Term life insurance lasts for the number of years you choose when you take it out, and each insurer's own documents set how short or long that can be: from one year to 50 years for Legal & General's Life Insurance and Aviva's plans, and no shorter than five years in VitalityLife's summary. When the term ends, the cover stops, and in the insurers' documents quoted below nothing is paid for outliving it and the policy has no cash-in value.
Which term suits you depends on what the cover is for, and a broker can price a few different lengths against each other. To have that done for your own details, put them into this page's quote form; an adviser at an FCA-authorised broker then rings you, and the call is free.
How long can a term life insurance policy run?
"Term" and "fixed term" are the ordinary names for the same product: cover that runs to an expiry date set at the start. How term cover works in general is on how term life insurance works, and the other kinds are in our guide to types of policy. The length is the buyer's choice within limits that each insurer sets, so the table below gives each insurer's own wording and the date of the document.
| Insurer and document | Shortest term | Longest term |
|---|---|---|
| Legal & General, direct Life Insurance policy summary (QGI14786, October 2026) | 1 year | 50 years |
| Legal & General, Decreasing Life Insurance (same summary) | 5 years | 50 years |
| Aviva, Life Insurance Plan summary (DA03008, May 2023; linked from Aviva's direct life insurance page) | One year, in full years | 50 years |
| Aviva, Life Insurance+ summary (AL50001 02/2026; Aviva's adviser library) | One year | 50 years |
| VitalityLife, Personal Protection Plan summary (February 2025; adviser site) | Five years | Set by age for fixed term cover |
Aviva's Life Insurance+ summary says the term can run in whole years "or until you reach a specific age", and VitalityLife's says the longest term for cover other than whole of life is based on your age, with no maximum for whole of life cover. So a 50-year term is a ceiling on the product, not a length every buyer can have: the latest ages at which a policy can start or end, set out in life insurance cover till what age, usually cap a long term for an older applicant.
Premiums are payable for the whole term. VitalityLife's summary tells the buyer to "think about whether you will be able to pay your premiums for that whole time" when choosing the term. What stopping early does is covered in what happens if you cancel life insurance.
How do you choose a term for a mortgage or for children?
Legal & General links the term to the need: its guide to types of life insurance (19 June 2026) says a term can be set to match a mortgage or milestones such as the children's school years, and its life insurance page (reviewed 1 June 2026) gives a mortgage example of 25 years. That page also suggests multiplying annual salary by the number of years your family will depend on you, as a way into the amount rather than the term.
In practice that means a date: when a repayment mortgage is due to be cleared, or the year your youngest child would no longer rely on your income. A term ending before the need leaves its last years uncovered; one ending after it pays for cover you may not need. Weighing those end dates, and retirement, is set out in choosing an end age. If the cover should fall with a repayment loan, decreasing term is built for that, while level term pays the same sum throughout; whether life insurance clears your mortgage and how much life cover you need cover the amount.
If two end dates are competing, ask for both to be priced for the same amount of cover. Say so in the quote form here, and the broker who calls can set the quotes next to each other.
What happens when a term life insurance policy ends?
The cover stops on the expiry date. Legal & General's life insurance page (reviewed 1 June 2026) says cover stops when the policy ends and no further premiums are payable, and its guide to types of life insurance says the payout is only for a death, or a qualifying terminal illness, "during the chosen term".
Scottish Widows' Protect summary (61041 01/26, from its adviser site) puts the timing this way: "For a life cover claim, the death must have happened before the end of the expiry date of the policy, otherwise the policy will end and we won't pay out anything." It also says the policy has no cash-in value at any time, so you won't get any money back if you cancel before the end date, and Aviva's Life Insurance Plan summary (DA03008) gives the same no-cash-in wording. An expired policy that never paid out has not gone wrong; it did what it was sold to do. Whether any term policy returns money at the end is covered in term life insurance with cash back, and the wider question in policies that pay out if you don't die.
A decreasing policy has an end of its own, covered in what happens at the end of a decreasing policy.
What are your options as the end date approaches?
None of these is automatic, and none is on offer from every insurer, so the first step is to read your policy documents or ask the insurer, ideally well before the expiry date.
Changing the length before the end. Legal & General's terms (QGI12849, October 2026) say you "might be able to ask us to" change the length of your policy. It asks for an amendment form with questions about health, medical history, residency and leisure activities, and may ask for a new application with a medical and lifestyle assessment. A change might alter your premium, and Legal & General will confirm whether it means replacing the original with a new policy, which may have different terms and conditions. Aviva's Life Insurance Plan summary (DA03008) says you can change how long your policy lasts, but it may change or replace your original policy, or issue a new one, and you may need to give health and lifestyle information.
A renewable option. Royal London's Personal Menu Plan details (July 2025, from its adviser site) describe an option available "if your cover summary shows that the term of the cover is renewable". You confirm at least five days before the end date, the person covered "doesn't need to answer any medical questions", and the renew period is five or 10 years, depending on the original term and the person's age at the new end date. The premium is based on the terms applied to the original cover, Royal London's pricing when that cover was applied for, and the person's age when the new cover starts. If that age at the new end date would pass Royal London's maximum, the new term runs only to the maximum age, and if that is shorter than its minimum term the option cannot be used. Without confirmation, the cover ends on its end date: "You won't be covered after that date." These are one plan's terms; ask your own insurer whether your policy has anything similar.
Starting a new policy. Without an option like that, extending cover means applying for a new policy, assessed on your age and health at that point; see whether premiums increase with age and, if your health has changed, life insurance with a medical condition.
Converting to permanent cover. Whether a term policy can be turned into whole of life cover is a question for the specific policy. Ask the insurer whether it has a conversion option, whether it had to be chosen at the start, until what date it can be used, whether it costs extra, and how the new premium is worked out. Converting term life insurance explains the questions, and term against whole of life compares the two kinds of cover.
Letting it end. If the mortgage is repaid and nobody depends on your income, ending the term may be exactly what you intended. If you are unsure, ask the insurer what each route would involve for your policy.
Frequently asked questions
Is short term or fixed term life insurance available in the UK?
Fixed term is another name for ordinary term cover. The shortest terms in the documents above are one year (Legal & General and Aviva) and five years (VitalityLife), and Legal & General's decreasing cover starts at five years.
What happens if I outlive my term life insurance?
The policy ends and nothing is paid. Scottish Widows and Aviva both say their policies have no cash-in value at any time, so the premiums are not returned.
Do I pay premiums for the whole term?
Yes, unless a claim is paid or you cancel. VitalityLife's summary says you pay premiums on a regular basis throughout the whole term. What stopping early means, including any refund, is on cancelling life insurance.
How long should you keep term life insurance?
For as long as the need it was bought for lasts, such as the mortgage or your children's dependence on your income. That is a personal decision, and the section on choosing a term above sets out the questions to ask.
Choosing a first term, or facing an end date in a year or two? Leave your contact details in this page's form and an FCA-authorised broker will phone to talk lengths and options through. No charge applies, and what you do next is up to you.
Sources
- Legal and General Assurance Society Limited, Life Insurance and Critical Illness Cover Policy Summary (direct version, QGI14786 - 2026/10), read 19 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Legal and General Assurance Society Limited, Life Insurance Policy Terms and Conditions (direct version, QGI12849 - 2026/10), read 19 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Legal & General, Types of life insurance (19 June 2026), read 19 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Legal & General, Life insurance (direct product page, reviewed 1 June 2026), read 19 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
- Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited, Life Insurance Plan Policy Summary (DA03008 05/2023, linked from Aviva's direct life insurance page), read 19 October 2026. static.aviva.io
- Aviva, Policy Summary of Life Insurance+ (AL50001 02/2026; Aviva's adviser document library), read 19 October 2026. static.aviva.io
- VitalityLife, Personal Protection Plan Summary (VLTD182053WF_02/25_J8476, February 2025; copy on Vitality's adviser site), read 19 October 2026. adviser.vitality.co.uk
- Scottish Widows, Protect Personal Protection Policy Summary (61041 01/26; adviser site), read 19 October 2026. adviser.scottishwidows.co.uk
- Royal London, Personal Menu Plan Life or Critical Illness Cover: Plan details (July 2025; Royal London's adviser site), read 19 October 2026. adviser.royallondon.com