The following information gives clear and transparent responses to frequently asked questions
How much salary can I insure?
You can insure up to 75% of your gross annual earnings up to a maximum of £90,000, $144,000, €144,000 (or up to 80% and a maximum of AED 528,000 in the UAE). If you are self-employed, your accountant will need to confirm your average annual earnings.
What if I receive part of my salary as commission?
We will take into account 50% of your commission earnings over the previous 12 months when we assess your pre-disability earnings.
What’s a deferment period?
The deferment period is the period of time you need to be off work for in the event of a claim, prior to the benefit starting to be paid. We offer a choice of 3 or 6 month deferment periods. If you think that you would be able to financially cope for six months without income replacement, opting for a 6 month deferment period would reduce your premiums. If, however, you and your family depend solely on your income, then choose our 3 month option.
What are the medical requirements and do I have to pay for my medicals?
The application form asks questions about your medical history. It is important that you make a full and accurate declaration about your medical history.
When we receive your application form, copy passport and utility bill/bank statement, we will send you a letter confirming the medical requirements, if any.
If a medical is required, we will send you the necessary forms. You can arrange to have your medical examination done locally provided the doctor holds western qualifications and can complete the report in English. Once your Income Protection plan is in force you may claim reimbursement of any medical tests we have required. The maximum amount we can refund is £325 or $520 or €520. Reimbursement is also limited to reasonable and customary charges we would expect to pay in your particular location.
If you do not proceed with the applied-for cover we will not reimburse your medical fees, even if the reason you do not proceed is because we have accepted your application subject to special terms and/or a premium loading. However if we decline to increase your benefit due to medical reasons, we will reimburse your medical fees in accordance with the above limits.
If you cancel your plan within 12 months, we shall deduct any reimbursement we have made to you in respect of medical fees, from your premium refund.
What happens after I have submitted my medicals?
Once we have received all the medical evidence we require, we will assess your application and, if we accept it, we will issue an Acceptance Terms invoice which will advise you of the terms at which we can accept your application.
We may impose special terms if there are medical reasons for doing so, or we may decline to accept your application. We may also load our standard premium rate if there are reasons to do so.
Once we have issued our Acceptance Terms invoice, you have 60 days in which to pay the premium. If your state of health changes in any way between completing your application form and the commencement date of your cover you must tell us. Any medical condition arising during that time will not be covered by your Global Income Protection plan.
How do I make a claim?
You can claim if your illness or injury renders you totally unable to carry out your pre-disability occupation and is likely to keep you off work for a period longer than your chosen deferment period. To make a claim, all you have to do is contact us for a claim form and return the completed form. We will contact your doctor for a more detailed medical report. Once we have all details of your disability, your pre-disability earnings and any other income you are likely to receive, we will commence your monthly benefit payments after your deferment period has expired.
How long can I claim for?For up to 24 months, as long as you remain totally unable to return to your pre-disability occupation, and you are not following any other occupation.
What happens to my benefit after I have been claiming for 24 months?
After 24 months, you will undergo a medical examination to determine if you are fit enough to return to any occupation for which you are suitably matched by way of training or experience. If you are able to return to work, even if it is part-time or to a lower salary, your benefit payments will cease. If, however, you are not able to return to ANY occupation, we will continue to pay benefit until you reach age 65 or die, whichever is soonest.
What if I recover significantly to return to work part-time?If you return to your own occupation on a part-time basis in the first 24 months of claiming benefit, you may be able to claim rehabilitation benefit. The benefit you receive will be reduced by the amount of your part time earnings. You can claim rehabilitation benefit for up to 6 months, until you are fit enough to return to work on a full time basis, or until you have been in receipt of benefit for 24 months, if sooner.
What happens if I suffer a relapse?
Should you suffer a relapse within 6 months of returning to work, we will not require you to go through another deferment period. If you suffer a relapse after six months, you will need to wait for your deferment period to expire again upon which benefit payment can continue.
Find out about the
Key Facts and exclusions of the Global Income Protection plan.