Paying out when you need it

In 2022 we paid out over £1bn in protection claims to help over 50,000 people and their families1

If you have any kind of protection cover, like life insurance, critical illness insurance or income protection, you want to be confident it will pay out when you need it to. That, if the worst should happen, at the very least you and your loved ones won’t lose sleep over paying the bills.

There when you need us

We exist to be there for you when it really matters. And paying claims is fundamental to that. We’re here to offer a strong hand to squeeze and to hold you up when you need us most. 

Which is why in 2022 we paid out the equivalent of £2.9m every day, paying out in total over £1bn to customers for the third consecutive year.

To provide reassurance for the future, it takes someone you can rely on. Someone you can trust to be there. It takes Aviva.

Life insurance

In 2022 we:

  • Paid 99.4% of claims 
  • Paid out in claims more than £683.6 million
  • Settled 41,002 life and terminal illness claims

Life insurance helps make sure your loved ones are looked after should you die or be diagnosed with a terminal illness that meets our policy definitions. It lets you leave money which could help them carry on living life to the full or possibly say goodbye to a big expense like a mortgage.

In 2022 the top two most common reasons for people claiming on life insurance were cancer and cardiovascular.

Giving you more so you can live well today

Take out a new life insurance policy with us and from day one you’ll get help for your health and wellbeing, like having an annual health check or calling a 24/7 Bupa helpline, at no additional cost, through the Aviva DigiCare+ app.

Aviva DigiCare+ is a smartphone app, powered by Square Health. Please be aware that the benefits of the app don't form part of your cover. This is a non-contractual benefit, that Aviva can change or remove at any time. Terms and conditions and the privacy policy for Aviva DigiCare+ can be found within the app. Of course, the main reason for taking out a policy with us is financial protection, you shouldn't take out a policy for Aviva DigiCare+ alone. 

Critical illness cover

In 2022 we:

  • Paid out more than £334 million worth of critical illness claims 
  • Supported people with an average payout per claim of £71,245
  • Found that over 58% of claims were for cancer

To help lighten the load and make money one less thing to think about, our critical illness cover pays out a tax-free lump sum if you’re diagnosed with, or undergo surgery for, a critical illness that meets our policy definition during the policy term and then survive for at least 10 days. 

We only cover the critical illnesses we define in our policy and no others. The policy doesn't pay out on death and cover will stop when a successful claim is made. We'll only pay the full cover amount once and cover has no cash in value at any time. 

You can spend money on whatever you like, such as paying the bills each month or helping you feel like you again, while you get better.

In 2022 the three big causes we paid out for were cancer, heart attack and stroke. Cancer claims accounted for more than half of all the critical illness claims we paid.

Giving you more for your children

If you take out critical illness cover with us, children’s critical illness benefit is automatically included at no extra cost.

In 2022 we paid just over £5.2m in children's benefit claims, helping 264 families with an average lump sum payment of £19,697.

Income protection insurance 

In 2022:

  • we paid out over £50 million
  • we settled 3,680 claims
  • 30% of claims were related to mental health
  • 26% of claims were from musculoskeletal

When you’re ill or injured and can’t work, our income protection insurance is there to support you. It pays a proportion of your lost earnings so you can concentrate on looking after yourself.

More than just numbers

When life gets bumpy, sometimes you need someone in your corner who can help. Which is why our claims team will be by your side every step of the way.

And, for us, it’s more than just the numbers. It’s about helping you navigate a tough situation with compassion and empathy.

Project Teddy

Project Teddy2 launched in 2019 for critical illness customers claiming children’s benefit. It gives you a little extra boost, that goes beyond just paying out on your claim. Our team takes the time to get to know each family and personally choose a gift to send to each member. It might be a restaurant voucher to help mum and dad take a well-deserved break, a specialist sensory gift for a poorly child, or a soft toy for a brother or sister needing a comforting cuddle.

In 2022 we sent 440 gifts to children, siblings and parents, brightening their day at the most difficult of times.

Macmillan Cancer Support

We’re working in partnership with Macmillan Cancer Support to speed up cancer claims and help people living with cancer find the expert support they need.

If you have a Macmillan Clinical nurse specialist, we’ll speak directly to them to confirm your diagnosis, instead of waiting for a medical report from your GP. So you have less time to wait for your claim to be settled, with this shrinking from up to 60 days down to just a few hours in some cases. 

In 2022 we worked with Macmillan Cancer Nurse specialist to settle over 265 claims. Our claims teams can also signpost to Macmillan when our customers need additional support.

When we can’t pay out

In some cases, we can’t pay out on a claim. There are three main reasons why: 

Misrepresentation: It’s important that any information you give us when applying for cover is correct and nothing is missing. If there’s something you haven’t told us, for example about your health and lifestyle, this could stop us from being able to pay out if you make a claim. 

Definition not met: This is when the claim is for an illness that either isn't named in the cover, or hasn't reached a severe enough point to meet the policy criteria. 

Other: Sometimes our policies have conditions that the claim doesn’t meet. For example, a life insurance policy must be in force for 12 months before we can accept a death claim for suicide or intentional self-inflicted injury.

However, because paying out is at the very centre of what we do, in 2022 we declined 6.2% of critical illness claims, 4.3% of income protection claims and just 0.6% of life insurance claims.

Interested in life cover?

Here are some of the ways we can help protect what's precious to you.

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All figures referred to in this article are from Aviva’s Individual protection claims report 2023.

2 This is a non-contractual benefit and can be changed or removed at any time.