Income protection

Your income.
Protected monthly.
For as long
as you need it.

Income protection pays a monthly income if you're unable to work due to illness or injury. Not a lump sum. Not a one-off payment. A regular replacement income — for months, years, or right up to retirement — for any condition that prevents you from working.

No advice fee — we're paid by the insurer if you proceed
Without income protection
Monthly take-home £4,200
Employer sick pay ends Week 13
Statutory sick pay £116 /wk
Mortgage payment £1,850 /mo
Monthly shortfall −£1,350

Based on illustrative figures. Your situation will vary — we calculate your specific position before recommending any cover.

Find out where you stand Speak with Nathan directly
△FCA Regulated
△Whole-of-market access
△No advice fee
△Own occupation cover
△Self-employed welcome
△Independent advice
△20+ years experience
△Cover to retirement age
△FCA Regulated
△Whole-of-market access
△No advice fee
△Own occupation cover
△Self-employed welcome
△Independent advice
△20+ years experience
△Cover to retirement age
FCA Regulated Whole-of-market access No advice fee
01 —
The protection
that pays
every month

Life insurance and critical illness cover are lump sums.
Income protection is something different entirely.

Most people assume their employer will look after them if they're off sick. And for the first few weeks, many will. But employer sick pay has limits — and when it ends, what remains is statutory sick pay of £116 a week. For a household with a mortgage, bills, and a family, that figure is not a safety net. It's a crisis waiting to happen.

Income protection replaces a proportion of your earnings — typically 50–70% of gross income, paid monthly and tax-free — for as long as you remain unable to work. Not capped at a year. Not a one-time payment. A genuine replacement income that continues until you recover, retire, or the policy term ends. It's the most comprehensive protection product available, and the most consistently underutilised.

"Income protection is the product that most clients wish they'd arranged earlier — and the one that makes the biggest practical difference when something goes wrong."

50–70%
Of gross income replaced
Monthly, tax-free
£0
Statutory sick pay per week
What most people fall back on
£0
Advice fee
Paid by the insurer, not you
To
retirement
Maximum claim duration
Not capped at one year
The most important decision in income protection

Own occupation. Any occupation.
Suited occupation. Know the difference.

The strongest definition

Own occupation

Pays if you cannot do your specific job

The policy pays if you are unable to perform the duties of your own occupation — the specific job you do, not just any job. If you are a surgeon who suffers a hand injury that prevents you operating, the policy pays — even if you could theoretically work as a medical consultant or administrator.

Example
A self-employed architect develops arthritis in her drawing hand. She cannot draw or produce the technical work her role requires. Own occupation pays from day one of the deferred period — even though she could theoretically manage a different job.
Recommended for most clients — always seek this definition
Moderate definition

Suited occupation

Pays if you cannot do a job suited to your skills

The policy pays if you are unable to perform work that is suited to your education, training, and experience — a broader test than own occupation. The insurer may argue you could perform a different but related role, and use this to contest or reduce a claim.

Example
A solicitor develops severe anxiety and cannot return to practising law. Under suited occupation, the insurer may argue she could work as a legal advisor, compliance officer, or paralegal — potentially reducing or refusing the claim entirely.
Acceptable in some circumstances — review carefully before accepting
Weakest definition

Any occupation

Pays only if you cannot do any job at all

The policy only pays if you are unable to perform any work whatsoever — an extremely high bar that most claimants cannot meet. Despite a condition that prevents you doing your actual job, if you can theoretically perform any role — even a sedentary one — the policy may not pay.

Example
A builder breaks his spine and cannot return to physical work. Under any occupation, if he can sit at a desk and theoretically perform a customer service role, the policy may decline his claim — despite a life-changing injury that ended his career.
Avoid wherever possible — the definition rarely pays as expected

Own occupation cover is available to most clients and should always be the target definition. Some high-risk occupations may not qualify for own occupation terms — we advise on the best available definition for your occupation before placing any policy.

The other key decision

Choosing the right
deferred period.

4 weeks
Short deferred period

Payments begin after just 4 weeks off work — the shortest waiting period available. The premium is significantly higher because the insurer's exposure is much greater. Short-term illnesses that resolve quickly are more likely to trigger a claim.

Best for
Self-employed with no sick pay · Those without savings to cover short periods · People in physically demanding roles with higher injury risk
13 weeks
Most popular choice

Payments begin after 13 weeks — three months off work. The most commonly chosen deferred period, balancing premium cost against the realistic point at which employer sick pay ends for most employees. Aligns with the typical end of enhanced sick pay.

Best for
Employed clients with 3 months employer sick pay · Those with modest savings · Most standard employment situations
52 weeks
Long deferred period

Payments begin after a full year off work — significantly reducing the premium. Suitable only for those who have substantial savings or longer enhanced sick pay to bridge the gap. The premium saving is meaningful but the risk during the waiting period must be covered.

Best for
High earners with 12 months employer sick pay · Those with substantial savings · Anyone wanting maximum premium efficiency

The right deferred period depends on your employer's sick pay policy, your savings position, and your monthly commitments. We calculate the gap precisely before recommending a deferred period — so the policy starts paying at exactly the point your income would otherwise run out.

——
"Most people insure their car, their home, their contents. The thing most worth insuring — the income that pays for all of it — they leave entirely unprotected."
Nathan Lawes — Director & Principal Adviser
What we assess before advising
01
Your employer's sick pay policy.The deferred period should align with when your employer sick pay runs out — not a day earlier or later. We establish this precisely before recommending any deferred period, avoiding unnecessary premium cost.
02
The right definition for your occupation.Own occupation is always the target. Some occupations attract loadings or exclusions — we advise on the best available definition for your specific role and approach only insurers with genuine appetite for your occupation class.
03
The income gap, not a generic percentage.We calculate the actual monthly shortfall — employer sick pay, statutory sick pay, savings — and recommend cover to bridge that specific gap, not a standard 60% of income that may over or underinsure.
04
Index-linking and escalation.An income protection policy placed today should maintain its value in 10 years. We advise on indexed cover that grows with inflation — protecting the real value of the monthly benefit over the policy term.

Income protection — the questions that matter

Honest answers to the questions we're asked most often — without jargon, without pressure, without oversimplification.

What conditions does income protection cover?
Income protection covers any illness or injury that prevents you from working — there is no specified list of conditions as there is with critical illness cover. Cancer, mental health conditions, musculoskeletal disorders, heart conditions, accidents — if the condition prevents you from performing your occupation (under an own occupation definition), the policy pays. Mental health conditions account for a significant proportion of IP claims and are covered by quality policies without specific exclusions for most applicants.
How much of my income can I protect?
Most insurers will cover up to 60–70% of your gross income, with the benefit paid tax-free. The cap exists because the policy is designed to provide a meaningful income without eliminating the incentive to return to work. For higher earners, the percentage may reduce above certain income thresholds. We calculate the maximum achievable benefit for your specific income level and structure — including any overlap with other income sources that insurers take into account.
I'm self-employed. Can I get income protection?
Yes — and income protection is arguably more important for the self-employed than for employees, because there is no employer sick pay to bridge the gap. The challenge is evidencing income correctly — insurers typically assess self-employed income on net profit or drawings, and the method of assessment varies between providers. We know which insurers assess self-employed income most generously and how to present your income structure correctly before any application is made.
Does income protection cover mental health conditions?
Yes — quality income protection policies cover mental health conditions on the same basis as physical conditions. Anxiety, depression, stress-related illness, and other mental health conditions are among the most common causes of long-term absence from work, and they are covered under own occupation definitions without specific exclusions for most applicants. Some insurers apply mental health exclusions for applicants with a history of certain conditions — we advise honestly on this before any application and approach insurers most likely to offer terms without exclusions.
How long does income protection pay out for?
A full-term income protection policy pays until you recover and return to work, or until the end of the policy term — which can be set to your anticipated retirement age (typically 60, 65, or 68). There is no cap on the number of claims or the total duration of a single claim. Some budget policies cap the claim duration at 1, 2, or 5 years — these are cheaper but leave a significant gap if a long-term condition prevents you from working indefinitely. We advise on full-term cover as standard and only recommend limited-term policies where budget genuinely constrains the choice.
What's the difference between income protection and critical illness cover?
Critical illness pays a single lump sum on diagnosis of a specified serious condition — regardless of whether you can work. Income protection pays a monthly income for any condition that prevents you working — not just a specified list. The two products address different risks and complement each other. Critical illness provides the immediate capital sum; income protection provides the ongoing monthly income. Many clients benefit from having both — and we review the need for each as part of a full protection assessment.
No fee. No pressure. No obligation.

Protect the income
that protects
everything else.

Tell us your income, your employer's sick pay policy, and your monthly commitments. We'll calculate the gap and find the right cover to bridge it — at no cost to you, and with no pressure to proceed.

Find out where you stand Speak with Nathan directly

FCA regulated · Whole-of-market · Independent advice