About Aviva
Aviva is the country’s largest insurance company, with over 15 million customers in the UK, as well as 33 million more customers worldwide. It can trace its roots all the way back to 1696 – though its focus has never changed: helping people prepare for whatever life throws at them. As a composite insurer, Aviva offers lots of different insurance and savings products – income protection being one of them.
Aviva income protection policy features
If you buy your income protection policy through AIG, your policy is likely to come with the features outlined below. Here we'll explain what the feature is, what it means for you, and how it compares to other insurers on the market.
Back-to-work benefit | If you become able to work while making an income protection claim, but can only go back part time (or to a different job with a lower salary), you’ll continue to receive a proportion of your income protection benefit. The idea is to make up for a potential income shortfall while you recover. | Aviva’s back-to-work benefit is in line with other insurers in the market. This is a handy benefit to have, as it gives you flexibility and security as you make your return to work. |
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Benefit guarantee | Your income protection benefit will never fall below £1,500/month – so long as you bought at least that amount of cover when you took out your policy. You normally need to be working a minimum number of hours to qualify for this benefit. | Aviva’s benefit guarantee on income protection policies is good. The amount is on par with other insurers who offer this benefit. Meanwhile, other insurers offer lower benefit guarantee amounts, or don’t offer the feature at all. |
Guaranteed insurability | You’d have the opportunity to increase your income protection cover after certain life changes. In an Aegon policy, this includes:
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For the life changes it covers, Aviva’s guaranteed insurability feature is good. It allows you to increase your cover by up to 50% (though as with other insurers, there's usually a cap placed on the total amount of cover you can increase to). Some other insurers offer less flexible versions of this feature, don’t offer it for these life changes, or don’t offer it all. Bear in mind that some insurers allow you to use guaranteed insurability in circumstances not covered by Aviva. Namely: allowing you to increase your cover when changing the duration of your mortgage, or simply to review your cover amount at regular intervals. |
Hospitalisation benefit | Get £100 per night if you are hospitalised for any reason during the waiting period of a claim. This benefit is usually subject to a minimum and maximum number of consecutive nights spent in hospital. | Some insurers don’t offer hospitalisation benefit at all, so this is a good feature to have on your income protection policy. The amount paid out by Aviva is on par with other insurers who offer this feature. |
Trauma benefit | If you experience trauma, you’ll get paid a lump sum of 6x your monthly benefit or £40,000 – whichever is lower. This usually includes blindness, deafness or the loss of a limb, but it's always best to check your policy’s list. | Not many insurers offer this feature, but Aviva will pay out a lump sum if you experience certain traumatic conditions. This benefit provides a useful financial cushion while you recover or adjust to your new circumstances. |
Waiver of premium | This handy add-on means that you won't keep paying your monthly premiums if you're off work for medical reasons. You usually need to be off for a certain amount of time before you can claim this benefit. | Aviva’s waiver of premium benefit is in line with other insurers in the market. Having this benefit gives you peace of mind in case you can’t work for health reasons. |
Aviva income protection extra policy benefits
Aviva income protection policies often come with a number of extra benefits, outlined below. These features are what's known as ‘non-contractual’ – meaning they’re not related to the contractual conditions of your own policy, and are often provided by a third party. Everyone's eligible for them, though they’re usually only made available if you buy your Aviva policy through an adviser.
Carer support | This service, provided by Workplace Options, offers specialist support for carers, with a range of resources and services available to help cope with the challenges faced. |
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Get active | Access to a range of gym discounts to suit your needs. Available with all Aviva life insurance products. |
Mental health counselling | Also provided by Workplace Options, this service provides face-to-face or phone-based counselling for you and your family. |
Second opinion by Best Doctors® | This service entitles you to a second medical opinion from a specialist if you receive a diagnosis. The outcome of the consultation is summarised in a report that can be shared with your GP. |
Bupa Anytime HealthLine | A 24/7 telephone support service offering advice from a nurse on specific medical conditions or general health and wellbeing. |
Aviva income protection claim rate
In 2020, Aviva paid out 87.5% of new income protection claims, amounting to £44.7m. Of the claims not paid out, the reasons included not meeting the insurer’s definition of incapacity, excluded conditions, or misrepresentation (i.e. providing inaccurate information during the application process).
Aviva income protection prices
The following prices are based on:
- Healthy 25-year old male or female office worker
- £1,500 of level income protection cover
Product | Waiting period | Non-smoker | Smoker |
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Long-term | 13 weeks | £23 | £32 |
26 weeks | £21 | £27 | |
Short-term | 13 weeks | £9 | £12 |
26 weeks | £7 | £9 |
- Healthy 35-year old male or female office worker
- £1,500 of level income protection cover
Product | Waiting period | Non-smoker | Smoker |
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Long-term | 13 weeks | £33 | £45 |
26 weeks | £29 | £41 | |
Short-term | 13 weeks | £13 | £17 |
26 weeks | £10 | £14 |
Product: Aviva Income Protection+
Quoted on 6/03/2020