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Understanding life insurance
Apply for a policy
Keep up with monthly payments
Make a claim
A pay-out is made
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Choosing the right policyLevel term life insurance provides you with cover for a set amount of time (the term).
If you die during the term of your policy, a fixed lump sum payment will be made to your loved ones.
Read more about level term life insurance
Decreasing term life insurance is a policy where your amount of cover decreases over time.
It’s a popular choice for helping to protect a repayment mortgage as your cover amount can reduce at the same rate as your remaining mortgage balance.
Read more about decreasing term life insurance.
Critical illness cover can be added to a life insurance policy for an additional fee.
It means you can make an early claim on your policy if you're diagnosed with a serious illness thats listed within the policy. The most common conditions covered are some forms of cancer, heart attack and stroke.
Income protection pays out a percentage of your income while you're unable to work due to illness or injury.
It pays out in monthly instalments to mimic an income, allowing you to keep up with living costs such as rent and household bills.
Mortgage life insurance helps you to protect your mortgage.
It's actually just a decreasing term life insurance policy with it's purpose being to cover mortgage costs. You can align your mortgage term with your policy term and your cover amount with your mortgage balance.
Joint life insurance covers two lives under one policy. This means there's only one premium to pay, helping you to save money. It's often a popular choice for couples with shared financial commitments, like a mortgage.
If one person dies, the pay out will be made to the surviving partner and the policy will end.
Over 50s life insurance is a policy designed for those aged 50 - 85.
You won't need to give any medical information during the application process and acceptance is guaranteed to those in this age group.
How much life insurance you need will depend on what you want to protect for your loved ones.
It’s important to think about what current costs you’d like to protect, as well as any costs that might arise in the future.
This could include:
Typically, the more cover you take out the more you’ll pay for your policy so it’s important to only take out a cover amount that’s right for your circumstances.
Using a life insurance calculator can help you to add up your financial commitments and give you an instant estimate of how much cover you might need.
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"A lot of people underestimate how much life insurance cover they actually need. I'd recommend to take some time, sit down and map out your household's real financial commitments. Things like the mortgage, any loans, and the cost of day-to-day life, before deciding on a sum assured.
"Remeber to check in and review your policy after big milestones like like buying a home or having children. Your cover should adapt as your life does."
How to compare quotes
Tell us about the type of cover you want
Tell us about your health and lifestyle
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We work with 6 trusted UK providers so you have a range of options to choose from.
We're not owned by any insurance company. Our prices are always the best available based on the details you provide.
We're regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. This means that we follow their strict operational guidelines to do things right for you.
Our experts are dedicated to helping our customers find a deal that's right for their needs and budget.
Cover levels and costsLife insurance can be bought from £3.50*** per month depending on your personal circumstances.
Bear in mind that this is the minimum you might expect to pay, as premiums are based on a range of factors.
Here’s how much you might pay for £100,000 of level term life insurance depending on what age you take out a policy:
| Age when the policy is bought | Price per month² |
|---|---|
|
20 years old
|
£3.50
|
|
30 years old
|
£4.99
|
|
40 years old
|
£9.03
|
|
50 years old
|
£21.69
|
|
60 years old
|
£61.05
|
***Dependant on age, cover term and cover amount selected. Example of a 20 year old non-smoker in good health, taking £100,000 level cover over 25 years. Based on data from online sales May 2025.
2Cheapest quote offered on a 25 year policy with £100,000 of level cover for an individual with no medical conditions and no history of smoking. Based on data from online sales May 2025.
3Cheapest quote offered on a 25 year level term policy with £100,000 of cover for a 40 year old smoker. Based on Confused.com data May 2025.
Our guide explains how life insurance premiums are calculated in more detail.
Some policies may include exclusions and other small print. Make sure you read and understand your policy.
Dealing with a death is immensely stressful, and it doesn't help that it tends to come with a large amount of administration.
Underwriters don't just want to know about your personal state of health. Increasingly, they want to know about your family's medical history as well.
What affects how much you pay? And are there ways to pay less? Find out more.
Yes, the pay out from your life insurance policy could be taxed if it forms part of your estate.
Your estate is the total value of everything you pass on when you die (such as possessions, savings and property) and your life insurance contributes to this.
In the UK, if your estate goes over the threshold of £325,000, inheritance tax will be charged.
You could still avoid paying tax on it by writing your life insurance in trust.
Putting your life insurance policy in trust separates it from your estate, which means it doesn’t get hit with inheritance tax. Read more on inheritance tax and rules on GOV.co.uk.
Generally, your beneficiaries don't pay inheritance tax if:
If your estate amounts to less than £325,000, even after your pay out
Yes, it can be possible to buy life insurance if you have a pre-existing medical condition.
Illness that could be classed as pre-existing conditions include:
Whether you can take out a policy will depend on the severity of your condition.
Life insurance providers calculate your risk of dying during the policy term. Since a pre-existing condition could increase your risk of death, your costs are likely to be higher than those with no medical conditions.
You can take out as many life insurance policies as you need.
For example, you could buy a decreasing term life insurance policy to cover your mortgage (as your cover amount can reduce at the same rate as your mortgage balance), as well as a level term life insurance policy to cover family living costs.
You could also choose to layer on a critical illness cover policy to provide cover should you be diagnosed with a serious illness during the term of your policy.
How long your policy should last will depend on your personal circumstances and reasons for taking out cover.
For example:
Yes, you can cancel your life insurance at any time.
Usually policies come with a 30 day cooling off period in which you can cancel and receive a refund of any premiums you paid during this time.
If you cancel after this time, you won't receive any refund of premiums.
Keep in mind that if you decide to buy life insurance again at a later date, you might have to pay more for the same level of cover you have now due to being older. Think carefully before cancelling as the cost of life insurance increases with age.
Even if you have a form of life insurance through your job, such as death in service/group life insurance, taking out a personal life insurance policy could still be beneficial.
With personal life insurance you have more control over the policy and can set it up to best meet your needs.
Cover through an employer normally pays out a multiple of your salary (for example, 3x your annual salary), so depending on what you earn this might not be enough to cover everything for your family.
It’s also important to be aware that if you leave your job, you will lose any employee benefits such as death in service.
If you're having trouble with monthly payments, get in touch with your life insurance provider as soon as possible. They might be able to adjust your policy or set up a payment plan.
Missing one payment isn't likely to lead to the cancellation of your policy, as long as you can catch up on payments. But, if you miss several, your policy might get cancelled. That means no pay out and wasted premiums.
Some insurance providers allow a grace period for payments. For example, you might have 30 days to pay after the due date. But, each provider differs, so it's wise to contact them early.
If your partner had a life insurance policy and you were named as a beneficiary (the nominated pers)
on to benefit from the pay out) you'll receive this pay out to help you financially.
You might qualify for extra benefits like the funeral expenses payment. It helps those with low incomes cover funeral costs. Another option is the bereavement support payment. It offers monthly support after your partner passes away.
Remember to apply within 3 months for full benefits. You have up to 21 months to make a claim.
For more information on financial support if your partner dies, visit GOV.uk.
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