, the point at which children are expected to become independent, retirement or another financial milestone. More cover and a longer term will generally increase the premium, so it can be useful to compare several realistic options.
Request a Tailored Cover Review Why Clients Choose The Mortgage Broker For Income Protection Advice
Income protection policies can differ in how much they pay, when payments begin and how long they can continue. Our advisers take the time to understand your work, income, sick pay and regular outgoings before talking you through the options. We help employees, self-employed people and company directors, including those with variable income or less straightforward working arrangements.
Advice Without The Jargon
We’ll explain deferred periods, claim periods and definitions of incapacity in plain English, so you understand what a policy covers and where its limits are.
A Review Built Around Your Income
We start with the income you would lose, the support you already have and the costs that would still need paying. This helps us identify the gap you may want to protect.
Support For Different Ways Of Working
Whether you’re employed, self-employed or a company director, we’ll explain how your occupation and earnings could affect the cover and terms available.
Help From Review To Application
If you decide to apply, we’ll help with the paperwork, explain any information the insurer requests and keep you updated while it considers your application.
Help With Unusual Properties
Homes aren’t all the same, and some are trickier to insure than others. If your property is listed, non-standard, or has had issues like flooding or subsidence, we’ll talk you through what’s available and help you find insurers who are comfortable with it.
FCA-Regulated Protection Advice
Your adviser will assess your circumstances before making a recommendation. You’ll have time to review the policy terms and ask questions before deciding whether to proceed.
Not sure how much of your income you would need to protect? We can help you work out the potential shortfall and explain the options available.
Meet Our Protection Advisers
Our protection advisers can review the cover you already have and check whether it still fits your life today. They will look at what has changed, whether anything is missing and whether you are paying for cover you no longer need.
Matt Cotter
Senior Protection Adviser
Request A Life Insurance Quote
Not sure how much cover to ask for? We’ll work through the figures with you. We’ll ask who depends on you financially, what bills or borrowing you want to cover and whether you already have a policy. There is no charge for the review. Once you have heard what may be available, you can decide if you want to apply.