The cancellation period for life insurance in the UK is normally 30 days. The FCA's rules give a consumer the right to cancel a protection policy within that time without penalty and without giving a reason, and the insurers named below each write a 30-day window into their own policy documents. What differs from one insurer to the next is the day the 30 days start and what happens once they are over.

Still choosing a policy? An FCA-authorised broker can talk the options through with you; to request that free call-back, use the form on this page.

What does the FCA say the cancellation period is?

The FCA's insurance rules (ICOBS 7.1.1) say "A consumer has a right to cancel, without penalty and without giving any reason" within "30 days for a contract of insurance which is, or has elements of, a pure protection contract", and within 14 days for any other contract of insurance.

ICOBS 7.1.3 lists contracts the right does not apply to. Two concern protection cover: a pure protection contract of six months or less that is not a distance contract, and a pure protection contract taken out by the trustees of an occupational pension scheme, an employer or a partnership to secure benefits for employees or partners. Where your own policy sits among these can be raised when the broker calls.

On timing, ICOBS 7.1.5 says that for a pure protection contract the period begins when the customer is told the contract has been concluded or, if later, on the day they receive the policy terms and the other pre-contractual information the rules require.

On money, ICOBS 7.2.2 says a consumer cannot be required to pay any amount when cancelling a pure protection contract. ICOBS 7.2.6 requires the insurer to return what it has received "without any undue delay and no later than within 30 days", counted from the day it receives your notice of cancellation.

Legal & General, Aviva and Zurich: cooling-off period and refund

Legal & General's direct Life Insurance terms (October 2026) say "You can cancel your policy within 30 days of receiving your welcome pack. In this case, we'll refund any premiums you've paid." Cancelling ends the cover, and no further premiums are payable.

Aviva's Life Insurance+ policy conditions (February 2026) say "You have a 30 day cooling off period to change your mind." Within it Aviva refunds the premiums you have paid. The period begins on the later of the day Aviva tells you when your policy will start and the day you receive your policy documents. Once you cancel, the conditions add, no claim can be made.

For its Life Protection policy, Zurich's key features (February 2025) say it sends details of how to cancel when you first take out the policy, and that cancelling within the first 30 days brings a refund of the premiums paid.

Royal London life insurance cooling-off period

For Royal London's Personal Menu Plan life or critical illness cover, the plan details booklet (July 2025), written for the policyholder and published on Royal London's adviser website, says:

When your cover starts you have the right to change your mind and cancel your cover. If you do so within 30 days of receiving your cover summary and plan details, we’ll refund any premiums you’ve paid to us. If you cancel after 30 days, your cover will end and you won’t get anything back.

After the 30 days, the same document says cover ends on the day your next premium would have been due and you remain covered until then. If the plan is jointly owned, both owners must give notice.

If you hold a policy bought directly from Royal London, its direct-sale terms (reference D2C TTC 1223139355, no date printed) also give 30 days from receiving your welcome pack, with payments refunded, and no refund after that. They say you can cancel at any time by phoning 0345 600 7788.

LV= and Vitality life insurance cooling-off periods

LV='s Life Protection policy conditions (stamped March 2026) put the whole rule in one passage:

You can cancel your policy at any time, just get in touch and tell us you no longer want it. When you cancel your policy you’ll no longer be covered and we won’t refund any of the money you’ve already paid – unless you are cancelling your policy within 30 days of the start date, in which case we will refund everything you’ve paid.

LV= counts from the policy's start date. If you are cancelling because your circumstances have changed, it says to get in touch or speak to your financial adviser about an alternative.

Vitality's Personal Protection Plan provisions (February 2025), published on its adviser website, say "If you cancel within 30 days of receiving your plan details, we will refund your plan premium, as long as you have not made a claim."

Can you cancel after the 30 days, and do you get anything back?

Every insurer above lets you cancel later. What changes is the refund. Legal & General says a monthly payer who cancels after 30 days is not refunded, while an annual payer gets "a proportionate refund of your annual premium". Vitality does not refund a monthly payer either, but works out an annual payer's premium as though it were monthly and refunds the rest of the plan year. Aviva, Royal London, Zurich and LV= say no premiums come back after the period.

Several of these documents say plainly that the cover has no cash value. Aviva's Life Insurance+ summary (February 2026) says "This isn’t the kind of policy that you can ‘cash in’ – so you don’t get any money if you cancel it." Zurich's Life Protection key features, Royal London's Personal Menu Plan details and Vitality's provisions each say their cover has no cash-in or cash value. Policies sold as investments are different; see whether you can cash in a life policy.

Cancelling ends your cover, and new cover means a fresh application (what you must disclose). Stopping a direct debit is not the same as cancelling: what a lapse means covers missed payments, and fees, refunds and other cover types are covered elsewhere.

Whole of life and over-50s plans: is the cancellation period the same?

ICOBS 7.1.1 sets 30 days for contracts that are, or have elements of, pure protection and 14 days for other insurance, so the wording of each product matters. The whole of life and over-50s documents below each give 30 days.

  • Aviva Whole of Life Insurance+ (summary, print code AL50007 02/2026): premiums are refunded if you cancel within 30 days, none after, and it is not a policy you can cash in.
  • Zurich Whole of Life (key features dated February 2025, an adviser-channel document): a refund of premiums within the first 30 days, none after, and no cash-in value.
  • Legal & General Over 50s Fixed Life Insurance (policy summary, November 2025): you have 30 days from receiving your Policy Schedule to change your mind, with a refund of premiums if you cancel in that time. Stopping payments is a separate matter: the summary says the plan is then cancelled with nothing returned.
  • Royal London Over 50 Life Insurance (terms, undated, linked from its page for existing customers): a refund of payments if you cancel within 30 days of receiving the booklet and policy schedule, and no refund after that. Its terms add that if you cancel having paid at least half of your payments between the start of the policy and its Final Payment Date, you qualify for its Payout Promise, which pays at least half of the full Payout when you die.

How these rules would apply to a plan you hold, or are thinking about, is something the broker can explain on a call-back. Background is in our whole of life guide and cover for the over-50s.

Cancelling to take out different cover: what to check first

People often cancel because circumstances changed or other cover looks better. A replacement is a new application with its own questions and its own cancellation period, so it helps to know how a new insurer sees your age and health before the old policy ends. Before anything is cancelled, a broker can look at how other insurers might see your age and health; the form here takes your number and arranges that free call.

If your policy has not started yet, withdrawing an application is a different step. For changing insurer, see how to switch life insurance companies, and for the wider picture the reviewing and switching guide.

Frequently asked questions

Can I cancel my life insurance policy after the free look period?

With the insurers above, yes: each says you can cancel later, though a monthly payer generally gets no premiums back. Your own policy documents set out the terms that apply to you.

How do I cancel a life insurance policy inside the cooling-off period?

The FCA's rule (ICOBS 7.1.6) says to follow the practical instructions you were given, and a notice on paper or another durable medium counts as in time if it is sent before the deadline ends. Legal & General's terms list a cancellations line, 0370 010 4080, open Monday to Friday 9am to 5pm, and Vitality's provisions give 0800 030 4903. Otherwise use the contact details in your own documents.

How long does an insurer have to refund my premiums?

ICOBS 7.2.6 sets a limit of 30 days from the insurer receiving your notice, and requires it to act without undue delay.

Is there a cooling-off period when I put a policy in trust?

The guide to trusts from Aviva (January 2026) states "Even though you have a cooling-off period for a policy you take out with Aviva Life & Pensions UK Limited, you do not have a cooling-off period when you set up a trust." See how to put a policy in trust and cancelling a policy that is in trust.

Not ready to decide? When you are, this page's form arranges a free call with a broker about cover.

Sources

  • FCA, Handbook, ICOBS 7.1 The right to cancel (last updated 1 January 2016, as printed), read 26 October 2026. handbook.fca.org.uk
  • FCA, Handbook, ICOBS 7.2 Effects of cancellation, read 26 October 2026. handbook.fca.org.uk
  • Legal & General, Life Insurance Policy Terms and Conditions (QGI12849 - 2026/10, October 2026), read 26 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
  • Legal & General, Over 50s Fixed Life Insurance policy summary (QGI12836 11/2025), read 26 October 2026. legalandgeneral.com
  • Aviva, Life Insurance+ Policy Conditions (AL50002 02/2026), read 26 October 2026. aviva.co.uk
  • Aviva, Policy Summary of Life Insurance+ (AL50001, February 2026), read 26 October 2026. aviva.io
  • Aviva, Policy Summary of Whole of Life Insurance+ (print code AL50007 02/2026), read 26 October 2026. aviva.co.uk
  • Aviva, Guide to trusts (EDCO0853 0126, January 2026), read 26 October 2026. protection.aviva.com
  • Royal London, Personal Menu Plan, Life or Critical Illness Cover, plan details (July 2025, PCP8P10010/17; adviser site), read 26 October 2026. adviser.royallondon.com
  • Royal London, Terms & conditions: Life insurance with optional Serious Illness Benefits (reference D2C TTC 1223139355, no date printed), read 26 October 2026. royallondon.com
  • Royal London, Over 50 Life Insurance Terms and Conditions (code D2COFTC122078100, no date printed), read 26 October 2026. royallondon.com
  • Zurich, Key features of the Zurich Life Protection policy (NP720500009 (02/25), February 2025), read 26 October 2026. zurich.co.uk
  • Zurich, Key features of the Zurich Whole of Life policy (PW720505007 02/25, February 2025; adviser-channel document), read 26 October 2026. zurichintermediary.co.uk
  • LV=, Life Protection Policy Conditions (MIMILP16, stamped 25 March 2026), read 26 October 2026. lv.com
  • VitalityLife, Personal Protection Plan Provisions (VLTD174857WF_J3779_02/2025, February 2025; adviser literature), read 22 October 2026. adviser.vitality.co.uk