Yes, you can apply for life insurance with ADHD or autism. In a Health & Protection trade press report of 12 October 2026, a board member of the Group for Autism, Insurance, Investment and Neurodiversity (GAIN) is quoted as saying: "Having conditions like autism, ADHD, or dyspraxia does not automatically mean that a neurodivergent person will be denied cover".

Below is what insurers' published documents ask about medication and related mental health, and what they say about price. If talking it over would help, filling in our form costs nothing and leads to a call from an FCA-authorised broker, at a pace you choose, about your diagnosis, medicines and wider history.

Separately, if you want support: ADHD UK describes itself as "a charity founded in 2020 with a mission to help those affected by ADHD"; the National Autistic Society calls itself the UK's "leading charity for autistic people and their families"; and Mind (mind.org.uk) offers mental health information and support.

How do the NHS and the charities describe ADHD and autism?

The NHS says "Autism is a difference in how your brain develops that affects how you see and experience the world." Its page on ADHD in children and young people (reviewed March 2025) says ADHD "is a condition that can affect how you focus". ADHD UK describes it differently, as a pattern in which people with ADHD "show a persistent pattern of inattention and/or hyperactivity–impulsivity that interferes with day-to-day functioning and/or development".

The National Autistic Society describes autism as "a lifelong neurodivergence and disability", and cautions against assumptions about an individual autistic person's skills, abilities or support needs. That caution is worth carrying into the rest of this page: insurers write about conditions in general, and circumstances differ a great deal between people.

The two conditions can sit together. The NHS says ADHD is also more common in autistic people, and that autistic people are more likely to have some physical and mental health conditions, such as epilepsy, anxiety, eating disorders or depression. Its ADHD page likewise says people with ADHD may be more likely to have mental health issues such as anxiety or depression. This matters for insurance because the questions on a form are often about those related conditions.

What does the industry say about a diagnosis alone?

The same trade press report continues the GAIN board member's quotation: "as with any other condition and/or disability insurers will review and consider an application based on their individual medical history, symptom severity, and any related mental health history together with age, occupational, residential and lifestyle factors." That is an industry group's description, reported in the trade press, not a rule any insurer has to follow, and it names no insurer.

The report also quotes Zurich UK's underwriting quality and risk manager describing Zurich's own process: "Historically, customers who disclosed neurodiversity were individually assessed through manual underwriting." Then: "As disclosure became more common, we developed a small number of specific questions to better understand customers’ circumstances." And: "This has enabled us to streamline decision-making for some applicants by providing point-of-sale outcomes, while maintaining manual assessment for cases requiring a more comprehensive review." This is a manager's account given to a trade publication, not a published Zurich policy, and the report does not set out the questions.

On 1 April 2024 the Association of British Insurers published a good practice guide on supporting autistic customers. Its press release lists actions "that firms could consider applying", including "Providing detailed context for why information is needed and how it will be used when asking certain questions or requesting specific information" and "Signposting to reasonable adjustments or additional support." These are recommendations to firms, not promises about any policy.

How do application forms ask about medication?

Insurers publish their questions for mental health generally rather than for ADHD or autism by name. Legal & General (L&G), in its mental health guide of 11 November 2025, lists what to share about a mental health problem: how severe your symptoms are and how often they come, the effect on daily life such as time off work, and the medicines you take with when you began each one. Whether an insurer would put an ADHD or autism diagnosis under that heading is a question to put to it.

Medication is not part of every person's story. The NHS says "Not everyone with ADHD needs to or wants to take medicine", and that ADHD medicines are started and monitored by a specialist. That is the NHS's description for children and young people; it does not tell you how an insurer would weigh a prescription. A practical step is to gather the name of each medicine, the start date, and the prescriber, since forms of this kind ask for dates.

Vitality's guidance for financial advisers (undated, adviser-only) lists what its application asks about depression and anxiety, including diagnosis and symptoms, date of onset, number of episodes, treatment, the care provider and time off work. It is not a list for ADHD or autism, but it shows the sort of detail that can be asked about related conditions. Our guide to medical questions for life insurance covers how a typical question set runs.

Should a medication or diagnosis question feel unclear, the form here puts you in touch with a broker who can go through the wording before anything is sent.

What about anxiety, depression or other related history?

Related history is the part most likely to be asked about, and it has its own page: life insurance with mental health issues sets out what insurers ask and what they can decide, so it is not repeated here.

One adviser-only document gives a flavour. Vitality's guidance says "Most disclosures of mild anxiety or depression will be accepted based on the application questions asked", and that "Life Cover will often be acceptable at standard terms if it is proven that the client’s condition is low risk." Its example of low risk starts with "someone who is currently controlled and stable with treatment (no frequent changes of medication)" and adds further conditions. That is about anxiety and depression in general, not ADHD or autism, and it is Vitality's own approach as written for advisers.

Other products are assessed separately. Whether a mental health condition affects critical illness cover or income protection is for those pages.

Does ADHD or autism make life insurance cost more?

None of the insurer documents used for this page gives a price effect for ADHD or autism, and no figure can honestly be given without an application. What they do say is general. Aviva's page on pre-existing conditions (updated January 2025) says cover "might cost more", for example with a serious, chronic condition. L&G's mental health guide, writing about people who have experienced mental health challenges, says "It doesn’t always make a policy more expensive either."

L&G's Underwriting explained leaflet (W10188 09/25) says cover on the terms applied for is offered where it decides there is no extra risk, and lists cover with an increased premium among the other outcomes. That leaflet covers life, critical illness and income protection together. Age, smoking, the amount of cover and the length of the term also usually affect the price. Only a quote based on your own details gives a figure.

What if a question is hard to answer?

You can ask the insurer or a broker to explain a question before you reply, and the ABI's recommendation about giving context for questions points the same way. The legal duty sits in section 2 of the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012: the consumer must take reasonable care not to misrepresent anything to the insurer. What happens after a wrong answer turns on whether it was careless or deliberate, covered in when a life insurer can refuse to pay and what you must disclose.

In practice that means mentioning a diagnosis, related conditions and treatment wherever a question reaches them, rather than guessing what the insurer meant.

If you have been declined or offered terms you did not expect, see what to do if you are declined and life insurance with medical conditions. A broker can ask other insurers how they would see your history, though nobody can promise an offer.

Frequently asked questions

Does ADHD affect life insurance in the UK?

It can be part of the information an insurer assesses, alongside medication, related mental health history and the rest of your health. In the trade press report above, GAIN's board member is quoted as saying a diagnosis does not automatically mean denial of cover; each insurer makes its own judgement of an application.

Can you get life insurance with autism?

You can apply. In the same trade press report, a Zurich UK underwriting manager describes point-of-sale outcomes for some applicants who disclose neurodiversity and manual assessment for others. What any insurer would offer you is a question for a quote.

Can an autistic child be covered?

The sources used here deal with adults applying for their own cover. If you are asking about a child, ask the insurer or a broker whether it offers cover on a child's life and what it asks.

Do I have to tell an insurer about ADHD medication?

L&G's mental health guide asks about medicines and when you started them, and the law's duty is reasonable care not to misrepresent. If a question is unclear, ask what it covers before answering.

If it would help, leave your details in the form and a broker will ring to go through your answers at no charge. More questions of this kind are in health and underwriting.

Sources

  • NHS, What is autism? (page last reviewed 6 May 2026), read 20 October 2026. nhs.uk
  • NHS, ADHD in children and young people (page last reviewed 19 March 2025), read 20 October 2026. nhs.uk
  • ADHD UK, What is ADHD (undated), read 20 October 2026. adhduk.co.uk
  • ADHD UK, About Us (undated), read 20 October 2026. adhduk.co.uk
  • National Autistic Society, home page (undated), read 20 October 2026. autism.org.uk
  • National Autistic Society, What is autism? (undated), read 20 October 2026. autism.org.uk
  • Health & Protection, Dispelling the myth that autism and ADHD diagnoses lead to automatic protection exclusions - analysis (12 October 2026), a trade press report quoting GAIN and Zurich UK, read 20 October 2026. healthcareandprotection.com
  • Association of British Insurers, New guide to improve support for autistic customers (1 April 2024), read 20 October 2026. abi.org.uk
  • Legal & General, How does a mental health condition affect life insurance? (11 November 2025), read 20 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
  • Legal & General, Underwriting explained (W10188 09/25), read 20 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
  • Vitality, Conditions Covered, a page for UK financial advisers only (undated), read 20 October 2026. adviser.vitality.co.uk
  • Aviva, Can you get life insurance with a pre-existing medical condition? (last updated 7 January 2025), read 20 October 2026. aviva.co.uk
  • legislation.gov.uk, Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, section 2, read 20 October 2026. legislation.gov.uk