What is an Income Protection Policy?

Under an Income Protection Plan or Permanent Health Insurance (PHI) policy, as it is sometimes known, an income benefit would be paid to you if you were unable to work because of disability caused by sickness or accident.

The benefit is paid, basically, as compensation for loss of earnings. Benefit will normally start at the end of an initial waiting period, which is normally 4, 13, 26 or 52 weeks long and is payable until you either return to work, die or the policy term expires. The policy term is normally linked to your expected retirement age.

The level of premium for the required amount of cover will depend on the type of plan and the company chosen. Some companies offer guaranteed or fixed premiums, whilst other plans reserve the right to review premium levels or offer the potential to build up a surrender value.

For a slightly higher premium the option is normally available to have the level of cover automatically increased each year in order to potentially provide some protection against the effects of inflation.