This is not always the case. Subject to your age, amount of cover and general health, the insurers may require further evidence before they can offer terms. This can be completed by either an additional telephone interview, nurse visit or a targeted report from your GP.

Insurers will look at a number of factors before offering cover. Every provider is different, which is why it is best to speak with one of our income protection insurance brokers who can choose the best insurer for your circumstances. Some of the main factors will be age, occupation type, general health, smoker status and dangerous hobbies or pastimes. Once terms have been offered by the insurer and a monthly premium is agreed, that is the price you will pay each month for the life of the policy, should you choose a guaranteed premium

A critical illness is not necessarily a life threatening condition, but in most cases life changing. Each insurer has a list of different definitions, meaning some will cover certain conditions, whilst others may not. Speak to one of our income protection insurance brokers to find out which critical illness plan is best suited for you.

Income protection will provide a payout in case of job loss, provided you have the appropriate coverage. Under an accident and sickness policy, coverage applies when a medical condition leads to job loss. If your policy includes unemployment cover, you can also claim for forced redundancy.

Nevertheless, there are exclusions to note. Unemployment cover does not apply if job loss is due to poor performance or industrial action. Additionally, voluntary job departure is not covered by unemployment protection.

Certainly, income protection extends coverage to self-employed individuals. Unlike salary-based benefits, the benefits for self-employed individuals are determined by their average monthly earnings.

However, there might be distinctions in terms for self-employed policyholders. For instance, self-employed professionals and business owners cannot technically claim for unemployment cover with an income protection policy since they cannot be forcibly made redundant. Consequently, coverage for self-employed individuals is typically limited to accidents and sickness.

Policies can extend until you reach retirement age; however, the duration for which you can claim benefits is contingent upon your specific policy and the type of coverage chosen. For policies encompassing unemployment, such as unemployment cover or ASU cover, there is typically a restricted claim period, usually lasting one or two years. Although multiple claims can be made, each claim is subject to its own time limit.

Conversely, certain accident and sickness policies may provide payouts until you reach retirement age, particularly if your medical condition is severe enough to hinder work for an extended period. These policies not only allow multiple claims but also enable continuous, long-term claiming.

It is essential to thoroughly review your policy's terms to ascertain whether any claim duration limits apply to your coverage.

Certainly, you have the flexibility to modify your income protection benefits to align with any alterations in your salary. The benefits under your income protection should be reflective of your most recent salary before your inability to work.

In the event of a salary decrease necessitating an adjustment to your policy's coverage, it is important to notify your insurance provider. They will recalculate your income protection benefits based on the revised salary. Depending on the terms of your policy, this adjustment may also impact your premiums. It is advisable to carefully review your policy documents to ascertain whether this is the case.