What happens when you or one of your employees needs to make a claim?
Let us know 
If you or one of your employees need to make a claim, the first step is letting us know by talking to our dedicated claims team, filling out a claims form, or emailing us.
Get expert support 
Our expert claims assessors and clinical specialists will be there to support your employees. If someone else is making the claim, such as a family member, we'll make sure they get the help they need during a difficult time.
We’ll handle the rest 
As your claim is processed, we’ll keep all the right people informed. And once we’ve agreed to pay the claim – and have all the information we need – we’ll make the payment as quickly as possible.
How to make a claim
Group life claims 
If one of your employees dies in service, you can start the claims process quickly online by filling out our claims form. After you've submitted your claim, we can start our assessment.
Group critical illness claims 
If one of your employees, their spouse or partner (if covered), or their child is diagnosed with a critical illness or operation covered by your policy, we'll need details of the illness or the operation.
We'll also need a completed claims form. You and your employees can start a claim online or by contacting our claims team.
Group income protection claims 
If an illness or injury is keeping your employee off work long term, you'll need to let us know as soon as possible. The easiest way is to start a claim online.
Group protection FAQs
Group life
Who can make a group life claim?
You, anyone from the company, or your financial adviser can submit a claim to us. If the person who submits the claim is also authorised, we can accept that as a signature.
How many signatures do I need?
- No signatures are needed for a trustee account used to settle previous claim payments
- One signature from a trustee or authorised person for an unused trustee account
- Two signatures from trustees or authorised persons for a third-party account for claims over £250,000. If the amount is less, then only one signature is required.
We can accept physical signatures, DocuSign, or an email from an authorised person/trustee with the claim form attached and a note saying they agree we settle the claim as per the claim form.
We can’t accept signatures that are copied and pasted onto the claim form.
What kind of verification do we need?
We accept a death certificate or coroner’s fact of death as proof of death. We can also verify a death online if it happened in the UK and isn’t being investigated by a coroner.
It can take up to two weeks for the online death register to update. So if you submit a claim earlier than that, we can accept the death certificate or coroner’s fact of death certificate by email.
If the death certificate isn’t available but the death is being investigated, let us know the contact details of the coroner investigating and we can contact them directly to verify the death.
What happens if a death happens outside the UK?
We’ll need all relevant details for a death that’s happened overseas completed within the claim form. In most cases, we’ll ask to see the original death certificate. Our expert claims administrators will treat these claims on a case-by-case basis and will be in touch when the claim has been initially assessed.
How long does it take to assess a claim?
We aim to assess all claims within seven working days.
Group critical illness
When should I notify you?
Please let us know within three months of the employee’s diagnosis, or undergoing or meeting the definition of an operation covered by the policy.
What is and isn’t covered?
You can find details about the conditions and operations we cover in your policy documents, and more information on the types of cover here. It'll depend on what level of cover you’ve taken out with the policy.
The person covered by the policy must survive for at least 14 days after diagnosis to make a claim on the policy. We don’t cover pre-existing conditions, terminal illness if the employee or child dies before we’re notified of a claim, or self-inflicted injury. We also won’t pay a lump sum benefit for a child for Total Permanent Disability or Cancer Drugs Fund.
As well as financial support, what other support is available to employees?
You can find details on the range of physical, emotional, and practical wellbeing support your employees can access through our Group Critical Illness cover here.
Group income protection
When should I notify you?
Let us know within two months of absence if an employee’s been off long-term, before the deferred period. Or within one month if you have a deferred period of 8 or 13 weeks. It helps us assess their claims.
As well as financial support, what other support is available to employees?
We designed our clinical pathways to help employees struggling due to ill health, whether they’re in work or absent, through clinical and rehabilitation support. We also offer access to a range of physical, emotional and practical wellbeing support. You can find out more here.
Can an employee’s absences be linked?
Yes, separate periods of incapacity from the same cause can be linked to form a deferred period. But the deferred period has to be completed within a time-period of twice its length (deferred period times two). Each period of linked incapacity must last at least five consecutive days.
Can claims be linked?
Yes. If an employee returns to their usual hours and duties following a claim closing but becomes unwell again within 12 months, we can consider recommencing payment. We’ll recommence it from the start of the new absence if the cause of incapacity is the same, or if it's a new incapacity that's lasted at least 30 consecutive days. The deferred period wouldn’t need to be completed again, and the salary and benefit calculation would be the same as the initial claim.
