Accident and Sickness Insurance
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Accident and sickness insurance is a personal individual insurance policy linked specifically to you, your health, and your income. Like all insurance, it covers you against the unknown, which can honestly be the scariest thing the world has to offer. By providing you with a financial safety net just in case the worst happened and you fell ill or had an accident that kept you out of work, an accident & sickness insurance policy can make sure that both your lifestyle and mental wellbeing don’t suffer as a result of any of these possibilities.
This kind of insurance is only available to people who are working full time – whether that means they’re employed by someone else, or self-employed. If you’re working and earning a taxable income, then you can purchase accident & sickness income protection. It’ll provide protection for injuries, illnesses, and accidents that haven’t already happened. The amount you can cover is linked to the amount that you earn, and if you ever need to claim, your insurer will pay you a percentage of that income for a period of time chosen by you.
How exactly does accident & sickness insurance work?
Make a claim if you lose your job
Accident and sickness insurance is a valuable safety net for anyone concerned about financial stability. It replaces 60-75% of your usual income if you have to take extended time off work because of an illness or an injury, providing invaluable peace of mind during one of the toughest times.
Receive ongoing financial support
After a short ‘excess period’ (chosen when you purchase the policy), your accident & sickness insurance provides temporary income to cover essential expenses while you rest up and find your next steps. Coverage typically lasts between 6 and 12 months per claim.
Claim again if you have to
Even after the 12 months have passed, your cover doesn’t end. Once back in work, you’re free to claim again if you get sick or injured again in the future. Designed to provide lifelong support, accident and sickness insurance ensures peace of mind so you can focus on living, not worrying.
Do I need accident & sickness insurance?
Accident and sickness insurance is designed for anyone whose household would face immediate financial consequences if an illness or injury kept them from working. It’s especially useful for people who are self-employed, freelance or gig-economy workers, and employees whose workplace benefits don’t include paid sick leave or long-term disability coverage. Single-income households, primary earners supporting dependents, and anyone without a multi-month emergency fund could also benefit from an accident and sickness insurance policy.
What does accident & sickness insurance cover?
What is covered by accident & sickness insurance?
Your accident and sickness insurance will generally cover most injuries and illnesses, as long as they keep you from working.
There are obviously several different things that can fall under this umbrella, but they include:
- Serious illnesses (e.g. cancer, heart disease, stroke)
- Musculoskeletal problems (e.g. back pain, broken bones, carpal tunnel syndrome)
- Mental health conditions (e.g. depression, stress, anxiety)
You’ll only receive your payout if you meet your insurer’s criteria for being unable to work (otherwise known as their ‘definition of incapacity’).
What is not covered by accident & sickness insurance?
All accident and sickness insurance policies will exclude certain types of injuries or illnesses; self-harm and substance abuse, for example, are always excluded.
Some policies will only let you claim if you can’t work at all, while others will let you claim if you can’t work your specific job. You should check what kind of cover you have before you claim.
Any pre-existing medical conditions you have will also be excluded from your cover. If you have illnesses that run in your family, your insurer might also exclude those.
If you’re involved in any dangerous hobbies or high-risk sports, your insurer will need to know about those too. If you don’t disclose something that could lead to a claim, you might not receive your payout, so it’s vital to make sure you’re 100% transparent.
How much is accident & sickness insurance?
Accident and sickness insurance premiums are affected by a whole range of factors, which include:
How much is income protection insurance?
Income protection insurance premiums are affected by a whole range of factors, which include:
Your age
The older you are when you purchase your cover, the more you’re likely to pay in premiums because there’s a higher risk that you’ll fall ill and need to claim.
Your job
If your job is considered to be ‘risky’, you’ll pay more in premiums. For example, if you’re a builder or a mechanic, you’re likely to pay more than an office worker would.
Cover length
Generally speaking, the longer your policy is, the more expensive it’ll be. If you’re looking to cut costs, taking out a short-term policy is a good idea — but check how much cover you need first.
The waiting period
The longer you can wait before receiving your payout, the cheaper your premium will be. Generally, waiting periods start from about 4 weeks and go all the way up to a full year.
Your lifestyle
If you smoke, drink, or have pre-existing health conditions, you might be more vulnerable to severe illnesses, so you’d be more likely to claim; making your cover more expensive.
What are the benefits of accident & sickness insurance?
There are a number of benefits to accident and sickness insurance cover, including:
A regular, tax-free income during periods when you can’t work because you’ve had an accident or fallen sick
The peace of mind that comes with financial security
Provides a financial safety net for self-employed individuals, freelancers, or employees without employer-provided paid sick leave
Flexibility to choose how your cover works for you, with customisable qualifying and waiting periods, as well as a benefit amount that’s entirely up to you
How much accident & sickness insurance do I need?
Working out how much accident and sickness insurance you might need is easy when you break it down into three quick steps:
Work out your monthly take-home pay and how much your usual monthly expenses are, including bills, rent or mortgage payments, and day-to-day costs
With that worked out, you then want to take away the amount of money you’d get in state benefits as well as any work-related costs (like the cost of commuting, for example)
Make sure to take into account any extra expenses you’d need to cover if you fell ill or became disabled (for example extra heating, medical equipment, mobility aids, etc)
How much will my accident & sickness insurance pay out?
Accident and sickness insurance pays out a benefit based on your current income, so it’ll be different for everyone. As a general rule, though, most policies will replace between 60% and 70% of your usual gross monthly income. This payment is tax-free, so you’ll get the full amount that you agreed to when setting up your policy, and you can use that money to cover whatever you need it to; bills, loan repayments, even your weekly supermarket run.
What do I need to get an accident & sickness insurance quote?
Once you’ve figured out how much accident and sickness insurance cover you want, we’ll need some information about you, your occupation, and the type of policy you’re looking for.
Your personal
details
We’ll need info about you and your employment, including your name, age, and address; the type of job you do; and whether you’re employed or self-employed
Your income & cover details
To make sure we’re finding the right policy for you and your individual circumstances, we’ll need to know a couple things, like your annual income pre-tax and how much cover you want
Your chosen waiting period
Your waiting period is the amount of time you agree to wait before payouts begin (usually between 30 days and 60 days). The longer your waiting period, the cheaper your premiums
Frequently Asked Questions
Accident & sickness insurance is a type of insurance designed to cover you against work absence because of an accident you’ve sustained injuries from or a sickness that has left you unable to work. Most accident & sickness policies will cover up to 65% of your pre-absence income (to a cap of £2,500) for the total length of your absence from work. A Best Insurance Accident & Sickness insurance policy will typically pay you 65% of your usual income every month that you’re away from work, as long as you can provide proof that your continued absence has been caused by an injury or illness. Most policies will provide this service for up to either 6 or 12 months, but you can get longer-term policies (usually referred to as ‘Long-Term Accident & Sickness’ or ‘LTAS’ policies) depending on your needs and most of them will pay you until your retirement age.
The biggest benefit of having accident & sickness insurance is the actual benefit payment, which is paid out to you (tax-free!) for every month that you’re off work because of an accident or sickness. This benefit is generally 65% of your total pre-absence work income up to a cap of £2,500 (though if you’re a high-earner, it might be worth getting multiple policies to cover more). Other than that, the most obvious benefit of accident & sickness insurance is the peace of mind it offers. Secure in the knowledge that your outgoings – whether that’s mortgage payments, rent installments, bills, or even your weekly grocery shop! – will be covered even if you can’t work for a while, you can get on with your day-to-day life without worrying about what you’d do if the worst happened.
Accident & sickness insurance is designed for anyone who works more than 16 hours a week. Some insurers may place restrictions on contract workers or self-employed. Everyone is open to the pitfalls of financial instability. If you’ve just undergone a major life change – like starting a family or getting married – or if you’ve started a new career, accident & sickness insurance is a smart idea because it’ll make sure you can stay afloat in your new circumstances without too much difficulty, even if the worst should happen. If you’re not sure what you’d do if you missed out on your usual monthly income for any reason, it might be worth considering investing in an accident & sickness insurance policy.
While accident & sickness insurance covers your income against work absence due to an injury or illness, income protection insurance adds on protection against unexpected unemployment that’s not your fault, such as redundancy. Some income protection insurance policies (ours included!) also offer carer cover baked into the policy, so that if you have to leave the workforce to become a carer for an immediate family member, your finances aren’t left in the lurch.
Even if you get Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), accident & sickness insurance is a good idea. As of May 2025, SSP is typically £118.75 a week – that’s just £475 a month! Would you be able to live off of just £475 a month? Could you use that money to cover your rent or mortgage payments, your usual household bills, and your day-to-day expenses? Accident & sickness insurance can offer you up to £2,500 a month in addition to your SSP payments, which means you won’t have to struggle while you’re away from work.
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