Group life insurance providers in the UK include Legal & General, Aviva, Unum, Zurich and Canada Life, and each publishes its own employer literature that an employer can set side by side. This page uses those five insurers' documents to show what differs between them, without ranking anyone.
If you employ people, a broker with FCA authorisation can ring you back about quotes for your own team without any fee; the enquiry form on this page sets that going.
Which insurers publish group life guides for employers?
Every document below is written for employers or their advisers, not for the public, and none is a policy contract: the policy wording and the quote set the terms.
| Insurer | Document used | Edition | Where it sits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal & General | Flexible Group Life Assurance: a technical guide for employers | 05/25 | Adviser files on its group protection site |
| Aviva | Employer guide to Group Life cover (GR01089) | 01/2026 | Its adviser document library |
| Unum | Group Life employer guide (UP1729) | 08/2026 | unum.co.uk |
| Zurich | Registered Group Life Policy technical guide (NP128001059) | Stamped 12 July 2023 | Zurich Corporate Risk |
| Canada Life | Introduction to Group Life Insurance (GRP1367) | 0826RC | documents.canadalife.co.uk |
Zurich's guide is the oldest of the five and covers its registered policy only, so ask whether a newer edition, or an excepted option, is available. Canada Life has its own page, Canada Life insurance in the UK, and Legal & General and Zurich have theirs: Legal & General life insurance and the Zurich life policy.
How do free cover limits differ?
The free cover limit is the amount of cover a member can have without health questions. Each insurer names it differently and sets it differently, so quote documents are the place to compare the figure.
- Aviva says it offers a “free cover limit (FCL) to schemes with as few as three lives”. Above it, Aviva asks for medical information, while the benefit below the FCL “will normally continue to be covered regardless of the underwriter’s decision”.
- Legal & General says: “Our free limit will depend on the number of members and their amount of cover.” It states the figure in each quote.
- Zurich calls it the automatic acceptance limit, which it describes as “sometimes known in the group insurance market as the free cover limit”, and puts the figure in the quote.
- Canada Life prints a headline figure: “Free cover level £20,000 per employee covered up to a maximum of £1.25m.”
- Unum says “Most employees will be accepted for cover without medical underwriting” and that it accepts adverse underwriting decisions at standard rates up to its non-medical limit. What that limit would be for a given workforce can be talked through with a broker at no cost.
Who can be covered, and for how much?
Eligibility, minimum scheme size and benefit range are where the documents differ most.
| Insurer | Smallest scheme it states | Benefit range it states | Cover ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Legal & General (flexible policy) | “a minimum of 100 members” to start | Core, default and maximum benefit set by the employer, in units of cover | State pension age, or an age up to 75 |
| Aviva | Minimum of three lives | One to ten times salary, or a fixed sum | Age chosen by the employer |
| Unum | Policies with fewer than 10 employees are offered a 3-year rate guarantee | 1 to 12 times salary, or a fixed amount up to £15 million per employee | State Pension age or any age up to 75 |
| Zurich | Two members at start, three counting linked policies | Fixed amount or multiple of salary | Earlier of the age the employer sets or 75 (members join aged 16 to 74) |
| Canada Life | Two or more employees | Up to 10 times salary, or fixed amounts | Flexible up to age 75 |
The Legal & General minimum comes from the guide to its flexible policy, so confirm it for any other L&G scheme in the quote. Canada Life's guide lists permanent, part-time, director, zero-hour, fixed-term and temporary employees as people it can cover, and Aviva says eligibility rules such as entry ages and waiting periods are the employer's to set. Employers weighing a very small team may prefer relevant life providers, covered on their own page.
Registered, excepted and what comes with the policy
Aviva, Unum, Legal & General and Canada Life each describe both a registered and an excepted route. The tax rules behind the choice are on death in service insurance for employers and group life assurance cover, so only the differences between insurers are noted here.
To have these terms checked against your own headcount and payroll, send your name and number via the form on this page; whoever calls holds FCA authorisation and does not charge.
- Unum says everyone insured under an excepted policy must have the same level of benefit, and Aviva allows one benefit basis per excepted policy (its example is four times salary); both say registered cover can give different groups different benefits.
- Legal & General says it will split cover into separate policies when an employer wants some benefits registered and the rest excepted.
- Master trusts are offered by Aviva, Unum, Legal & General and Canada Life; Aviva's is run by an independent trustee company, ZEDRA Governance Ltd, and Canada Life says its Master Trust is only available on policies bought through CLASS.
- Added services differ: Unum gives policyholders access to Help@hand (24/7 GP appointments and mental health support) at no additional cost, through third-party providers, and says it may change or withdraw that access; Canada Life lists WeCare, myStrength, bereavement counselling and a probate helpline and says these are non-contractual and can be withdrawn; Aviva lists an Employee Assistance Programme provided by HealthHero.
What do group life schemes exclude, and what about existing conditions?
Each insurer words its health terms differently:
- Zurich says “All causes of death are covered, however, exclusions may apply as a result of underwriting for discretionary entrants or for members with benefits in excess of the automatic acceptance limit.”
- Legal & General says that for employees who give it medical evidence it “may set terms to exclude specific medical conditions”.
- While underwriting is under way, Aviva gives up to 180 days of temporary cover, “excluding pre-existing conditions”. Legal & General will not pay if the employee dies from a condition diagnosed, or showing symptoms, in the five years before temporary cover starts. Zurich gives up to 120 days of temporary cover, which does not apply where death results from a condition that arose, or was treated, monitored or investigated, in the 24 months before the person qualified for the policy or for an increase in benefit.
The last bullet concerns temporary cover for people whose health is being assessed, not everyone under the free cover limit. Which of these terms would apply to one employee's history is best asked of a broker, and the free call-back is the place to do it. Life insurance with medical conditions covers the individual-cover side, and group critical illness cover is separate.
Frequently asked questions
What does Unum's group life insurance offer employers?
Unum's employer guide (UP1729, 08/2026) describes registered, excepted and Simplicity Life options, with benefits up to 12 times salary. It says continued cover for up to 24 months after redundancy is available, and that policyholders can use Help@hand health and wellbeing services at no additional cost.
What does Zurich's group life insurance offer employers?
Zurich's registered policy technical guide covers lump sum benefits, plus an additional lump sum that trustees can use to buy dependants' pensions. The guide says claims must reach Zurich within two years of the member's death.
How does Legal & General's group life insurance compare with its rivals?
Its flexible policy lets members choose a benefit level between the core and maximum the employer sets. It needs 100 members to start, which is a higher floor than the other guides here that state one. Check current minimums in a quote.
Is Canada Life's group life cover only for large employers?
Its guide describes life insurance for two or more employees. Whether a specific scheme qualifies, and the free cover level it gets, shows in the quote.
When quotes for your own team are what you need, the form on this page hands your details to a broker with FCA authorisation, and the return call is free.
Sources
- Legal & General, Flexible Group Life Assurance: a technical guide for employers (Technical guide 05/25), read 21 October 2026. group-protection.legalandgeneral.com
- Aviva, Employer guide to Group Life cover (GR01089 01/2026), read 18 October 2026. aviva.co.uk/adviser/documents/view/gr01089.pdf
- Unum, Group Life employer guide (UP1729 08/2026), read 26 October 2026. unum.co.uk/docs/UP1729.pdf
- Zurich Corporate Risk, Registered Group Life Policy technical guide (NP128001059, page stamp 12 July 2023), read 26 October 2026. zurich.co.uk/corporate-risk/product-information/128001.pdf
- Canada Life, Introduction to Group Life Insurance (GRP1367 0826RC), read 20 October 2026. documents.canadalife.co.uk