The best life insurance broker for you is not a name on a ranking but a firm that passes a handful of checks: it is on the FCA register with the right permission, it says plainly whether it is advising you, it names the insurers it can arrange cover with, and it tells you how it is paid before you commit. This guide goes through each check and the question that tests it.

You can try these checks on a real firm today. Fill out the form on this page and you will get a free call-back, so you can test each question on the FCA-authorised broker at the other end.

Where do you look to confirm a life insurance broker is real?

Start with the regulator's own tool, because it takes a couple of minutes and settles the most important point. The FCA's guidance, last updated 22 September 2026, says to use the FCA Firm Checker before you buy a financial product or service such as insurance. The checker shows whether the firm is authorised and has permission to sell the product you are asking about, and the FCA adds: "Checking a firm before you use them will help you avoid scams and will give you the best chance of protection if something goes wrong."

Three details are worth knowing when you search:

  • Permission matters as well as authorisation. A firm can be authorised for some activities and not others, so look at what it is allowed to do, not just whether its name appears.
  • Match the contact details. The FCA warns about clone firms, where a fraudster copies a genuine firm. Its advice is to make sure the contact details you were given match those on the Firm Checker.
  • Appointed representatives. Some firms on the register act for another firm, called their principal. The FCA says the principal is responsible for that business and that you can ask the principal to confirm what the representative may do.

Status words on the register are plain too. A firm shown as No longer authorised or Revoked has had its authorisation cancelled, and the FCA says you should avoid dealing with it. The reason it matters is protection: the FCA says that with an unauthorised firm you have no access to the Financial Ombudsman Service for a complaint and no Financial Services Compensation Scheme cover if the firm fails.

The register shows that a firm is legitimate, not that it suits you. The next checks cover the rest.

Is the broker advising you or only helping you buy?

Two quite different services sit behind the word broker, and the firm has to say which one you are getting. Under the FCA Handbook (ICOBS 4.1, last updated 26 June 2026) it must make that clear before you take out a contract. A personal recommendation means the sale is advised: the broker is judging which policy fits what you told it.

Without one, the sale is non-advised. You get information and a route to an application, and the decision on whether the policy meets your needs is yours; for protection policies the Handbook (ICOBS 4.2, last updated 1 October 2018) tells the firm to take reasonable steps to make sure you understand this. Neither type is a mark of a better broker; they suit different readers. If you have already settled what cover you want, information alone may be enough; if your health, a trust or a mortgage makes the choice harder, a recommendation with reasons may be worth having.

Two questions make this concrete:

  1. Are you giving me a personal recommendation, or only information?
  2. If you recommend a policy, can I have your reasons in writing?

Our guide to what a life insurance broker does covers what the roles mean. Which kind of service you would get is worth asking at the start of the call-back that the contact form here sets up.

What does the answer to how many insurers a broker uses tell you?

It is one of the most useful things to put to any firm, because the answer is a fact it can state. Under the Handbook (ICOBS 4.1.6), an intermediary that proposes or advises on a policy must tell you before the contract is made which of three bases it works on: a personal recommendation built on a fair and personal analysis; a contract to deal only with one or more insurers, which it must then name; or neither of those, in which case it must name the insurers it may and does deal with. Whichever it says, follow "how many?" with "which?"

Listen for these kinds of answer:

What the firm saysWhat to ask next
It names a short list of insurersWhy those, and are there any whose policies you cannot arrange?
It says it works with one insurer onlyWhether it is tied by contract, and whether you are being shown that insurer's products alone
It gives a number but no namesAsk for the names; the firm should be able to supply them
It answers with a sloganAsk which insurers it can and cannot place your application with

A bigger number is not automatically better. The Handbook's guidance on panels used for fair-analysis advice says insurers should be chosen for what they give customers, meaning product features, premiums and service, not solely for what the firm gains, and that a panel should be reviewed regularly. So ask why the insurers are on the list, not only how many there are.

Both questions work on any firm, however you came to it.

Why do insurer-named searches lead back to advisers?

People searching for a Royal London, Vitality, Zurich or LV adviser are usually asking which brokers can arrange that insurer's plans. Insurers do not all sell the same way. Royal London's page for its advised life cover (read 27 October 2026) says: "You can only buy advised life cover from a financial adviser." Vitality's client brochure for its Personal Protection plan (VL B 0110, May 2026) sends readers who want to know more to their financial adviser or to Vitality's own website. So for some plans an adviser is the only route in, and for others a usual one, which makes the "which insurers?" question practical: ask whether the one you have in mind is on the firm's list. If it is Zurich or LV, the broker who rings you can tell you free whether it is able to place their cover.

What should a broker tell you about its pay before you sign?

Before you buy, a broker has to tell you whether it works for a fee you pay, for commission built into the premium, for some other reward or for a mix (FCA Handbook, ICOBS 4.3, last updated 1 October 2018). How those arrangements work is explained in our guide to what brokers do and how they are paid; this page sticks to what to ask.

For choosing, what counts is what you ask for and when:

  • The fee, if there is one, in pounds. The firm has to state the amount, or how it is worked out where an exact figure cannot be given, before you owe it or sign, whichever is sooner; the same goes for any later charge, such as an administration or cancellation fee.
  • Whether commission is paid. If so, the firm should tell you that the payment comes out of the premium you pay the insurer rather than from a separate bill.
  • What happens if you cancel. Ask what the firm charges, if anything, so there is no surprise at the point you change your mind.

Neither basis makes a firm better or worse by itself; the aim is to know before you agree. The call-back is a good place to ask how the firm is paid on your particular quote.

Online brokers, brokers near you and brokers for the self-employed

Searches for an online broker, a broker near you and a broker for the self-employed all lead back to the same checks. Whichever kind of firm it is, look for the register entry with the right permission, a clear statement on whether it advises, the insurers it uses and how it is paid. The FCA's register entry shows a firm's main place of business and its trading names, which helps if you want to confirm that a local firm is the one you have been given details for.

Where the self-employed reader differs is in what they need cover for, not in how to pick the firm. Cover for someone working for themselves often sits beside other protection: see life insurance for the self-employed and whether the self-employed can get income protection. Ask at the start whether a firm can talk through all of that.

Telephone, online and in person can all work; the test is whether the firm passes the checks above. How an insurer would treat a self-employed income is something to raise when the broker rings you.

Whichever route you use, write down the firm's name, its register number and who you spoke to, so you can check the entry again later.

What else is worth asking before you agree?

The checks above settle who the firm is and how it works. A few practical questions settle how it will treat you once you are a customer:

  • Who completes the application? If the broker fills it in from what you say, read it back before it is sent, because answers on health and lifestyle are yours. What is asked is set out in our guide to application health questions.
  • What help is there at claim time? Ask whether the firm helps the people claiming, or whether they deal with the insurer alone.
  • What happens later? Ask whether the firm contacts you about reviewing cover as life changes, or only when you get in touch, and whether any of that costs extra.
  • How do you complain? The Handbook requires a firm to tell you the procedure for registering complaints with it and with the Financial Ombudsman Service, so it should be able to answer this at once.

If you are comparing the types of cover itself rather than the people selling it, life insurance for a family and whether you need life insurance at all are the better starting points. To hear how a firm answers these, send the short form here and ask the broker who phones you.

Frequently asked questions

Which is the best life insurance broker in the UK?

No single firm suits everyone, and a ranking would not reflect your age, health or the cover you need. The more reliable route is to test any firm against the checks above: authorisation and permissions on the FCA register, advised or non-advised, which insurers, and how it is paid.

Can I use any adviser to buy a policy from one insurer?

Not necessarily. Some plans are sold only through advisers, as Royal London says of its advised life cover, and a firm can arrange only the insurers it works with. Ask the adviser whether the insurer you have in mind is on its list.

Does it matter whether a broker is local?

The register shows where a firm's main place of business is, but the checks in this guide apply whichever way you contact a firm. Where a firm is based is a convenience, not a sign of quality.

Is a broker for the self-employed different from any other?

The firm checks are the same. What differs is the cover discussed, which may include life insurance for the self-employed, income protection or business protection, so ask whether the firm can speak to all of those.

What if the firm I am dealing with is missing from the register?

The FCA says you should only deal with firms that are authorised or registered, and that dealing with an unauthorised firm leaves you without Financial Ombudsman Service access and without FSCS protection. If you think you have been targeted by an unauthorised firm, the FCA asks you to report it.

Do I have to pay a broker?

It depends on how the firm is paid. Some charge a fee that you pay directly, while others receive commission that is included in the premium, and the firm must tell you which before you commit. Ask for the figure, if there is one, in writing.

Is an online broker as good as one I can visit?

The register and disclosure checks in this guide do not depend on how a firm reaches you, so test an online firm as you would any other: register entry, advice status, insurers used, and pay. If you would rather hear a firm's answers in conversation, ask for a call before you commit.

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