Introduction
Imagine you’re diagnosed with a serious illness tomorrow.
You survive.
But you can’t work for:
18 months.
Your mortgage still needs paying.
Energy bills continue.
Food still costs money.
Childcare doesn’t disappear.
And your savings may begin shrinking every month.
This is exactly where two types of protection insurance often enter the conversation:
Income Protection
and:
Critical Illness Cover.
They sound similar because both can provide financial help following serious health problems.
But they solve:
different financial problems.
Income protection generally provides regular payments replacing part of your income when illness or injury prevents you from working.
Critical illness insurance generally pays a:
one-off lump sum
when you’re diagnosed with a specified condition that meets the policy’s definition.
The UK’s MoneyHelper describes income protection as typically replacing around 50%–65% of income when you’re unable to work, while critical illness cover pays a one-off amount following diagnosis of a qualifying condition.
That means the question isn’t necessarily:
“Which one is better?”
A more useful question is:
“Which financial risk am I trying to protect?”
And for some households, the answer may genuinely be:
both.
Income Protection vs. Critical Illness: Quick Comparison
| Feature | Income Protection | Critical Illness Cover |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Replace part of lost income | Provide lump-sum capital |
| Payment style | Regular payments | Usually one-off lump sum |
| Trigger | Unable to work due to covered illness/injury | Diagnosis meeting specified policy definition |
| Must illness be on a specific critical-illness list? | Generally no; incapacity definition is key | Yes |
| Typical income replacement | Often 50%–65% | Not salary-based in the same way |
| Waiting period | Usually yes | Claim conditions/survival provisions can apply |
| Potential duration | Depends on policy; some pay until return to work/retirement/end of term | Usually one payment, then cover ends |
| Repeat claims | Potentially, depending on policy | Traditional full payout usually ends cover |
| Useful for mortgage payments | Yes | Yes, differently |
| Useful for everyday bills | Yes | Lump sum can be used for them |
| Useful for major home adaptations | Possible, but not its main design | Particularly useful |
| Covers inability to work from many illnesses/injuries | Potentially | Only specified qualifying conditions |
| Can you have both? | Yes | Yes |
MoneyHelper specifically notes that critical illness insurance is not the same as income protection, because critical illness provides a one-off lump sum for specified serious illnesses.
What Is Income Protection Insurance?
Income protection is designed around:
your ability to work and earn.
Suppose you’re earning:
£4,000 per month.
An illness or injury prevents you from doing your job.
After the policy’s deferred period, qualifying income protection could begin making regular payments.
The purpose isn’t necessarily to replace:
100% of your salary.
MoneyHelper says policies typically pay around:
50% to 65% of income.
Exact limits vary by policy and insurer.
How Income Protection Works
A typical long-term policy might operate like this:
You develop an illness or suffer an injury.
↓
You become unable to work under the policy’s definition of incapacity.
↓
You submit a claim.
↓
You complete the:
deferred period.
↓
If the claim qualifies, regular benefit payments begin.
↓
Payments continue according to the policy until you:
Return to work
Recover sufficiently
Reach the policy’s maximum claim period
Reach retirement
or:
Reach the end of the policy term.
MoneyHelper notes that some long-term policies can continue until you’re able to return to work, retire, die or reach the end of the policy term, whichever occurs first.
What Is a Deferred Period?
Income protection doesn’t necessarily start paying:
the day you stop working.
There’s usually a waiting period.
This is called the:
deferred period.
MoneyHelper identifies common deferred periods including:
4 weeks
13 weeks
26 weeks
and:
one year.
Generally, choosing a longer deferred period can reduce the premium.
Match the Deferred Period to Your Employer Sick Pay
This can be one of the smartest ways to structure income protection.
Suppose your employer provides:
6 months of full sick pay.
Buying income protection with a:
4-week deferred period
might create unnecessary overlap depending on policy rules.
Instead, you might consider whether a longer deferred period better matches when employer support ends.
The correct structure depends on your benefits and policy terms.
Self-Employed Workers Need to Pay Particular Attention
If you’re self-employed, you may not have:
Employer sick pay
Group income protection
or:
Corporate employee benefits.
That can make the financial consequences of being unable to work much more immediate.
MoneyHelper specifically suggests that income protection may be relevant where you couldn’t rely on savings or employee benefits if illness or injury stopped you working.
Income Protection Isn’t Unemployment Insurance
This distinction matters.
Traditional income protection is designed primarily around being unable to work because of:
illness or injury.
It shouldn’t automatically be confused with insurance designed for:
redundancy or unemployment.
HMRC distinguishes permanent health/income protection from employment protection, mortgage payment protection and related products.
Read the actual contract.
The Most Important Income Protection Definition: Incapacity
Two income protection policies can both say:
“We protect your income.”
Yet one can provide significantly stronger protection.
Why?
Because of how the policy defines:
unable to work.
Common structures include:
Own Occupation
You’re unable to perform your own occupation.
Suited Occupation
You’re unable to perform your occupation or another occupation suited to your education, training or experience.
Any Occupation
You must be unable to perform essentially any work meeting the policy definition.
MoneyHelper identifies these as important differences and notes that own-occupation cover is usually more expensive but can make the claim definition easier to satisfy than broader work tests.
Example: A Surgeon Injures Their Hand
Consider a surgeon.
They suffer serious nerve damage in their hand.
They can:
Speak
Walk
Teach
and:
Perform administrative work.
But they can’t:
operate.
Under an appropriate:
own-occupation
definition, inability to perform their specific professional duties may be central to the claim.
Under a broader definition, the insurer might assess whether they could perform:
another form of work.
That’s why occupation definitions matter enormously for:
Doctors
Dentists
Surgeons
Tradespeople
Musicians
Pilots
and other specialist workers.
What Is Critical Illness Cover?
Critical illness insurance works differently.
It isn’t primarily asking:
“Can you still work?”
Instead, it asks:
“Have you been diagnosed with a condition covered by the policy, and does it meet the required definition?”
If yes, the policy can pay a:
lump sum.
MoneyHelper describes critical illness insurance as paying a tax-free one-off amount when you’re diagnosed with one of the specified medical conditions or injuries covered by the policy.
What Conditions Does Critical Illness Insurance Cover?
Policies vary substantially.
Commonly covered conditions may include qualifying forms of:
Cancer
Heart attack
and:
Stroke.
But seeing the word:
“cancer”
in the policy doesn’t mean every cancer diagnosis automatically produces a full payout.
Similarly:
not every heart condition is necessarily a covered heart attack.
The condition normally has to satisfy:
the insurer’s policy definition.
The Definition Is More Important Than the Name
Imagine two people are both diagnosed with cancer.
Person A’s diagnosis meets the policy’s:
covered severity and definition.
Person B’s diagnosis doesn’t.
One policy may pay.
The other may not.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the insurer is arbitrarily choosing who receives money.
The claim is assessed against:
contractual medical definitions.
That’s why consumers should compare more than simply:
“number of illnesses covered.”
More Conditions Doesn’t Automatically Mean Better Cover
Suppose:
Policy A covers 50 conditions.
Policy B covers 70.
Policy B sounds better.
But perhaps Policy A has broader definitions for conditions you’re particularly concerned about.
Or Policy B’s additional conditions are extremely rare.
Don’t buy protection insurance solely because an advertisement says:
“Covers 100+ conditions.”
Examine:
Definitions
Partial payments
Severity requirements
and:
Exclusions.
How Can You Use a Critical Illness Payout?
A qualifying critical illness payout isn’t usually restricted to paying medical bills.
MoneyHelper notes that the lump sum can potentially be used toward things such as:
Mortgage
Rent
Treatment
or:
Home adaptations.
That flexibility is one of critical illness insurance’s main advantages.
Example: £100,000 Critical Illness Payout
Suppose your policy provides:
£100,000
of critical illness cover.
You receive a qualifying diagnosis.
After the claim is accepted, you receive the lump sum.
You might decide to:
Pay £50,000 off your mortgage.
Keep £20,000 as emergency savings.
Spend £10,000 adapting your home.
Reserve £20,000 for family expenses.
The insurance gives you:
capital.
It doesn’t necessarily create a monthly replacement salary.
That’s the Biggest Difference
Think of the two products like this:
Income Protection
Protects your:
income stream.
Critical Illness Cover
Protects you against the:
financial shock of a qualifying diagnosis.
One provides:
ongoing cash flow.
The other provides:
capital.
A Critical Illness Doesn’t Necessarily Stop You Working
Imagine you’re diagnosed with a qualifying cancer.
Treatment is successful.
You return to work after:
six weeks.
You may still qualify for your critical illness payout if the diagnosis meets the policy definition.
Why?
Because critical illness cover is generally triggered by:
qualifying diagnosis,
not necessarily prolonged loss of earnings.
Income Protection Can Work in the Opposite Situation
Now imagine you develop a debilitating medical condition.
You’re unable to work for:
two years.
But your condition isn’t one of the illnesses listed in your critical illness policy—or it doesn’t meet the required critical illness definition.
Your critical illness policy may:
not pay.
But income protection might potentially pay because the relevant question is:
Are you unable to work because of illness or injury under the policy’s incapacity definition?
That’s one of the strongest arguments for understanding both products.
Scenario 1: Critical Illness Pays, Income Protection Doesn’t
Suppose someone receives a qualifying cancer diagnosis.
They undergo treatment but continue working throughout.
Critical illness:
Potentially pays.
Income protection:
May not pay because earnings/work capacity haven’t been sufficiently affected.
Scenario 2: Income Protection Pays, Critical Illness Doesn’t
Suppose someone develops a serious back condition.
They can’t work for:
18 months.
But the condition isn’t covered by their critical illness policy.
Income protection:
Potentially pays.
Critical illness:
May not.
Scenario 3: Both Policies Pay
Suppose someone suffers a severe stroke.
It meets their critical illness policy definition.
They also become unable to work for:
three years.
Potentially:
Critical illness provides the lump sum.
and:
Income protection provides regular payments after the deferred period.
Subject, of course, to each policy’s individual terms.
This illustrates why the products aren’t necessarily duplicates.
What Could the Two Payments Accomplish?
Suppose someone has:
£150,000 critical illness cover
plus:
£2,000 monthly income protection.
Following a qualifying serious illness:
The £150,000 could potentially:
Reduce the mortgage
Adapt the home
Fund major one-off expenses
or:
Build financial reserves.
Meanwhile, the £2,000 monthly benefit could help cover:
Food
Utilities
Council tax
Transport
Mortgage payments
and:
Family living costs.
One solves:
capital needs.
The other addresses:
cash-flow needs.
Do You Need Both?
Not everyone does.
But the products can complement each other.
MoneyHelper says critical illness insurance is often taken alongside other protection such as:
life insurance
or:
income protection.
Whether you need both depends on your:
Income
Savings
Mortgage
Debts
Dependants
Employer benefits
Partner’s income
Occupation
Health
and:
Budget.
Start With the Financial Problem
Instead of beginning with:
“Which insurance should I buy?”
Ask:
“What happens financially if I can’t work for two years?”
Then calculate.
Suppose your household needs:
£3,000 per month.
Your partner contributes:
£1,500.
You need another:
£1,500.
That tells you something about your:
income-protection gap.
Then ask:
“What large one-off costs would arise after a serious diagnosis?”
Perhaps:
Mortgage reduction
Home adaptation
Private rehabilitation
Childcare
or:
Debt repayment.
That helps identify your:
critical-illness capital need.
Who Might Prioritise Income Protection?
Income protection may deserve particular attention if:
Your household depends heavily on your salary
You have limited savings
Your employer provides limited sick pay
You’re self-employed
You have large monthly commitments
You couldn’t maintain your lifestyle on your partner’s income
or:
A prolonged inability to work would seriously affect your finances.
MoneyHelper suggests asking how you’d meet essential costs such as rent or mortgage if you lost your income.
Who Might Prioritise Critical Illness Cover?
Critical illness protection may be especially attractive if you want a lump sum that could:
Clear or reduce a mortgage
Pay debts
Fund major home alterations
Create an emergency reserve
Support your family during treatment
or:
Give you financial flexibility following a serious diagnosis.
But remember:
it only covers specified qualifying conditions.
When Might Someone Want Both?
Consider a household with:
Two children
£300,000 mortgage
One primary earner
Limited savings.
A major illness could create two problems simultaneously.
Problem 1
The family suddenly needs:
£80,000
for mortgage reduction, home changes and financial reserves.
Problem 2
The household loses:
£3,000 every month
because the main earner can’t work.
Critical illness cover may help address:
Problem 1.
Income protection may help address:
Problem 2.
That’s why both can make sense.
When Might You Need Less Insurance?
You may need less private protection if you already have substantial resources.
For example:
Large emergency savings
Significant investment income
Generous employer sick pay
Employer-funded income protection
Employer critical illness benefits
A partner whose income comfortably supports the household
or:
Very low monthly expenses.
Before buying anything:
Check what you already have.
MoneyHelper specifically recommends reviewing workplace benefits before deciding what additional protection you need.
Check Your Employer Benefits First
Ask HR for details of:
Sick Pay
How much?
For how long?
Group Income Protection
What percentage of salary?
When does it start?
When does it end?
Group Critical Illness
Is there a lump-sum benefit?
Death in Service
What happens if you die?
Don’t buy duplicate insurance because you never read your employee-benefits booklet.
But Employer Cover Can Have Limitations
Employer benefits are valuable.
However, ask:
What happens if I change jobs?
What happens if I’m made redundant?
Can I continue the cover personally?
Is the benefit linked to my employment?
Is there a maximum payment period?
Personal insurance can potentially provide greater continuity because it isn’t necessarily tied to one employer.
How Much Income Protection Might You Need?
Start with essential monthly expenditure.
For example:
| Expense | Monthly |
|---|---|
| Mortgage | £1,200 |
| Utilities | £300 |
| Food | £600 |
| Council tax | £200 |
| Transport | £250 |
| Childcare | £600 |
| Other essentials | £350 |
| Total | £3,500 |
Then subtract income that would continue.
Partner’s contribution:
£1,500.
Employer/other reliable support:
£500.
Potential gap:
£1,500 per month.
This doesn’t automatically mean you should buy £1,500 of cover.
Insurers have maximum-benefit rules.
But it gives you a starting point.
How Much Critical Illness Cover Might You Need?
Instead of choosing a random round number like:
£100,000,
identify your capital requirements.
Example:
| Financial Need | Amount |
|---|---|
| Mortgage reduction | £100,000 |
| Home adaptation reserve | £25,000 |
| Treatment/travel reserve | £10,000 |
| Childcare/family support | £15,000 |
| Emergency reserve | £20,000 |
| Potential capital need | £170,000 |
You could then consider what level of insurance is affordable and appropriate.
You Don’t Necessarily Need to Clear the Entire Mortgage
Some people automatically set critical illness cover equal to:
their outstanding mortgage.
That can be reasonable.
But it isn’t the only approach.
If you also have strong income protection, perhaps you only want enough critical illness cover to:
reduce
rather than:
completely repay
the mortgage.
Protection planning should work as a system.
Short-Term vs Long-Term Income Protection
Not all income protection is identical.
Some policies may pay for a limited period such as:
one year
or:
two years
per claim.
Long-term policies can potentially continue much longer.
MoneyHelper describes long-term income protection as potentially paying until you’re able to return to work, retire, die or reach the policy term, subject to the contract.
Check:
maximum claim duration.
A cheaper policy that pays for two years isn’t equivalent to one potentially paying to retirement.
Index-Linked Benefits Matter
Suppose you’re 30.
You purchase:
£2,000 monthly income protection.
You’re still insured at:
age 55.
If the benefit never increased, inflation could substantially reduce its purchasing power.
Some policies allow benefits to increase with inflation.
Similar considerations apply to critical illness lump sums.
Indexation can increase premiums, but it can help preserve:
real-world purchasing power.
Guaranteed vs Reviewable Premiums
Don’t compare only today’s price.
MoneyHelper notes that income protection can use different premium structures, including premiums that remain fixed under policy terms and premiums that may be reviewed.
Ask:
Is the premium guaranteed?
Is it reviewable?
Does it increase with age?
Does it rise if cover increases with inflation?
A policy that’s cheaper today isn’t necessarily cheaper over:
20 years.
Medical Underwriting Matters
Both products may require information about:
Health
Medical history
Family medical history
Smoking
Occupation
and potentially:
Lifestyle.
Insurers may respond by offering:
Standard terms
Higher premiums
Specific exclusions
or:
Declining cover.
Answer application questions accurately.
MoneyHelper warns that inaccurate or incomplete medical information can jeopardise a later claim.
Don’t Cancel an Existing Policy Too Quickly
Suppose you bought income protection at:
age 30
while healthy.
At 42, you develop several health issues.
A new insurer offers what appears to be a cheaper policy.
Don’t cancel the old policy first.
The new policy might:
Cost more after underwriting
Exclude conditions
Offer weaker definitions
or:
Decline you.
MoneyHelper notes that specialist protection products can be complex and recommends considering professional advice rather than relying only on price-comparison results.
Compare:
terms,
not just:
premium.
Critical Illness Cover Combined With Life Insurance
Critical illness cover is frequently sold alongside:
life insurance.
But check exactly how the combined policy works.
The FCA describes accelerated critical illness insurance as a combined structure that pays on the first insured event—either death or qualifying critical illness.
That can mean a critical illness payout reduces or ends the associated life cover.
Don’t assume:
£300,000 life cover
plus:
£300,000 critical illness
necessarily means your family could receive:
£600,000.
Read the contract.
Standalone Critical Illness Is Different
Standalone critical illness insurance isn’t necessarily tied to a life-insurance payout.
The FCA separately recognises standalone critical illness and critical illness sold as a rider to term assurance.
Ask whether your cover is:
Standalone
or:
Accelerated/combined with life insurance.
It’s a major difference.
Do These Policies Have Insurance Premium Tax?
For qualifying UK long-term protection contracts, this is another important distinction from many general-insurance policies.
HMRC’s current IPT guidance states that qualifying:
Critical illness cover
and:
Permanent health/income protection insurance
are long-term policies exempt from Insurance Premium Tax.
That’s different from products such as many:
Home
Motor
and:
Private medical insurance
policies.
Income Protection vs Private Medical Insurance
These are also completely different products.
Income Protection
Helps replace lost earnings.
Private Medical Insurance
Helps pay for qualifying private medical treatment.
Someone could therefore have private medical insurance that helps them receive treatment but still face:
lost salary.
Likewise, someone could have income protection without private medical insurance.
Income Protection vs Critical Illness vs Life Insurance
Another useful comparison:
| Insurance | Primary Trigger | Main Benefit |
|---|---|---|
| Income Protection | Unable to work due to qualifying illness/injury | Regular income |
| Critical Illness | Qualifying specified diagnosis | Lump sum |
| Life Insurance | Death/covered terminal illness depending on policy | Lump sum/benefit to beneficiaries |
The three policies solve:
three different financial problems.
What If Your Budget Is Limited?
Suppose you can afford:
£80 per month
for protection.
But buying maximum:
Life insurance
Critical illness
and:
Income protection
would cost:
£160.
Don’t automatically abandon protection altogether.
Instead, prioritise the largest financial risks.
Ask:
What happens if I die?
What happens if I’m seriously ill but survive?
What happens if I can’t work for five years?
Then consider the insurance and existing resources available for each scenario.
Emergency Savings Still Matter
Insurance shouldn’t completely replace:
cash reserves.
MoneyHelper suggests aiming, where possible, to build savings equivalent to roughly three months of living expenses while considering protection needs.
Savings can handle:
Short waiting periods
Unexpected expenses
Insurance excesses
and:
Events not covered by policies.
Think:
Savings + Insurance + Employer Benefits
rather than relying exclusively on one.
A Practical Protection Strategy
Consider a household with:
£250,000 mortgage
£4,500 monthly take-home income
two children
£15,000 savings
and:
three months’ employer sick pay.
A possible protection framework could involve:
Emergency Fund
Handles immediate short-term costs.
Income Protection
Begins after employer sick pay ends and helps replace lost earnings.
Critical Illness Cover
Provides capital following a qualifying serious diagnosis.
Life Insurance
Protects dependants if the insured dies.
This isn’t a recommendation for a particular person.
It simply shows how different products can work together.
Common Mistake #1: “Critical Illness Replaces My Salary”
Not necessarily.
A lump sum can certainly be used for living expenses.
But once it’s spent:
it’s spent.
Income protection is specifically designed around replacing part of lost income during qualifying incapacity.
Common Mistake #2: “Income Protection Covers Only Critical Illnesses”
No.
Income protection is generally based on:
inability to work because of illness or injury,
rather than a fixed critical-illness list.
MoneyHelper says it can cover a wide range of illnesses that leave you unable to work, depending on the policy.
Common Mistake #3: “Critical Illness Pays for Any Serious Diagnosis”
No.
The illness generally needs to:
appear within the policy
and:
satisfy its definition.
Always check the wording.
Common Mistake #4: “My Employer Will Pay Me Until I Recover”
Maybe.
But don’t assume.
Check:
Employment contract
HR benefits
Sick-pay schedule
and:
Group insurance.
Know exactly when your salary would fall.
Common Mistake #5: Buying Based Only on Price
A £25-per-month policy isn’t necessarily better value than a £40 policy.
Compare:
Incapacity definition
Deferred period
Maximum claim duration
Benefit amount
Indexation
Exclusions
Critical illness definitions
and:
Premium structure.
Protection insurance is a contract you may rely on during one of the most financially difficult periods of your life.
Your 2026 Protection Insurance Checklist
Before choosing either policy:
- Calculate essential monthly expenses.
- Check your emergency savings.
- Check employer sick pay.
- Check workplace income protection.
- Check workplace critical illness benefits.
- Review your mortgage and other debts.
- Identify how long you could survive without salary.
- Decide whether you need monthly income, lump-sum capital or both.
- Compare own-, suited- and any-occupation definitions.
- Choose an appropriate deferred period.
- Check maximum income-protection claim duration.
- Compare critical illness definitions, not just condition counts.
- Check whether critical illness is standalone or combined with life cover.
- Review exclusions.
- Consider inflation protection.
- Understand premium-review rules.
- Disclose medical information accurately.
- Don’t cancel existing cover until replacement protection is confirmed.
- Review protection after major life changes.
- Consider regulated financial advice for complex needs.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is income protection better than critical illness cover?
Neither is universally better. Income protection primarily replaces part of lost earnings when illness or injury prevents you from working. Critical illness insurance provides a lump sum following a qualifying specified diagnosis.
Can I have income protection and critical illness insurance together?
Yes. They can complement each other because they have different triggers and payment structures.
Does income protection pay a lump sum?
Traditional income protection generally provides regular benefit payments rather than the one-off lump sum associated with critical illness insurance.
How much salary does income protection cover?
MoneyHelper says policies typically replace around 50%–65% of income, although individual policy limits vary.
Does critical illness insurance cover every illness?
No. It pays when a diagnosis meets one of the specified conditions and definitions contained in the policy.
Can income protection cover an illness not included in critical illness insurance?
Potentially, yes. Income protection generally focuses on whether illness or injury leaves you unable to work under the policy’s incapacity definition rather than relying solely on a specified critical-illness list.
Do I need income protection if my employer provides sick pay?
Possibly. Determine how much sick pay you receive and how long it lasts. You may be able to structure a deferred period around existing employer benefits.
Is income protection useful for self-employed people?
It can be particularly relevant because self-employed workers may lack employer sick pay or workplace income-protection benefits.
Does critical illness cover replace life insurance?
Not necessarily. Critical illness protects against specified diagnoses while life insurance is principally designed to provide benefits following death or another covered life-insurance trigger.
Are income protection and critical illness subject to UK Insurance Premium Tax?
Qualifying long-term critical illness and permanent health/income protection contracts are exempt from IPT under HMRC’s current guidance.
Final Thoughts
Income protection and critical illness insurance can sound like competing products.
They’re not necessarily competitors.
They answer different questions.
Critical illness asks:
“What if I’m diagnosed with one of these specified serious conditions?”
Income protection asks:
“What if illness or injury leaves me unable to earn my normal income?”
That distinction is fundamental.
MoneyHelper describes income protection as providing regular replacement income—typically around 50%–65% of earnings—during qualifying inability to work.
Critical illness cover instead generally provides:
a one-off lump sum
following a diagnosis that meets the policy’s specified conditions.
So do you need both?
Possibly.
If your biggest concern is:
paying monthly bills during years away from work,
income protection may address the more direct risk.
If your biggest concern is:
needing a large amount of money following a major diagnosis,
critical illness insurance may be particularly useful.
And if a serious illness could create:
both a major one-off financial shock and a long-term loss of salary,
the two types of protection can potentially work together.
Before buying, map your:
Income
Mortgage
Savings
Debts
Dependants
Employer benefits
and:
Existing insurance.
Then insure the gaps that would cause the greatest financial damage.
For more guidance, MoneyHelper’s income protection guide and the critical illness cover guide provide independent UK consumer information.
Disclaimer
This article is for general educational and informational purposes only and does not constitute personalised financial, tax, medical, legal or insurance advice. Protection policies differ significantly in definitions, exclusions, underwriting, benefit limits, deferred periods and claim requirements. Consider your circumstances carefully and, where appropriate, consult an FCA-authorised financial adviser or specialist protection broker before purchasing or replacing cover.