What is income protection insurance?
It’s a type of insurance that replaces some of your income if you’re unable to work because of illness or injury. It gives you a monthly payment to help you stay afloat during tough times, so you can focus on getting better and back to work.
Think for a moment how you’d cover your usual monthly costs if you were ill or injured and couldn’t work for a while. Could you still make ends meet using statutory sick pay from your employer, your savings, or state benefits?
The current statutory sick pay is £123.25 a week. Footnote [1] Your employer will usually pay this for up to 28 weeks. If you’re self-employed, you’re not eligible for this benefit. Income protection could be a powerful way to guard against financial hardship.
How does our income protection insurance work?
Fixed monthly premiums 
You can choose a policy lasting anywhere from 5 to 52 years, but the policy must end before your 71st birthday. You’ll pay fixed monthly premiums for the length of your policy, helping you to budget better every month.
Flexible cover options 
For each successful claim, you'll get between £500 and £1,500 a month for up to 12 months. It’s worth thinking about inflation when you’re deciding how much you’d like to get each month.
Option to choose a deferred period 
We normally make fixed payments monthly, starting after a certain amount of time (known as a deferred period). This can be between four and 26 weeks, depending on the option you choose. You can claim as many times as you need while the policy lasts. If you’ve had 12 months’ worth of payments, you’ll need to return to work for at least 16 hours a week for at least six months in a row before you can make another claim.
Important to know 
You must not already be off work due to illness or injury at the time you apply for cover.
This isn’t a savings or investment plan - it only pays out on a successful claim.
If you stop paying premiums or cancel your policy, your cover will end and you won’t get anything back.
Who can apply for our income protection insurance?
To apply for cover, you must be:
- aged 18 to 59
- live in, and have a legal right to live in, the UK, consider the UK to be your main home, be legally allowed to work here, and have no current intention of moving anywhere else permanently
- work at least 16 hours a week – whether self-employed or for an employer
- have been working for the past 12 months
- have been registered with a doctor for the last two years.
Get a quote for income protection insurance
You can apply for our Living Costs Protection directly with us over the phone.
Call us for a quote
Monday to Friday: 8:00 – 6:00pm
Weekends and bank holidays: Closed
^ We may monitor or record calls. Calls to 0800 numbers from UK landlines and mobiles are free. Our opening hours may be different, depending on which team you need to speak to.
Important documents
You can read more about our income protection insurance in our Living Costs Protection policy summary (PDF 216 KB) and Living Costs Protection policy conditions (PDF 387 KB). You can also read more About our life insurance services (PDF 73 KB).
Benefits of our income protection insurance
You can count on us
You can count on us When life takes an unexpected turn, our team handles claims with empathy and speed. They'll support you through every stage - including rehabilitation - to help you get back to work.
Get a back-to-work benefit
Get a back-to-work benefit If you’ve had less than 12 monthly payments when you return to work, we’ll give you a month’s benefit if your illness or injury means you earn less than you did before.
Take a premium break after a claim
Take a premium break after a claim You can take a break from your premiums 13 weeks after a successful claim or from the end of your deferred period, whichever is sooner. You’ll need to start paying premiums again when your claim period ends.
Option to increase your cover
Option to increase your cover If we accept your policy on standard terms, you have the option to increase your cover amount if your mortgage or rental payments go up. You could use this for a house move or re-mortgage, or a move from rented to mortgage accommodation. It must be within policy limits, and we'll need to see satisfactory evidence of the increase and your current residency status.
Why choose our income protection insurance?
You can count on us. In 2025, we paid 4,154 income protection claims, totalling more than £63 million.Footnote 2
Manage your cover online. We make it easy for you to stay on top of things with MyAviva. You can go online to check your cover, see your policy documents, and keep your details up to date.
We’ve got experience on our side. We’ve been around for over 325 years, so you can trust that we know what we’re doing when it comes to protection.
Learn about income protection insurance
With income protection insurance there to support you, you can worry less about your finances and focus on recovering from an injury or illness. In these articles you can learn more about your options and our products.
Income protection insurance
Do I need income protection insurance?
Learn more about income protection insurance, how it could help and how much you might need.
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Financial help when you're ill
What is income protection for the self-employed?
Discover more about how this type of insurance works if you’re self-employed.
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Financial help when you're ill
Income protection vs life insurance
Find out how they differ and how they could both work for you.
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Income protection insurance
What is income protection insurance?
Explore the ins and outs to understand how it could help you.
Income protection insurance FAQs
What happens if I stop working or I’m made redundant?
You can't claim Living Costs Protection if you stop working or are made redundant. You can only make a claim if you’re working more than 16 hours a week when you become unwell or you’re injured. If you don’t meet these conditions, you can’t claim on your Living Costs Protection policy.
What if I take maternity, parental or adoption leave?
If you make a claim on your Living Costs Protection insurance after an illness or accident during the first year of your leave, we’ll treat you as if you’re still at work.
Can I have more than one policy?
No, you can’t. We only allow one Living Costs Protection policy for each person. The only exception is if you’re using the Life Change Benefit option to increase your cover.
Can I take out this policy if I’m self-employed?
Yes, you can. As long as you work 16 hours or more each week, you can take out a Living Costs Protection policy.
How do I decide how much benefit I need each month?
With our Living Costs Protection policy, you can choose to get anywhere between £500 and £1,500 a month if you’re unable to work due to illness or injury. When you’re deciding how much you might need each month, think about how much your most important monthly bills and expenses cost and aim to cover those.
Living Costs Protection can cover as much as 90% of your monthly take home pay, capped at £1,500. So, while it won’t quite meet your usual monthly income, it will help you pay any essential outgoings while you’re recovering.
If this doesn’t cover your monthly outgoings, a different income protection policy might be a better fit for you.
If you’d like to know more, get a quote, or talk to us about apply for Living Costs Protection with Aviva, call 0800 433 4513. Alternatively, if you have a financial adviser, you could ask them to do this for you.