Waiver of premium is an optional extra on a protection policy: if illness or injury stops you working for longer than a waiting period, the insurer pays your premiums for you, and your cover stays in force while it does. The rules differ between insurers, so this guide quotes what Legal & General, Aviva, Royal London and LV= say in their own documents.

If you would like an FCA-authorised broker to check how this add-on would work with your own job, there is a short form on this page for that; it is free and you are under no obligation to buy.

What waiver of premium does, and what it does not

It pays nothing to you. LV='s Waiver of Premium Policy Summary (April 2026) says: "This type of policy does not pay anything when you make a claim, instead it automatically covers the payments you would normally be making for the other policies in your plan if you become too unwell to work."

Legal & General's direct Life Insurance Policy Terms and Conditions (QGI12849, October 2026) say you can add it "for an extra cost", and Aviva's Life Insurance+ policy summary (AL50001 0226, from Aviva's adviser document library) lists it under "You can pay to add extra benefits". So adding it usually raises the premium: see what waiver of premium costs and whether it is worth adding.

Two points are easy to miss. First, you keep paying until the claim is accepted: Aviva's FAQ says "Make sure you continue to pay the premium until you’ve contacted us and we’ve accepted the claim." Second, it keeps the policy going rather than adding a payout: Aviva says "Your insurance policy will remain active for the length of your waiver of premium claim."

Waiver of premium is not income protection, a separate product that pays you a monthly income: see what income protection is and, for its place among the other covers, the critical illness and income guides.

What counts as being unable to work?

Legal & General (direct policy terms, QGI12849, October 2026) defines incapacity by your employment status when you claim. For someone in work:

The life insured is totally incapable of carrying out their normal occupation by reason of an illness or injury which occurred after the policy start date, necessitating medical or surgical treatment and is not carrying out any other occupation or paid employment.

For someone not in paid employment:

If the life insured is not in paid employment and they are unable to do three or more of the following Specified Work Tasks as a direct result of an illness or injury which occurred after the policy start date:

The tasks it lists are walking, climbing stairs, lifting, bending, getting in and out of a car, and writing.

Aviva (Life Insurance+ policy summary, AL50001, February 2026) is shorter: "We assess claims against your ability to do the regular duties of your occupation." It says "To add this benefit to your policy you have to be employed or self-employed", and that if you are no longer working later, "we’ll pay if you can’t perform at least two of the work-related tasks listed in your policy conditions."

Royal London (Personal Menu Plan Waiver of Premium (Sickness) plan details, July 2025, PCP8P10016) has the longest set of tests. The first, for someone in full-time work, asks whether, before age 70, illness or injury has cost the person covered so much physical or mental ability that the material and substantial duties of their own occupation are beyond them.

If you were not in full-time work just before the incapacity began, it applies serious illness requirements and then an everyday tasks test: "If, before age 70, the person covered is unable to do 3 of the following 9 tasks, we’ll pay the claim whilst they’re unable to work in their own occupation in any capacity."

LV= (Waiver of Premium Policy Summary, April 2026) uses a work tasks measure from age 70. Under 70, its own occupation test is met where you cannot carry out the main tasks of your occupation and are not doing any other paid or unpaid work because of illness or injury. After more than 12 months out of work it uses a homemaker test: you must be unable to prepare a meal or do basic housework, and not be doing any other paid or unpaid work, because of illness or injury.

How long is the waiting period?

All four documents set a wait (a deferred or waiting period) before premiums are paid.

Insurer and documentWhat the document says about the wait
Legal & General, direct policy terms (October 2026)"If the life insured meets our definition of incapacity for 26 consecutive weeks, you won't have to pay premiums."
Aviva, Life Insurance+ summary (February 2026)"You can choose whether you have to wait one, three or six months."
Royal London, plan details (July 2025)Its plan details say the deferred period is set out in the additional features section of your cover summary. Its adviser site lists 4, 8, 13, 26 or 52 weeks as the choices.
LV=, summary (April 2026)"There is a minimum waiting period of one month, and a maximum waiting period of six months." On a plan with only life, or life with critical illness cover, "the waiting period will always be six months."

Aviva says the wait "could be in line with how long you receive sick pay from your employer."

Legal & General also sets a deadline: "You should let us know about the life insured's incapacity within 16 weeks of it starting."

A broker reached through the form here can explain how a longer or shorter wait would line up with your sick pay.

Age limits, when it ends and what is excluded

Legal & General's direct terms say the benefit continues until the earlier of "The end of the period of incapacity", "Payment of the amount of cover" or "The policy expiry date". Aviva's summary says it will pay until the policy ends, you go back to work, you are no longer ill or injured, or "you turn 71". Its table of maximum ages gives waiver of premium a maximum starting age of 64 and an end age of 70, noting that the benefit "ends when the oldest person covered reaches this age, but the policy will continue if you’ve chosen a longer term." Your policy schedule shows the end age that applies to your policy.

Royal London's terms say it will keep paying until the person "no longer meets the requirements of our definition of incapacitated", goes back to work, the cover term ends, or the person dies. LV= takes applicants "between 17 and 59 years old when they apply". There is more on end dates in how long waiver of premium lasts.

When a claim ends you pay again. Aviva: "When your waiver claim ends, you’ll have to start paying your premiums again to keep your policy in force." For what happens if premiums stop altogether, see what happens if you cancel life insurance.

What the documents exclude

Royal London's plan details say it will not pay a claim if "it’s the result of an exclusion shown on your cover summary" or "it’s the result of intentional self- inflicted injury". LV= says it "might apply an exclusion based on your personal circumstances", and will not approve a claim where you are off work because of "your own conduct or behaviour", such as suspension or imprisonment. Legal & General's definition covers only an illness or injury "which occurred after the policy start date".

Joint policies, the self-employed and other situations

Joint policies. Aviva's summary says "If you have a joint policy, you can add this benefit for one or both people covered." Royal London's adviser site gives its basis as "single life". Legal & General's waiver wording refers to "the life insured"; on a joint policy, ask how it applies to each of you.

Relevant life plans. Royal London's adviser site says its waiver "is not available on our Relevant Life Plan" (see relevant life insurance).

Self-employed people. Aviva's summary says you must be "employed or self-employed" to add the benefit. Royal London defines own occupation as "the trade, profession or type of work that the person covered does for profit or pay."

Sickness, disability and redundancy. The trigger in all four documents is illness or injury. Only LV='s summary mentions unemployment: it will not approve a claim if you are not working "for any reason other than illness or injury for example: unemployment, bereavement or a normal pregnancy". Ask your insurer how its policy treats redundancy.

Critical illness cover. Royal London's adviser site lists Life or Critical Illness Cover and Critical Illness Cover among the covers whose premiums it pays. A waiver claim is about being unable to work, not a critical illness payout; it is also different from return of premium and from payor benefit.

Frequently asked questions

Is waiver of premium included in income protection?

Aviva's Living Costs Protection summary (October 2024) lists it under "Extra benefits included at no extra cost" and says premiums are paid "after 13 weeks, or from the end of your deferred period, whichever is sooner." Royal London's adviser site says its waiver is automatically included with its income protection.

What if I go back to work and fall ill again?

Royal London treats a further claim within 52 weeks of payments stopping as connected, with no new deferred period, if among other conditions the person is incapacitated "from the same cause as the original claim". LV= says it may restart waiving straight away when the illness is related and returns within six months of going back to work.

Is waiver of premium the same as total permanent disability cover?

In Aviva's Life Insurance+ summary they are separate benefits. Waiver pays your premiums while you cannot work; total permanent disability is different: "We’ll pay your full cover amount if you have an illness or injury that means you can’t ever again:" do your own occupation or at least three listed work-related tasks.

Can you buy waiver of premium on its own?

Not with LV=: "you cannot take this policy out on its own. You must have a Flexible Protection Plan with us that includes other protection policies." Legal & General's terms offer it as an add-on to the life cover, taken at the start of the policy.

Which of these options are open to you depends on your age, job and health. To talk them over with an FCA-authorised broker, free of charge, send the short form on this page.

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