
Income protection insurance calculator UK
7 min
Use our income protection insurance calculator to work out…
Income protection insurance (or income protection) is a type of policy that pays out a percentage of your usual income to help replace lost earnings if you’re unable to work as a result of sickness or accident.
The monthly payments you receive can be used to help cover essential costs that your income would usually cover, helping to alleviate financial stress at an already stressful time.
You can take cover out on a short-term (payment period for a maximum of two years) or long-term (potential to receive payments up until retirement) basis.
The option that’s best for you will depend on your personal circumstances and available budget.
Taking out cover through a broker, like Reassured Advice, can help you to secure the best income protection insurance to meet your needs.
Being unable to work can take a huge toll on your finances and it can be hard to make ends meet without your usual earnings.
Anyone who’s worried about what may happen if they were unable to work due to illness or injury may benefit from having income protection insurance in place.
In particular, you may benefit from income protection if you:
Income protection insurance can offer support by helping to replace lost funds as a result of not being able to work, so you can continue your current lifestyle with minimal financial disruption.
The payments you receive can help you to:
Why not get in touch with a friendly member of the Reassured Advice team to find out about your income protection options?
Income protection insurance works by paying out a percentage of your usual income in the event you become unable to work due to accident or sickness.
Typically, between 50 - 70% of your usual income will be paid out, but this can vary between providers.
Rather than a lump sum pay out, you’ll receive monthly (tax-free) instalments which can help you to make ends meet while you’re unable to work.
During the application process, you’ll decide on a ‘deferred’ or ‘waiting’ period. This is the period of time after which your payments will commence.
Common waiting periods range from 4 weeks up to 12 months, but can be shorter or longer depending on what best meets your needs.
If you’re still unable to work once your deferred period has come to an end, your payments will begin and shall continue until whichever of the following happens first:
A friendly member of the Reassured advice team can take you through every step of the application process and answer any questions you might have.
Income protection insurance will cover you for accident or sickness. This means:
The payments received from an income protection insurance policy could be used to cover whatever you see fit, as they aren’t tied to a specific financial commitment.
Income protection insurance can cover a range of financial commitments, including:
We have written a dedicated what does income protection cover article if you require additional information »
Income protection insurance will only pay out to you if you can’t work due to illness and injury, meaning it won’t cover you for:
Income protection insurance can be taken out on a short-term or long-term basis.
Both options will cover you for accident and sickness and will pay out up to 70% of your usual income.
With both short and long term cover you’ll need to choose a definition of incapacity, which will dictate the terms of your policy.
Incapacity refers to the inability to do something and, in terms of income protection, this refers to the inability to work.
There are three main definitions of incapacity, these include:
^Incapacity refers to the inability to do something, in regards to income protection this refers to the inability to work
Speaking to an expert can help you to determine the right policy for you, so why not get in touch with Reassured Advice?
The cost of income protection insurance will vary from person to person as your premium is calculated using information unique to you.
Key information taken into consideration during the application process includes:
In terms of income protection, occupations are often split up into different ‘class groups’ based on risk.
Low risk occupations (for example, professional or administrative roles) can be seen as low risk and those in these professions can experience lower premiums.
Whereas higher risk occupations (such as those in the construction industry or those that work at height) may pay more for their premiums due to the increased risk.
It’s important to note that class groups can vary between providers, which highlights the need to compare multiple quotes to find the most affordable cover.
The price you pay for income protection insurance can also depend on which premium payment you choose. Common premium payment types include:
It’s possible to secure income protection insurance from just £5 ‡ a month through Reassured Advice.
However, no two quotes are the same as we all have different circumstances and budgets.
The exact price you pay will be determined during the application process using the factors mentioned above.
Get in touch with a friendly member of the team at Reassured Advice to get the best price on a policy that meets all of your needs.
How much income protection insurance you need will ultimately depend on your personal circumstances.
The amount providers will pay out to you will depend on your income as they will pay out a percentage of this amount - often up to a maximum of 70%.
You may want to consider the following factors when taking out cover:
If you have other forms of finance available to you, it may not be required to take out the full amount of cover that’s offered to you.
You can make a claim on an income protection policy after you become incapacitated and unable to work. This could be through:
To make a claim you’ll simply need to contact your provider, who’ll be able to talk you through your next steps.
It’s likely that your provider will require you to fill in a form and they may ask you to provide medical evidence of your illness or injury.
You may wish to have any doctors notes or medical evidence to hand at the time of your claim to speed up the process.
Once your claim has been approved, you’ll need to wait for your deferred period to pass before any funds are paid out to you.
It can be possible to make multiple claims on your income protection insurance policy.
An income protection policy will pay out to you once your deferred period has passed.
This means the policy won’t pay out to you straight away (unless you have chosen a Day-1 deferred period).
If you’re still unable to work after your deferred period has passed, your payments will commence.
What is an income protection insurance deferred period?
A deferred period refers to a fixed period of time after which cover will commence and your payments will be issued.
How long you’d like your deferred period to be is decided during the application process.
Many people choose to have their deferred period end when their sick pay is likely to come to an end - to ensure they still have financial help once this benefit has ended.
Alternatively, in the case of self-employed workers, you may wish to assess your personal finance and establish how long you could live comfortably before you would need your income protection payments to kick in.
Deferred periods can range from as little as 3 days (known as a ‘Day 1’ deferred period) or as long as 12 months.
An income protection insurance policy will pay out to you until one of the following happens:
With short-term income protection insurance, your payment period is usually a maximum of 1 - 2 years but this can vary between providers.
Long-term income protection insurance allows you to have a much longer payment period and it can be possible to receive payments up until you retire if you’re unable to return to work.
No, income protection payments are tax-free.
This is because you typically pay for cover out of your net income, which has already been taxed.
Income protection and life insurance are two different policy types which will cover different things. While they both offer financial protection, they do so in different ways.
Income protection | Life insurance |
---|---|
Will pay out if you can’t work due to illness or injury | Will pay out to your loved ones if you pass away (within the term of your policy) |
Provides monthly (tax-free) payments | Provides one lump sum pay out |
Cover can be short or long-term | Cover can be for a set period of time (term life insurance) or last for life (whole of life insurance) |
Will pay out for a wide range of illnesses and injuries | Will pay out for a wide range of deaths |
Payments can help you to keep up with financial commitments to alleviate financial stress | Lump sum pay out can help loved ones take care of financial commitments after your passing |
Affordable premiums from 20p-a-day through Reassured Advice | Affordable premiums from 20p-a-day through Reassured † |
Income protection will pay out to you while you’re incapacitated and unable to earn your usual income.
Whereas life insurance will pay out to your loved ones upon your passing.
Income protection can’t be added to a life insurance policy but, if it’s within your budget, it’s possible to take out both policies simultaneously for a comprehensive financial protection solution.
An income protection policy to offer financial support while you’re off work and a life insurance policy to secure the financial future of your family.
Why not check out our family life insurance page to find out more?
Use the services of Reassured Advice for a full life insurance vs income protection comparison.
Both income protection insurance and critical illness cover can be used to replace lost income as a result of serious illness. However, there are some key differences to be aware of.
Income protection | Critical illness cover |
---|---|
Will pay out monthly payments if you’re too ill or injured to work | Will pay out a lump sum if you’re diagnosed with a serious illness |
You can make a claim for any illness that prevents you from working, there’s no set list | Illness must be listed within your policy and must meet the insurers definition |
Will not cover pre-existing illnesses | Any pre-existing illnesses will be excluded |
Will also pay out for accidental injury | Will not pay out for injury (only total disability if it’s listed within the policy) |
Can’t be added to a life insurance policy but both policies can be taken out simultaneously | Can be added to a life insurance policy for an additional fee or cover can be taken out as a standalone policy |
Income protection will pay out for any illness or injury that prevents you from working for an extended period of time and the policy will pay out in monthly instalments.
Whereas critical illness cover will pay out a lump sum payment if you’re diagnosed with a specific illness that’s listed within your policy.
Typically, 30 illnesses are covered by critical illness cover but cover can be more or less comprehensive depending on the provider - making it essential to compare quotes.
Critical illness cover can also be added to a life insurance policy for an additional fee, meaning both forms of cover are paid for under one premium.
Income protection can’t be added to a life insurance policy but, depending on your budget, it’s possible to take out both policy types at the same time.
We have written a comprehensive article on income protection or critical illness cover you may like to read for greater detail »
Yes, most policies come with a 30-day cancellation period.
This means that if you cancel your policy within 30 days of the policy start date, you should receive a full refund.
Cancelling a policy after the first 30 days means you may receive a partial refund or no refund at all.
All providers will have different cancellation terms and conditions, so you may wish to check this before taking out a policy.
While cancelling a policy is possible it should really only be the very last resort.
Your investment could be wasted if you’ve paid premiums into the policy and you’ll no longer be covered once the policy has been ceased.
Ultimately, whether income protection insurance is worth it for you or not will depend on your personal circumstances.
It can be very beneficial for those with a family, a mortgage or rent, bills or other financial obligations - particularly for self-employed workers who don’t benefit from sick pay from an employer.
An important question you can ask yourself is if you were unable to work for an extended period of time, would you be able to get by on your savings alone?
Income protection insurance can help to provide essential financial support when you need it the most.
Speaking to an expert, like Reassured Advice, can help you to determine whether income protection is right for you or not.
A friendly member of the team can talk through your reasons for needing cover and present you with the most suitable options. Simply get in touch.
Prices for income protection insurance can vary significantly between providers, highlighting the need to compare multiple quotes.
Reassured Advice can save you time and money by helping you do this.
A friendly member of the team will also be on hand to take you through the application process, answer any questions you may have and decode any jargon.
Quotes a fee free and without obligation. The best part is income protection insurance through Reassured Advice starts from just £5-a-month.
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