Income Protection
Replace your monthly income if illness or injury stops you from working, for as long as you need it.
Income Protection is arguably the most important policy you’ll ever hold, and the most overlooked. If you couldn’t work for six months, could your household cope? As a whole of market adviser with over 20 years of experience, I help employees, self-employed clients, and business owners across Essex and the UK put quality income protection in place.
Protecting Your Salary, Not Just Your Mortgage
Statutory sick pay is around a quarter of the average UK wage, and most employer sick pay runs out within a few months. Income Protection fills that gap, paying a regular tax free monthly income if illness or injury stops you working, and continuing until you recover, retire, or the policy term ends. I compare quality of definitions, deferred periods, and insurer claims records, not just headline premiums.
What to Expect
- Free initial chat to understand your income and existing sick pay
- Advice on deferred periods, policy terms, and benefit amounts
- Whole of market comparison including insurers with the strongest claims records
- Options tailored for employed, self-employed, and contractor clients
- Clear comparison between own occupation and suited occupation definitions
- Support through medical underwriting where needed
- Full application management through to policy in force
FAQs
How much of my income can I protect?
Most insurers will cover between 50% and 65% of your gross earnings, paid tax free. I’ll check what you can insure, taking any state or employer benefits into account so we don’t over or under insure.
What is a deferred period and how do I choose one?
The deferred period is how long you wait after becoming unable to work before payments start. Common options are 4, 8, 13, 26, or 52 weeks. Longer deferred periods reduce your premium, so we match it to your savings and any employer sick pay.
What's the difference between own occupation and suited occupation cover?
Own occupation pays out if you can’t do your specific job. Suited occupation only pays if you can’t do any job you’re reasonably suited to. Own occupation is significantly stronger cover and I always recommend it where available.
Is Income Protection suitable if I'm self-employed?
Yes, and arguably it’s even more important because self-employed clients usually have no sick pay. I work with insurers who understand self-employed income and will recommend a policy that reflects how you actually earn.
Can I claim more than once on the same policy?
Most modern Income Protection policies let you claim multiple times over the life of the policy. You can recover, return to work, and still have full cover in place if you fall ill again later.