How much does income protection cost and what changes the premium?

By Sam Noble, Protection Adviser at The Mortgage Broker.

Income protection has no single monthly price. Your premium depends on your circumstances, the monthly benefit you choose, the waiting period before benefit becomes payable and how long payments can continue. Compare these details alongside exclusions and possible future premium changes. An average or advertised starting price cannot tell you what suitable cover will cost you.

This guide is for UK adults comparing personal income protection. It concerns cover for being unable to work because of illness or injury, rather than redundancy. Employer schemes and business-funded arrangements can work differently.

If you’re comparing different types of insurance, our guide explains the difference between income protection and critical illness cover.

Why an average monthly cost can mislead

A premium is the amount you pay for insurance. The benefit is the amount the policy could pay you following a successful claim.

A policy with a lower monthly premium might insure less income, make you wait longer or stop paying a continuing claim sooner. Alternatively, an insurer may simply price your circumstances differently. You need the policy details to know which explanation applies.

Start with a quotation for your own circumstances and a clear description of the cover. That gives you something useful to compare. Our income protection advice service can help you understand the options and the costs.

What changes an income protection premium?

MoneyHelper's income protection guidance identifies age, occupation, smoking, health, the income insured and the waiting period as pricing factors. Aviva also distinguishes the policy's end date from how long a claim can pay.

Main factors to check when comparing quotations

Factor	Why it matters
Age when you apply	Age affects the insurer's assessment and the price offered.
Your work	Your duties and occupational risks can affect pricing, eligibility and the terms available.
Health and smoking	The insurer assesses the information it asks you to provide. Insurers do not necessarily reach the same decision.
Monthly benefit	Insuring a larger payment generally costs more when other features are comparable. Insurer income limits still apply.
Deferred period	A longer wait before benefit becomes payable can reduce the premium, but leaves a longer period to fund yourself.
Claim payment period	Limiting how long a claim can pay can reduce the cost and also limits the support available during a lengthy illness.
Policy end date	Cover lasting to a later age may cost more. This is separate from the maximum payment period for each claim.
Premium structure and increasing cover	The starting price may be level, rise on an agreed basis or be reviewable. Increasing the benefit can also increase the premium.

These factors interact. There is no reliable rule that everyone should spend a particular percentage of their salary or mortgage payment on income protection.

Understand the three different periods

Before comparing prices, separate these terms:

• Deferred period: the period for which you must meet the policy's definition of incapacity, meaning being unable to work under its terms, before benefit becomes payable.
• Claim payment period: the maximum length of time payments can continue for a claim, subject to the policy's rules.
• Policy term: how long the insurance lasts, usually ending on a chosen date or at a specified age.

A policy can last until age 70 while limiting a claim to two years. Reaching that limit does not mean you have recovered. For example, LV='s Budget Income Protection conditions explain that payments stop at the chosen claim limit even if you remain unable to work.

Check when the first payment would actually reach you, too. Some policies pay in arrears, meaning payment follows the period it covers. Legal & General's policy summary explains this timing for its cover. Allow for it when working out how long your sick pay or savings need to last.

The same monthly benefit can provide different support

Illustration only: these two hypothetical designs show a difference to look for in real quotations. They are not products being offered, customer cases or price quotations. The £1,500 benefit is an example, not a suggested amount of cover. Assume the qualifying claim begins early enough for 24 monthly benefit payments to be made before age 65.

Illustrative comparison of two policy designs

Feature	Design A	Design B
Monthly benefit	£1,500	£1,500
Deferred period	13 weeks	13 weeks
Policy end age	65	65
Maximum payment period	24 months per claim, or the policy end date if sooner	Potentially to the policy end date
After 24 months of benefit payments, if you are still unable to work and under age 65	Payments stop when the payment limit is reached.	Payments could continue while the policy remains in force and the claim continues to meet its terms.

Both designs show the same monthly benefit and end age. They offer different support if you remain unable to work once the shorter payment limit is reached. The actual price difference can only be established through comparable quotations.

Claims can continue for years. In its 2025 income protection figures, Aviva reported an average claim duration of six years and four months, excluding 12- and 24-month limited-benefit claims. Vitality reported 3.8 years for claims on full-payment-term plans in 2025. These are insurer-specific figures based on different groups of claims, not a UK industry average or a prediction for any individual. They show why the maximum payment period matters when comparing premiums.

A shorter payment period may be a reasonable compromise for some people. The important question is how you would meet your commitments if payments stopped while you were still unable to work. Also check the rules for repeat or related claims.

Will your premium stay the same?

Ask how your premium could change over time and what would trigger a change.

Guaranteed level premiums

These are designed to keep the premium level for the agreed cover. Policy changes or an increasing-cover option can still alter what you pay, depending on the contract.

Age-costed premiums

These rise as you get older on the basis set out in the policy. The pricing basis can be guaranteed even though the monthly amount increases. For example, Legal & General distinguishes level premiums from its Low Start option, which increases each year with age.

Reviewable premiums

The insurer can reassess the premium under the policy's review rules. The timing and reasons for a change depend on the contract. Aviva's Income Protection+ conditions, for example, describe a five-year review cycle for its reviewable option. That interval is not a rule for every insurer.

Increasing cover

You may be able to increase the benefit over time, often with reference to inflation. Premiums can increase at a different rate from the benefit. Guardian's June 2026 policy terms illustrate this distinction. Check both changes, and what happens if you decline an increase.

When comparing options, ask how future premiums will be calculated as well as what you would pay initially. A lower starting premium does not necessarily mean a lower cost over the whole policy.

Check the cover behind the quotation

The policy's definition of being unable to work matters. An own occupation definition considers whether illness or injury prevents you doing your own occupation. Other definitions can assess your ability to do different work. The wording and any changes to that definition during a claim need checking.

Read any exclusions alongside the premium. A lower price does not resolve a gap if the condition you are concerned about is excluded. Give complete and accurate answers to the insurer's questions, and ask for clarification if you are unsure what a question means.

Also check how earnings and other benefits affect the amount payable. LV='s cover information, for example, explains how other insurance payments and income limits can affect a claim. Paying for a larger stated benefit does not automatically mean you could receive all of it.

What additional support might come with the premium?

Some income protection policies also give eligible customers access to health and wellbeing services, sometimes from the start of cover rather than only during a claim. These may include remote GP appointments, second medical opinions, physiotherapy and mental health support. For example, Aviva DigiCare+ and LV= Doctor Services describe combinations of these services for eligible policyholders.

Check which services your particular policy includes, who can use them, any appointment limits or charges, and whether they can be changed or withdrawn. Helpful extras can make a policy more useful, but they are not a substitute for comparing the insured benefit, payment period, exclusions and premium affordability.

Can you lower the cost without losing cover you need?

Sometimes. Start by reviewing the income you would still have and the commitments you would need to meet. Then ask your adviser to explain the consequences of each change:

• A longer deferred period: could lower the premium, but you need a workable way to fund the longer wait.
• A lower monthly benefit: could cost less, but leaves more of your regular spending to cover elsewhere.
• A shorter claim payment period: could reduce the premium, but leaves you responsible for the period after payments stop.
• A different end age or premium structure: changes when protection ends or how the cost develops.

Ask to see the options side by side, with the monthly price and the protection given up or added. Include any separate policy charges and optional extras. A sustainable budget matters, and existing arrangements may already provide enough support without another policy.

If you’re reviewing your wider insurance needs, our guide to protection options explains the different types of cover.

Questions about income protection quotations

What to have ready for a protection review

Bring your income details, main monthly commitments, sick-pay arrangements and any existing policy schedules. If you already have quotations, bring the benefit, waiting period, payment limit, end date and premium details for each.

We can help you compare those details and understand the costs and compromises. The aim is to find cover that fits your circumstances and a premium you can sustain. That may mean keeping what you have, changing it or deciding that no new policy is needed.

Income protection is subject to eligibility, underwriting, policy terms, exclusions and limits. Premiums apply. If you stop paying premiums, your cover may end. For insurance business we offer products from a range of insurers.

Book a protection review

About this guide

Applies to: personal income protection for UK adults comparing cover. Sources checked: 28 October 2026.

This article provides general information, not a personal insurance recommendation. The insurer examples explain particular features and do not recommend a provider. Your own policy documents and accepted terms determine your cover.

Sources include MoneyHelper's income protection guide; Aviva's explainer (updated 7 August 2026) and Income Protection+ documents; Legal & General's product information and policy summary; LV='s cover information and Budget policy conditions; and Guardian's June 2026 terms. The relevant product documents are linked where used in the article. For 2025 claim-duration examples, see Which? reporting Aviva (25 June 2026) and VitalityLife (17 June 2026). Additional service sources: Aviva DigiCare+ and LV= Doctor Services, checked 22 October 2026.