Keep life moving if illness, injury or redundancy stops your income

No. ASU is short-term cover that can include unemployment, and it usually pays out for 12 to 24 months per claim. Income Protection is long-term, covers accident and sickness only, and can pay out for much longer, sometimes until retirement. We will help you compare the two.

Most policies pay out for 12 or 24 months per claim, depending on the insurer and the level of cover you choose. Payments stop sooner if you recover and return to work, or find new employment after redundancy.

After a short waiting period, often 30 days, your benefit begins. Some policies are ‘back to day one’, which means once you have been off work long enough to qualify, the payment is backdated to the very first day you could not work. A shorter waiting period costs a little more but pays you sooner.

They are two different clocks. The waiting period is how long you wait after a claim before benefit starts. The initial exclusion period applies at the very start of the policy, often 90 to 180 days for the unemployment element, during which a redundancy claim cannot be made. The exclusion period exists so the cover only protects against genuinely unexpected events.

It depends on your age, job, the benefit amount, your waiting period, the payout period and whether unemployment cover is included. Cover is usually priced per £100 of monthly benefit, and unemployment cover is the most expensive part. We will help you find a level of cover that does the job without paying for more than you need.

Yes. You select a monthly benefit amount, usually up to a set percentage of your income (often around two-thirds). The cap exists so there is always a financial reason to return to work. If your circumstances change, most policies let you adjust the benefit.

No. Because you pay the premiums from income that has already been taxed, the monthly benefit is paid to you tax-free. The position can differ if an employer pays your premiums, which is worth checking if your cover is arranged through work.

You can usually get Accident & Sickness cover, but unemployment cover is rarely available for the self-employed. With no Statutory Sick Pay to rely on, the sickness element is often especially valuable if you work for yourself.

No. Redundancy must be involuntary and not something you were aware of when you took out the policy. Voluntary redundancy, resignation and dismissal for misconduct are all excluded, as is the expected end of a fixed-term contract.

This is the most common reason a claim is declined. If you already knew your job was at risk when you took out the policy, or notice is served during the initial exclusion period, an unemployment claim will almost certainly be refused. ASU is there to protect against the unexpected, so it only works if you arrange it before there is any sign of trouble.

Accident and sickness claims linked to a condition you have had symptoms, treatment or advice for in the months before the policy started are usually excluded. Some policies operate a moratorium, so if you go a continuous period symptom-free, that condition may become coverable again. Full and honest disclosure when you apply is essential, and it protects you.

Often yes, with conditions. Most insurers ask that you work a minimum number of hours a week and have been with the same employer for a qualifying period. Contract workers can usually get accident and sickness cover, though the unemployment element typically only pays if a contract ends unexpectedly. We will check the detail for your situation.

Generally yes, but the total you can claim is still capped against your income, so stacking cover will not let you receive more off work than you earned in work. A common, sensible approach is to use ASU to bridge the first year before a longer-term income protection policy begins.

Yes. As long as you keep paying premiums and the policy stays in force, you can make separate claims for separate events, for example a sickness claim now and a redundancy claim later. Each claim is subject to its own waiting period and maximum payout length.

ASU is usually an annually reviewable contract. The premium is normally held for 12 months and can be reviewed at renewal, and in principle the insurer can choose not to renew. This is a genuine difference from guaranteed long-term income protection, and we will always be upfront about it.

It depends on your safety net. If you have several months of savings and few fixed commitments, you may not need it. If a few weeks without income would mean missing the mortgage or rent, it can be very valuable. It works best for people with high essential outgoings and limited savings, and as a bridge before longer-term cover.

Book a free consultation online or call us on 0117 403 9430. We will have a proper conversation about your situation and what would genuinely help. If ASU is the right move, we will arrange it. If it is not, we will say so.