Income Protection

Your income is your most valuable asset — protect it

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If illness or injury stopped you working tomorrow, how long could your household manage without your income? Income protection replaces part of your income if you can't work due to illness or injury, paying out month after month until you're back on your feet or the policy ends — covering far more situations than most people realise.

How income protection works

Unlike critical illness cover, which pays a single lump sum for a specific list of conditions, income protection pays a regular monthly income for almost any illness or injury that prevents you from working — including stress, anxiety, back problems and other conditions that wouldn't qualify under a critical illness policy. Payments typically continue until you return to work, the policy term ends, or you reach retirement age, depending on the policy you choose.

Choosing the right deferred period

Most policies have a deferred period — the time between when you stop working and when payments begin, commonly ranging from 4 weeks to 12 months. A longer deferred period typically means a lower premium, since the policy is covering a smaller portion of risk. We help you weigh this against any sick pay or savings you already have, so you're not paying for cover you don't need, or leaving a gap you do. Where a medical history makes standard cover hard to arrange, our non-medical underwriting page covers the options available.

Who particularly benefits from income protection

  • Self-employed people and contractors without employer sick pay to rely on
  • Sole earners or those whose income is essential to the household
  • Anyone in a physically demanding job, or with a family history of ill health
  • Those without significant savings to fall back on for an extended period

Why arrange income protection through TLD

  • Honest, in-person advice — we recommend what actually fits your circumstances and budget
  • Access to leading UK insurers, to help find cover that fits your needs and budget, including specialist insurers for certain occupations
  • 12,800+ plans arranged and £1.07bn+ in cover placed since 2015
  • Named Stockport's Three Best Rated Insurance Services, 2022 to 2026
  • One point of contact — the same adviser, from quote to claim

Self-employed? This cover matters even more

Without an employer's sick pay scheme to fall back on, income protection is particularly important if you're self-employed or a contractor. If you also need help with a mortgage, we specialise in self-employed and complex income mortgages and can arrange both your protection and your mortgage with someone who properly understands your circumstances.

Self-Employed & Complex Income Mortgages