Income protection insurance

Safeguard your salary with 5-star Defaqto rated cover.

Get a quote

What is income protection insurance?

If you get sick and can't work, income protection insurance pays you part of your monthly income. It's tax free and helps you protect your finances while you recover.

There are three income protection cover options with Vitality. With our Comprehensive Cover, you can protect:
✔60% of your salary before tax per month, up to a payment of £5,000 per month
✔And then 50% after this, capped at a payment of £16,666 per month

Because it’s tax-free, this should replace most of your salary.

Do I need income protection insurance?

You should consider income protection insurance if:

You couldn't cover your outgoings if you get sick
You couldn't pay your bills with government benefits (the Employment and Support Allowance pays between £74.35 and £113.55¹ a week)
You wouldn't get sick pay
You're a single income household
You’re the main income earner

What does income protection insurance cover?

What it covers:

✔Being unable to work due to illness or injury, whether your self-employed or employed
✔If you have an accident, become disabled and cannot work

What it doesn't cover:

✘ If you're stressed and can't work
✘ If you're dismissed or made redundant

Your income protection insurance options

For different needs and budgets, we offer three tiers of income protection.

Get 60% of your salary, up to a payment of £5,000 a month

50% after that, capped at
£10,000 per month

Get payments for up to
two years per claim
Get 60% of your salary, up to a payment of £5,000 a month

50% after that, capped at
£10,000 per month

Get payments as long
as your plan lasts
Get 60% of your salary, up to a payment of £5,000 a month

50% after that, capped at
£16,666 per month

Get payments as long
as your plan lasts

Cover update

You'll need to be sick for at least 3 months before we will pay any benefit. Please visit our Coronavirus FAQs for more information.

Why choose Vitality?

✓ 96.4% of income protection claims were paid out in 2019²
✓ Access to partners and rewards with the Vitality Programme
✓ 5-star Defaqto rated cover
✓ Get £100 per day if you're hospitalised for more than 6 days
✓ Get £2,000 worth of specialist care and support - to help with your recovery and return to work. Available on Comprehensive Cover plans.

Get a quote

Vitality's income protection cover is rated 5-star Defaqto

More insurance options from Vitality

Serious Illness Cover

Like income protection, Serious Illness Cover also offers protection if you get sick. Instead it pays out a lump sum based on the severity of the illness, rather than a monthly income.

More on Serious Illness Cover
Mortgage Protection

Instead of covering your monthly income, mortgage protection covers your mortgage repayments. This means your family can keep their home if you die.

More on Mortgage Protection

Income protection insurance FAQs

Do you pay tax on income protection insurance?

No, the income you receive is tax-free. This means you should be able to cover most of your monthly outgoings.

How soon can I claim income protection?

You usually have to wait at least four weeks but payments can start up to two years after you stop work.

Does income protection cover being sacked?

Income protection policies don't cover this.

What does income protection not cover?

Income protection doesn’t cover:

If you’re sick less than your policy’s deferred or waiting period
If you cannot work because of stress
If you’re made redundant or are dismissed

What is long-term income cover insurance?

If you can't work due to illness or injury, long-term income protection pays you a monthly income. If you can't work, it pays out until retirement age. It's also known as long-term sickness insurance.

What is short-term income protection cover?

Short-term income protection insurance covers you for a fixed amount of time if you’re sick and can’t work. This is usually six months to two years.

What is the difference between income protection insurance and life insurance?

Income protection pays out a monthly income to replace yours if you're injured or sick, and can't work. It's support for both you and your family.

Life insurance pays out when you die, or if you're diagnosed with a terminal illness.

Why can’t I just rely on state benefits?

It depends on how much you need to maintain your current lifestyle and what your outgoings are.

Even if you do qualify for government benefits, you might only get between £74.35 and £113.55¹ per week. Could you and your family survive on this level of support?

For more information on the Employment and Support Allowance, visit gov.uk.

When should I get covered?

You can take out income protection insurance at anytime. A lot of people think about taking out a plan when they’re changing jobs, getting married or starting a family.

How long does it take to get income protection?

With most policies you usually have to wait at least three months after you stop work for payments to start. This is called the deferred period, or waiting period. Some deferred periods last up to two years.

You have a choice of deferred periods. This is usually done to match sick pay and the longer the deferred period the more affordable the premium is. For example, if you have six months of sick pay, then you would set your deferred period to six months.

Can I get income protection insurance if I’m self-employed?

Yes, if you’re self-employed, you can choose from any of our plans. You can also choose to start receiving pay outs from as early as seven days.

Do I get a payout at the end of the policy if I don’t claim?

The plan only pays out if you're unable to work due to accident or sickness during the term of your plan. Once your policy has reached its end date, your cover stops.

Sources

¹turn2us.org.uk. Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) - How much Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) will I get?
² Claims and benefits report June 2020