This type of policy pays a monthly income tax-free if you are unable to work due to an illness or injury. The monthly income under the policy will be between 50 and 70 per cent of your salary and will be paid until you are fit enough to return to work, or reach retirement age.

State benefits often aren’t very generous in this area and only a few employers will continue to support their staff through a long term illness, so income protection policies can help families through difficult financial times.

You can choose the date at which the policy would pay out in the event of a claim. This can range from a month to up to a year. Policies that pay out sooner will have higher premiums.

Writing a policy in trust

This simple formality is now widely used to help pass money on swiftly and efficiently to loved ones on death. A trust is a legal arrangement that ensures the payout from your life policy can be made directly to your beneficiaries, for instance your wife or your children, and doesn’t form part of your estate, and therefore isn’t subject to Inheritance Tax.

In addition, the payment wouldn’t have to wait until the grant of probate (the legal document required to administer your estate) has been granted. Obtaining probate can be a lengthy and time-consuming process, but if a policy is written in trust, the proceeds can be paid out once a death certificate has been obtained.

Joint or single policies

Should couples have one policy or two? Although couples often share a lot of things, when it comes to life insurance it can make sense for each partner to have their own separate policy. A ‘single’ life policy provides cover for that person only, and pays out the amount of cover provided under the policy if the insured dies during the policy term.

By contrast, a ‘joint’ policy covers two lives, normally on what’s referred to as a ‘first death’ basis. This means that the policy pays out if during its term one of the policyholders dies. As the policy is designed to pay out only once, it will come to an end. So, in this case, the surviving partner would no longer have any life cover under this policy. If instead each had their own policy, the survivor would still have life cover in place.

Note: all IHT solutions are regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.

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