Life insurance

Life Insurance

  • From £5 a month, less than 20p a day
  • Fixed premiums so you can budget
  • UK's Number One Life Insurance provider**
Find out more
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Read our life insurance product reviews

What is Life Insurance?

During these uncertain times, there are things you can do to help financially protect your loved one’s future. And we’re here to help.

Think of life insurance like a safety net. It could pay out a cash sum if you were to pass away while covered by the policy or if you were diagnosed with a terminal illness provided life expectancy is less than 12 months. 

Life insurance is there to ensure the life you’ve built together goes on. With the rising costs of living and less disposable income for many, life insurance could be more important then ever. From helping to keep the roof over their heads, to paying the ever-increasing bills, life insurance means you can keep providing the things that really matter even after you're gone.

How does Life Insurance work?

You choose the amount of life insurance you need, how long you need it for and whether you want to take out life insurance in joint or single names. For more help, take a look at our life insurance calculator or speak to your financial adviser.

Here's some great reasons to take out cover with us:

  • Fixed monthly premiums from £5, depending on your circumstances, so you can plan ahead - no surprises!
  • No-one covers more families in the UK than us** (based on new life insurance sales).
  • We paid £509 million in life claims in 2022, helping over 12,500 people and their families.
  • Get a quote online in 2 minutes, you could be covered in just 20.
  • Option to add Critical Illness Cover when taking out your policy
  • Wellbeing Support. We've partnered with RedArc Assured Limited to bring you access to our new Wellbeing Support service. Their registered nurses provide a wide range of phone-based wellbeing services, supporting your wellbeing and mental health. Find out more.
  • Care Concierge Free access to our team of Care Experts, this confidential and impartial telephone advisory service can help you or loved ones understand and find later life care. Find out more.

This page was last reviewed by our team of financial protection experts on  30 August 2023.

Or call us on 0800 316 5591
8:30am to 8pm Monday to Friday
9am to 1pm Saturday

We may record and monitor calls

M&S and Amazon vouchers

Receive a £110 Gift card

After you take out cover on or before 24 March 2024*

Restrictions apply, see www.amazon.co.uk/gc-legal

Life Insurance cover details

What's covered?

  • You'll be covered if you die or if you're diagnosed with a terminal illness (with a life expectancy of less than 12 months) within the length of the policy.
  • You choose how much cover you need and how long you need it for.
  • Premiums are guaranteed and will not change unless you make changes to the policy.
  • Additional benefits are included at no extra cost, such as Free Life Cover and Accidental Death Benefit. Terms and conditions apply.
  • You have the option to add Critical Illness Cover at an extra cost when you take out your life insurance policy. 


Please read the key documents before you apply:

Things you need to know

  • This is not a savings or investment product and has no cash value unless a valid claim is made.
  • If you stop paying premiums when due, your plan will be cancelled and you won't get anything back.
  • You won't be covered within the first year of the policy if you die as a result of suicide or intentional and serious self-injury, or an event where, in our reasonable opinion, you took your own life.
  • You won't be covered if your terminal illness does not meet our definition. See the Policy Booklet PDF (513kb) for more information.
  • If your life insurance is to cover your mortgage, your policy may not completely pay off your outstanding mortgage unless you make sure your amount of cover is adjusted to match any new mortgage arrangements. If you take out Decreasing Life Insurance you should also check that the interest rate on your mortgage does not become higher than the rate applied to the policy. The rate will be shown in your Personal Quote or the Policy Booklet.

How much life insurance could you get?

Below are some real life examples of how much life insurance some of our customers who don’t smoke and have good overall health get for £25 a month for a 25 year policy term, which was the average premium and average length of cover our customers bought between Feb 2022 and Jan 2023.

You can get your own personalised quote if you give us some details about you and the cover you need.

These quotes were taken from legalandgeneral.com on 25 August 2023. Decreasing Life Insurance could be cheaper, but this is specifically designed to protect a repayment mortgage.

 

Age when cover starts Life Insurance cash sum payout
20 year old £1,154,347
30 year old £600,636
40 year old £217,907
50 year old £79,097
60 year old £21,416
70 year old (maximum length of cover is 19 years) £6,704

Ready to get a life insurance quote?

Call us on:

0808 189 8956

8:30am to 8pm Monday to Friday
9am to 1pm Saturday

We may record and monitor calls.

Life insurance explained

Do I need life insurance?

Whether you need life insurance will depend on your individual circumstances. For example, life insurance can provide peace of mind for people with children, partners or spouses that depend on them financially, as well as people with a mortgage on the family house.

Cover starts at £5 a month

Are you eligible for life insurance?

Most people who apply are able to get cover for their needs, just make sure you answer all the questions truthfully when you apply. You are eligible to apply for life insurance if you are:

  • at least 18 years of age
  • currently living in the UK and have spent at least 183 days in the UK in the last tax year. 
Young family with laptop

Life Insurance Calculator

Mother and baby with laptop

How much cover will you need?

Our life insurance calculator is the easiest way to estimate how much cover you may need to financially protect your loved ones.

What type of life insurance do you need?

We offer more than one type of life insurance, to suit different needs.

Life insurance illustration

Life Insurance

Life insurance, sometimes known as level term life insurance, is where the amount of cover you choose and the premium you pay will stay the same throughout the duration of your policy, unless you decide to make any changes. If you pass away while covered, your family will get a cash sum to help them financially, it could be used to help pay the bills or cover child care costs, for example.

Learn more about different types of life insurance.

Decreasing life insurance

Decreasing Life Insurance

Decreasing life insurance is when the amount of cover you choose will decrease over time, roughly in line with the way a repayment mortgage decreases. This type of life insurance is often taken out to help protect a repayment mortgage. If you were to pass away while covered, your family would get a cash sum to help cover the mortgage, so they get to stay in their family home without the worry of mortgage payments.

Find out more about Decreasing Life Insurance.

Single or joint life insurance?

Single or joint Life Insurance

Single life insurance covers one person, whereas joint life insurance covers two lives. The difference is that joint life insurance pays out upon the death of the first insured person, at which point the cover stops. Some couples prefer to have single life insurance policies, which ensures the surviving partner still has cover after the first death, but joint life insurance policies can be cheaper. Read more about single v joint life insurance policies to work out which is best for your needs.

Couple staring at laptop

Why choose Legal & General

Number one rosette

The UK's No.1 Life Insurance Provider

*Based on new individual Life Insurance sales in 2022, Term & Health Watch report 2023, Swiss Re.

Four times winner - Moneyfacts

Award winning cover

**We've been crowned 'Life Insurance Provider of the Year (Direct)' for the 4th time at the 2023 awards.

Defacto expert rated

Expert rated

5 Star Defaqto rated cover, the highest rating possible!

Our Life Insurance claims process

Woman sitting at desk

Step 1 - Get in touch

We understand that making a claim is going to be distressing time for your loved ones. That's why our experienced claims staff are specially trained to handle all calls with care and compassion.

Call them on 0800 137 101 between 9am and 5pm Monday to Friday.

Hands holding pens

Step 2 - Assessment

Our expert claim handlers will deal with the claim as quickly as possible and will keep your loved ones informed throughout the process. They will contact them if they need any further information, such as a claim form or death certificate.

coins in a row

Step 3 - Paying out

If the claim is accepted, we'll pay out within 5 working days directly to the personal representative of the deceased person, usually the executor of the will.

Life insurance FAQs

Every family has a different set-up, so consider your personal circumstances. If you’re a homeowner, you may want to take out life insurance to cover the length of a mortgage; for example, 25 years. If you have a family, could your loved ones afford things like childcare, educational costs and daily living expenses?

You may want to think about your annual salary multiplied by the number of years your family will be financially dependent on you. Think about the amount of money your family would need to maintain their lifestyle and cover things like everyday living expenses.                                                                                      

If you'd like more help, you might find our life insurance calculator useful. Alternatively, you could speak to your financial adviser if you have one, or get a life cover quote today.

Even though your policy may have been set up at the same time as you took out a mortgage, or made another financial commitment, they are separate products.

Your policy would pay out in the event of a valid claim during your policy term, whether or not you still have that mortgage or financial commitment in place.

It is at the discretion of your beneficiaries how they choose to use the proceeds in the event of a valid claim.

You may be eligible for a free gift after you take out a Legal & General Life Insurance Policy online or by telephone.

You could be eligible for a gift card 6 months after the start of a new policy, so long as you haven’t cancelled it and you’ve made all your payments.

Note that our offer is only available if you apply directly to Legal & General. If you apply through a Financial Adviser, or any website other than Legal & General’s, such as a comparison site, you will not be eligible for the free gift. Customers who have cancelled a Legal & General Life Insurance or Decreasing Life Insurance policy within the last 18 months are not eligible for this offer, you will not be able to take advantage of the gift card.

To take advantage of the gift offer, other terms and conditions apply.

If you’re looking at your options later in life, you may be torn between getting life insurance or Over 50s Fixed Life Insurance. Let’s take a look at some of the differences.

Life insurance is designed to pay out a cash sum if you die during the length of your policy. When assessing your life insurance application, we'll ask you questions about your medical history, occupation and lifestyle. Life insurance is there to offer financial protection to your loved ones. The cash sum paid out could be used by them to pay off a mortgage for example, or help with childcare costs and other everyday living expenses. Some age restrictions apply, please read the Policy Summary PDF for full details.

Over 50s Fixed Life Insurance is designed for UK residents aged 50 to 80 who want a fixed cash sum to give to their loved ones when they die. It's for people who want guaranteed acceptance with a simple application process and who don't want to answer medical or lifestyle questions. Full cover is payable after just one year.

There are other important factors that you need to be aware of when deciding on life insurance vs Over 50s Fixed Life Insurance, so please read all the information available, and contact Legal & General for more information.

Please remember that neither of these plans are a savings or investment product and have no cash value unless a valid claim is made.

Read more about life insurance

Read more about Over 50 Life Insurance

You should think carefully about how long you need cover for. Some people decide to get life insurance to cover the length of a mortgage term; say, 25 years, while others think about how long their children will be financially dependent on them.  

Ultimately, it’s a personal decision and you should factor in your family’s unique circumstances.

Yes, there is nothing to stop you having more than one life insurance policy. In fact, you can have as many policies as you want. However, if you find your situation changes in the future it's sometimes possible to adapt your existing policy. For example, if you have a life insurance policy with us you may be able to increase your cover without the need for further medical information on certain life events. You can also request to make other changes, such as changing the term, the amount of cover, removing a name from a joint policy or even changing your premium payments from monthly to annually.

So there is nothing to stop you from taking out more than one life insurance policy, but given our flexible approach, it’s by no means necessary. Terms and conditions apply.

ou won’t be covered if you die within the first year of your policy as a result of suicide, death caused by intentional and serious self-injury, or an event where in our reasonable opinion, the insured person took their own life.

We won't pay out if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness which doesn't meet our definition. Terminal Illness Cover can't be claimed:

after your death
if the length of the policy is less than two years
There could be some circumstances where we are not able to provide full cover based on the answers you gave in your application. If there are any exclusions to your cover, these will be explained in your Policy Booklet.

Your cover will end if you stop paying your premiums when due and it's important to remember that life insurance is not a savings or investment product and has no cash value unless a valid claim is made.

See the Policy Summary PDF for the full list of exclusions.

Life insurance costs vary according to how much cover you need, your age, and other factors such as your health history. With Legal & General, our premiums start from £5 per month, but to get a more accurate idea of how much your cover could cost you'll need to get a quote online.

If you have a history of smoking, this can also increase your life insurance costs as the risk of death is greater. Lifestyle factors such as dangerous jobs and hazardous hobbies are also taken into consideration.

If you decide to add Critical Illness Cover to your life insurance policy when you apply, this will be for an extra cost.

Once your policy has been agreed and is in place, your premiums are guaranteed and won’t change unless you make any changes. This will help you plan ahead and budget for the cost of life cover. 

When you apply for life insurance as a new customer, your policy terms will be based on your smoker status at the time of your application. If subsequently you take up smoking after purchasing the policy, your policy or premiums will be unaffected, so long as the details you gave when you made the application were accurate, and your premiums are up-to-date. Note that if you miss your premiums in the future and we require a health form, you won’t be able to have your policy reinstated.

If you’re a policyholder and you no longer smoke, this won’t affect your current policy or premiums. Your policy would remain valid.

That said, if you now meet our definition of a non-smoker, you may be eligible to take out a new policy as a non-smoker. The cost of a new policy may have changed since you took out your previous one. To classify as a non-smoker, you must have used no tobacco or nicotine replacement products, including electronic cigarettes, over the last 12 months.

If you’re looking to make a bereavement claim, you’ll need to provide us with the following:

  • Your policy number
  • The name of the person who has died
  • The cause, date and place of death (if known)
  • Who you are and your relationship to the deceased
  • The identity of the legal next of kin (if known)


What happens next?

  • Please call us on 0800 137 101. Lines are open 9am to 5pm, Monday to Friday.
  • Then our team will carry out some basic policy checks
  • When you call us, have the death certificate to hand (if available), or details about the circumstance of the death
  • By speaking over the telephone, we’ll be able to obtain as much information to start the claim and can progress matters more quickly
  • Our team will assess your claim; this may include writing to the GP, Coroner (or procurator fiscal) and any other involved parties so we can obtain additional information
  • Throughout the process, we’ll keep you updated

You can also read our Bereavement Claim FAQs for more information and support.

What is Wellbeing Support?

We know that the pressures of everyday life can sometimes be stressful, and can impact your wellbeing in lots of ways. That's why we've introduced Wellbeing Support Service. So whether you need a reassuring chat, some information, or help getting through a challenging time – to name just a few, they are here to help.

Support and help from a dedicated nurse can range from a reassuring chat, information, advice and guidance, to a clinical assessment and organising additional services.

Support is included as standard from day one of your policy. 

You don’t need to make a claim on your policy to get the help you need, you can get in touch with your nurse directly. 

Take a look at our dedicated Wellbeing Support hub and find out more.

Care Concierge

If you think that you or someone you know might need care, it can be difficult to know where to start looking or what your options are. Care Concierge is a confidential telephone advisory service that can help you understand and find later life care. Our Care Concierge team have extensive knowledge of the care industry and are completely impartial, allowing you to make an informed decision on the care option that is right for you.

Access to experts in later life care

Available to the policyholder, their partner, children and parents.

Tailored 1:1 impartial guidance.

Take a look at our dedicated Care Concierge page to find out more

Our Life Insurance product reviews

Ready to get a life insurance quote?

Call us on:

0808 189 8956

8:30am to 8pm Monday to Friday
9am to 1pm Saturday

We may record and monitor calls.

Related information and products

Young couple drinking coffee

Life Insurance additional benefits

When you take out our Life Insurance we include a number of additional benefits at no extra cost, such as Free Life Cover and Terminal Illness Cover (where life expectancy is less than 12 months), giving you extra peace of mind. Terms and conditions apply.

girl with teddy bear

Critical Illness Cover

Get extra protection with Critical Illness Cover which can be added for an extra cost when you take out your life insurance policy.

Kids running in house

Decreasing Life Insurance

If you're looking for life cover to specifically cover a repayment mortgage, take a look at our Decreasing Life Insurance where the amount of cover reduces roughly in line with the way a repayment mortgage reduces.  

Life insurance news and articles

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Life insurance calculator

Use our life insurance calculator to help you work out how much cover you might need.

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Life insurance news and guides

From information about different types of life insurance to articles about looking after your health and well-being - check out our wide variety of articles and guides.

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Making life insurance quotes easy

Getting life insurance quotes is one of those things that probably gets pushed to the bottom of the list. You may think it's going to be too complicated or time-consuming or you simply keep putting it off because it's not something you want to think about.