How does life insurance work?
Our Life Insurance Plan pays out if, during the policy term, you die or are diagnosed with a terminal illness that meets our policy definition and are expected to live less than 12 months. The policy will only pay out once, in the event of a successful claim. If we pay a claim the policy will end.
If you stop paying premiums, or you cancel the policy, cover will end and you'll get nothing back.
This money can help the people you love keep up with everyday bills or maintain their standard of living when you’re no longer here.
How our life insurance calculator works
Our calculator gives you a quick starting point. Based on your answers to a few simple questions it estimates how much life insurance cover you may need and how long your policy term could last.
Just so you know, the 'cover amount' is the money you leave behind and the 'policy term' is the number of years you want the cover to last.
How much life insurance cover do you need?
How much life insurance cover you need is your decision and will depend on the people and priorities you want to help protect.
You’ll need to think about whether you want to provide for a partner or children, or help cover your mortgage and other debts. You may want to include an optional amount of critical illness cover to give extra protection if you become seriously ill.
Life insurance
If you’re interested in this type of cover, our calculator can give you an idea of how much cover you may need.
Over 50 life insurance
If you’re a UK resident aged between 50 and 80, looking to leave a little something behind, explore our over 50 life insurance with cover that lasts for life.
Learn about life insurance
Having life insurance can help protect the ones you love. In our selection of articles, we share useful insights and information to help you explore your options. Take a look and see how you can protect your family today.
Cover explained
Life insurance and inheritance tax
Learn about tax thresholds and how putting your life insurance in trust could help your loved ones.
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Life insurance
Types of life insurance
Understand the different types of life insurance you can choose to take out.
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Life insurance
Should you put your life insurance in trust?
Find out why it could be a good move to put your life insurance policy in a trust.
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Life insurance
What happens to a life insurance policy when someone dies?
Learn what to do when you need to make a claim.
Life insurance FAQs
What is the average cost of life insurance?
We take many factors into consideration when pricing our life insurance, but our Life Insurance Plan starts from as little as £5 a month. There is no average cost as the price you pay depends on the level of cover you choose, the duration and your personal circumstances.
Is a life insurance payout taxable?
If you receive a life insurance payout, you won't need to pay capital gains tax, or income tax - but you might need to pay inheritance tax, unless the money is placed in a trust. Tax rules may change in the future.
Can I have more than one Life Insurance Plan?
Yes, you can have more than one life insurance policy. If your combined cover is for a high amount, we might need to do a more in-depth financial assessment to make sure we're insuring you for the right amount.
When should I get life insurance?
You can get life insurance whenever you like, but it’s worth noting the cost tends to rise as you get older. Some life events may make you think you need life insurance, like buying a home, getting married, or having a child. You may want to make sure you’re looking after anyone who is dependent on you should anything happen to you.
Should I put life insurance in a trust?
If your life insurance policy is in a Trust, we may be able to pay the claim quicker than if your policy isn’t in a trust, provided there is at least one surviving trustee. It could also help keep the payout outside the scope of Inheritance Tax. If you're considering a trust, talk to a financial adviser. Bear in mind that tax rules may change in the future. If you don’t have a financial adviser, you can find one at unbiased.co.uk. Please be aware that you may need to pay for this advice.
What's the difference between our Life Insurance Plan and our Over 50 Life Insurance Plan?
Our Life Insurance Plan covers you for a specific amount of time, but our Over 50 Life Insurance Plan covers you for the rest of your life. The lump sum payout on an Over 50 Life Insurance Plan is usually much smaller than the payout on a Life Insurance Plan. The other difference is that you can’t take out a joint policy for our Over 50 Life Insurance Plan.
Over 50 Life Insurance Plan
You must be aged between 50 and 80 and a UK resident. You pay the same premium for life, and you won’t need a medical or health check.
The cover amount is fixed so it’s real-life value will go down over time because of inflation. You can hold a number of policies, but there’s a maximum premium limit of £100 across all policies.
You can choose either the level of cover you want or a premium you’d like to pay each month.
You’ll no longer pay premiums once you’ve had your policy for 30 years or from the policy anniversary after your 90th birthday. However, your cover will continue.
For our Over 50 Life Insurance Plan, we’ll pay the full cover amount if you die after the first 12 months. We’ll also pay the full amount if you die from an accident during the first 12 months of the policy. If you die within the first 12 months of cover from anything other than an accident, we’ll pay an amount equal to the premiums paid. Depending on how long you live, you may end up paying more in premiums than the amount we pay out when you die.
Life Insurance Plan
You must be aged between 18 and 77 to apply, and your cover stops at the end of the policy term. We’ll ask you a few health and lifestyle questions when you apply. You choose a cover amount and if you want your cover to stay the same, rise in line with inflation, or go down over time in line with a repayment mortgage or loan. You can take out a single or joint life insurance policy.
Neither of these products are savings or investment plans. They will only pay out on a successful claim.
If you’re not sure which one might be right for you, speak to a financial adviser.
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