Paying out when you need it

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 2023 we paid out the equivalent of £3.2m every day, paying out in total over £1bn to customers for the fourth 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.

In 2023 we:

• Paid 99.3% of claims 
• Paid out in claims more than £761.7 million
• Settled 40,436 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 2023 the top two most common reasons for people claiming on life insurance were cancer and cardiovascular.

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.

In 2023 over 50,000 customers ordered health checks through Aviva DigiCare+ and DigiCare+ workplace apps, including Marlena, 25: "Usually I'm quite bubbly, but I just started to feel run down. Aviva sent me a health test and got to the bottom of things," Marlena, now recovering from chronic fatigue syndrome.

Aviva DigiCare+ is a smartphone app, provided 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. 

In 2023 we:

• Paid out more than £362 million worth of critical illness claims 
• Supported people with an average payout per claim of £71,833
• Found that over 58% of claims were for cancer

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 2023 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.

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

In 2023 we paid £326,000 in children's hospital benefit for critical illness. We also paid just over £5.9m in children's benefit claims, helping 283 families with an average lump sum payment of £20,926.

In 2023:

• We paid out over £53 million
• We settled 3,901 claims
• 26% of claims were for musculoskeletal conditions
• 23% of claims were related to mental health

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.

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 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 2023, we sent hundreds of Project Teddy gifts to children to help them and their families get through a tough time.*

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

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.

By working with Macmillan Clinical Nurse Specialists, we can help to speed up individual protection claim payments for some critical illness customers who have a cancer diagnosis. This helps reduce the time you have to wait for us to settle your claims.

In 2023, hundreds of customers who made a claim for cancer benefited from our claims handlers speaking directly to a Macmillan Cancer Nurse Specialist. Speeding things up means we're able to help more customers and their families get vital clinical, emotional, and financial security quickly, when they need it most.

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 2023 we declined 8.4% of critical illness claims, 7.5% of income protection claims and just 0.7% of life insurance claims.