Relevant life insurance providers include Aviva, Legal & General, Royal London, Scottish Widows, Vitality and Zurich, all of which publish documents describing a relevant life plan, and most of those documents are written for advisers. This page sets out what each insurer’s own papers say, dated by print code or by the day they were read, so a business can see how the plans differ before asking for quotes.

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Which insurers publish a relevant life plan?

The table is a dated record of six insurers’ documents. It is not a ranking and not a full list: other insurers may sell the plan too. Figures are as each document prints them, read on 20 October 2026. Documents marked “for advisers” are published on the insurer’s adviser site or say they are for advisers only. For what the plan is and the HMRC conditions it must meet, see what relevant life insurance is.

Insurer and documentCover limit as statedAges and term as stated
Aviva, key features (EDCO1771 0126)35 x income at 17-29, 30 x at 30-39, 25 x at 40-49, 20 x at 50-59, 15 x at 60-71Employee at least 17 and no older than 71; term 3 to 50 years; must end before the 75th birthday
Legal & General, product page for advisers (undated) for the multiples; policy summary (QGI12848 2026/10) for ages and termUp to 25 x remuneration at 18-49, 20 x at 50-59, 15 x at 60-73; no minimum amount, driven by minimum premiumEmployee 18 to 73 at the start; up to 50 years; must end before the 75th birthday
Royal London, product page for advisers (undated)Up to 30 times total remuneration under 40, 25 times at 40-49, 20 times at 50-59, 15 times at 60 and overCover starts at 18 to 73; maximum age when cover ends 74; term one to 57 years
Scottish Widows, product page for advisers (undated)Level £18,000,000; decreasing £12,500,000; increasing £7,200,000; minimum £10,000Cover starts at 18 to 73; finishes at 75 next birthday; minimum term 1 year
Vitality, non-medical limits page for advisers (stated correct as of July 2026)35x income at 17-29, 30x at 30-39, 25x at 40-49, 20x at 50-59, 15x at 60-71Not on its limits page, which gives salary multiples only; ask Vitality, or the broker on the free call-back
Zurich, key features from its intermediary site (PW720504007 08/25)30 x total remuneration at 18-39, 20 x at 40-49, 15 x at 50 onwardsStart 18 to 73; maximum age at end of term 74; term 1 to 50 years

The multiples are caps set by age and pay, not amounts a business is entitled to: Legal & General’s technical guide (W13965 06/26, for advisers) says its maximum may also depend on “any other life cover that is in place for the employee”. Zurich reads an age of 73 in its table as “before your 74th birthday”, so check how each insurer counts ages. Limits and ages in more depth are in relevant life cover limits and the maximum age for a relevant life policy.

What differs between these plans?

What counts as pay. The multiples apply to a definition of remuneration, and the wording varies. Aviva’s says “Income includes salary, bonus, and dividends paid in lieu of salary plus any taxable benefit in kind.” Legal & General’s counts “regular dividends from shares in the employer’s company”, and Zurich’s counts “dividends earned”. For a director paid mostly in dividends, that wording decides how much cover the multiple allows.

Shape of cover. Aviva and Legal & General list level and increasing cover; Royal London, Scottish Widows and Zurich also offer decreasing cover. Zurich’s key features say its increasing cover “can increase each year by 3%, 5% or the Retail Price Index”, while Aviva and Legal & General link increases to the Retail Prices Index.

What is paid on. Aviva, Legal & General, Royal London, Scottish Widows and Zurich all describe a payout on death or on diagnosis of a terminal illness. Royal London’s plan details (C03G0003/7, April 2024) say “This Relevant Life Plan only provides Life Cover”, with terminal illness covered under that heading, and Scottish Widows adds accidental death cover at no extra cost. Why a relevant life plan cannot carry a critical illness benefit is explained in our guide to what it is; company-paid illness cover is a separate policy, covered in critical illness cover for business.

Trust and trustees. Every plan here goes into a trust, but insurers differ on who must be a trustee and which trust form is used. That is set out in relevant life policy in trust.

If the employee leaves. The number of routes differs. Aviva and Zurich each set out two ways to keep it going: a new employer takes the plan over, or ownership passes to the employee. Scottish Widows sets out three, the extra one being that the plan stays in trust with the employee paying the premiums. Aviva, Scottish Widows and Zurich each say terminal illness cover ends once the employee owns the plan personally.

Seeing how these differences work out for a named employee and a particular pay package takes a quote. Once you have an employee and a pay package in mind, our free form can have a broker test these options against them.

Can a business get relevant life quotes without an adviser?

Most of the material is for advisers. Legal & General’s technical guide is marked “For adviser use only”, Royal London’s page says it is “intended for financial advisers only”, Vitality’s is headed “UK Financial Advisers only”, and Scottish Widows says its site is “intended for UK authorised and regulated financial advisers and intermediaries only”. Zurich’s key features, published on its intermediary site, say “Your adviser will help you decide if a policy is right for you and let you know how to apply.”

Aviva’s key features are less definite: they say a business “might want to get expert advice from a financial adviser”. Whether a particular insurer will deal with a company that has no adviser is up to that insurer, so ask it directly; if you would rather not, the broker who returns your call can explain which of these it is able to quote, at no charge.

The other route is an FCA-authorised adviser or broker, who can be asked which of these insurers it can quote and whether it is limited to some of them. Quotes need the employee’s age, pay and the type of cover wanted, and Zurich’s key features list health, occupation and tobacco or nicotine use among the things that set the price. No reliable price can be given without those details; relevant life insurance cost covers what moves it.

How can a business compare relevant life quotes like for like?

The same inputs should go to each insurer, or the quotes will not compare. Useful points to settle first:

  • The employee’s age and exact pay package, including how dividends and bonuses are treated.
  • Level, decreasing or increasing cover, and the term.
  • Which trust the insurer provides and who becomes a trustee.
  • What happens if the employee leaves, and whether terminal illness cover continues.
  • Whether the insurer’s age and term limits suit the employee, using the table above as a starting point.

Whether the premiums are an allowable business expense is for the company’s accountant and HMRC, as how relevant life insurance is taxed explains. A business weighing relevant life cover against cover paid to the company can read key person insurance against relevant life, and the wider range is in the business cover guides.

When you are ready, a broker can ring you about which insurers to approach for your company; the request is made on this page.

Frequently asked questions

How do I choose between relevant life insurance providers?

There is no single best provider, and the table is not a ranking. The plans differ on the multiples, the definition of pay, the shape of cover and what happens when an employee leaves, so the right fit depends on the employee’s age and pay and on the company’s priorities.

How does relevant life insurance differ from an ordinary life policy?

The company is the one that applies, pays and owns a relevant life plan: Legal & General’s technical guide puts both the premiums and ownership with the employer, and the plan sits in trust for the employee’s beneficiaries. Zurich’s key features say the tax benefits “compared to ordinary life policies are not guaranteed”. Ownership is explained in what relevant life insurance is and the tax position in our tax guide.

Can I get a relevant life insurance online quote?

That depends on the insurer, and most of the material above is written for advisers rather than for companies. Ask the insurer whether it deals with companies directly, or ask an adviser or broker to get quotes for you.

Sources