Life insurance cover with an experience worth £200^†

Life insurance helps to protect your loved ones financially in the event of your death. Post Office Life insurance is designed to pay a lump sum if you die or are diagnosed with a terminal illness and have less than 12 months to live. You choose the amount of cover you need and how long you need it for and pay a regular monthly premium. You can also choose between a joint life or a single life insurance policy. Your premiums are guaranteed to stay the same unless you make changes to your policy. The lump sum from your policy can be used to help pay the mortgage or help protect your family's lifestyle and everyday living expenses.

For more details on how Post Office Life Insurance works, including the definitions of terminal illnesses we’ll pay out for, please read our terms and conditions.

People rarely want to think about life insurance. But certain moments in life may make you look seriously into taking out a policy – like getting married, having children, buying a home and more.

If you have people who depend on you, like children or a partner, it can be sobering to consider what might happen to them if you pass away unexpectedly.

A life insurance policy can protect your loved ones against uncertainty. It’s way to make sure your dependants are financially protected if the worst were to happen.

There’s no legal requirement to take out life insurance if you’re taking on a mortgage. But many lenders will strongly recommend you get covered if you do. It’s a way to make sure the mortgage debt will be paid off if you die. And that can be welcome reassurance to your loved ones at a tough time, so they’re not at risk of losing their home as well as losing you. 

Most life insurance providers will offer a decreasing term life cover option. This type of cover will reduce over time, roughly in line with the way a repayment mortgage reduces. If you die while covered, your family will get a lump sum to help cover the remaining mortgage. This means they get to stay in the family home without the worry of mortgage payment.

Read our guide: mortgage life insurance

Even if you don't have a mortgage, life insurance could help your family cover the cost of everyday living and maintain their lifestyle. Things like rent, private or university education costs, birthdays and weddings all need paying for. You may even need cover to pay for domestic tasks if the person left behind has to pay someone to do them after you're gone.

Critical illness cover pays a cash sum if, during your policy term, you suffer from heart attacks, strokes (depending on the severity), coronary artery or certain types of cancer that meet our definition.

At such a difficult time, it can ease financial pressures on you, your family or your partner. For instance, it may help pay for a mortgage, rent or everyday living costs. It might also be used for modifications to your home needed as a result of your illness. Find out more about our critical illness benefit, or our guide on family life insurance.

Joint life insurance protects two people under one policy with one monthly premium payment. It only pays out once if a policyholder dies within the term.

Two single policies protect each policyholder separately but will mean paying two premiums each month. Consider which option is right for you.

With Post Office Life Insurance, your monthly payments will continue until the earliest of these:

• The end of the term of your policy
• Your death
• Our acceptance of your diagnosis of a terminal illness

If you make a claim after being diagnosed with a terminal illness, please don't stop paying your monthly payments. We’ll first confirm if your terminal illness meets our terminal illness definition, as per the terms and conditions .