Help & support
Protection Plans FAQs
Opening a plan
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Who can apply for Income Protection?
Anyone from age 16 and over can apply for a plan. The maximum age allowed on application is the day of your 60th birthday. You must have been a UK resident and registered with a UK medical practice for the last 3 years or longer, subject to UK taxation and hold a UK bank or building society account.
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Which jobs are covered?
We will consider most occupations for our income protection plan. Please check your occupation with a member of our team before applying for the plan.
Information about the plan
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How much will cover cost me?
The monthly premium you pay will depend on the percentage of your monthly income you want to cover and the waiting period you choose before you begin to receive benefits. Cover can start from as little as £5 a month which is our minimum premium.
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How long will the cover last for?
The minimum term for a plan is five years, and the maximum term is limited by your age. Cover will cease when you reach age 70.
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How much of my income will the plan cover?
If you are employed we can cover up to 70% of your regular gross income. If you are self-employed you can cover up to 70% of your net profit. Benefits will be paid to you monthly free of tax. You can also select to include inflation cover. The maximum benefit at the start of your Income Protection is £49,000 per year. The minimum benefit is determined by the requirement to have a minimum premium of £5 per month.
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How do I cancel my plan?
Adult ISAs
From the day you open a with profits Investment ISA you have a 30 day cooling off period to cancel it should you change your mind. If you cancel within this timeframe, 100% of the money you put in will be returned to you. If you cancel after the 30 days, you can request your cash-in value and we will organise the lump sum to be paid into your account.
If you cancel your unit-linked Stocks & Shares ISA within the 30-days or after, the amount you get back will be based on the price the next available trading window after your request has been processed. This means you may get back less than your initial investment.
Please note: After the 30 days cancellation period, under ISA rules you will be treated as though you have subscribed to a Stocks and Shares ISA and therefore any investment made will count towards your annual ISA allowance.
To cancel or cash in your plan, please email our Member Services team on members@shepherdsfriendly.co.uk with your full name and plan number.
5 Year Fixed Rate Bond
Once your application is accepted, you can cancel your plan within the first 30 days of opening it. You can do this by contacting our Member Services team via email at members@shepherdsfriendly.co.uk or via telephone on 0800 526 249. If you do so within this period, we will refund all the money you have invested. After the 30 days cancellation period you will not be able to withdraw money from the Bond unless there are exceptional circumstances.
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What is a Defaqto rating?
Defaqto is a financial information business which was established to help financial institutions and consumers make better informed decisions. They give financial products a Star Rating to indicate where a product or proposition sits in the market based on the quality and comprehensiveness of the features it offers. A 4 or 5-Star Rating indicates that a product or position represents one of the highest quality offerings on the market.
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Will Shepherds Friendly help me get back to work?
We aim to make your claims experience as stress free as possible and do what we can to facilitate your return to work. This includes, in certain scenarios, us funding various rehabilitation treatments.
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What happens if I stop paying my premiums?
If you do not pay your premiums, we will be unable to pay your benefit when you make a claim.
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What is the waiting/deferred period?
The waiting period/deferred period is the length of time between the first day of your incapacity to the date when we start to pay your sickness benefit. If you are not sure of your waiting period, refer to your plan documents.
You can choose the waiting period at the start from 1 week, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, 13 weeks, 26 weeks and 52 weeks. The longer the waiting period you select, the lower your monthly premium will be.
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How do I cancel my Income Protection plan?
You can cancel your plan at any time, by emailing our Member Services Team on members@shepherdsfriendly.co.uk with your full name and plan number.
If you cancel your plan within 30 days of receiving your plan documents, we will refund any premiums you have paid, as long as you are not receiving benefit from us during this time. If you cancel after the first 30 days, you will not be entitled to any refund.
Making a claim
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How do I make a claim?
If you need to make a claim, please fill out our online claims form by clicking here. A member of our claims team will then be in touch to process your claim.
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How long will it take for the claim to be accepted?
If the relevant documents, and all supporting documents, are returned completed correctly then it is possible for us to accept your claim within five working days of receiving the documents from you. Upon acceptance we will contact you to let you know. If you are late in submitting a claim we will make the first payment as soon as we can, but we will not back date it to the start of the illness. However, we will not apply this condition if your incapacity has physically prevented you from meeting it or if you have been confined in hospital.
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What if further information is required?
Every claim is different, and in some instances we may need to request medical information from your GP before accepting a claim. In this instance, we will contact your GP once we have received the required information back from you. Once your GP provides us with the information we require we will then update you within five working days about the decision.
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What happens once my claim is accepted?
We will notify you about a successful claim in writing. Your sickness benefit will then be paid monthly in advance into the bank account from which the premiums for your plan are paid.
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What happens if I die while outside of a claim period?
If the insured person dies outside of a claim period, the plan will end. However, we do offer a bereavement cover payment of £6,000 as part of our Enhanced Benefits programme to support our members and their families. This benefit is discretionary and can be withdrawn, but we must give advance notice to do this.
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How do I inform Shepherds Friendly of change of my home address?
You can update your personal details in your online login area or via the mobile app. Alternatively you can can call our member services team who would be happy to help.
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How soon do I need to notify you of a claim?
It is important you notify us as soon as possible. However, we ask for at least 14 days notice of the first expected benefit payment, unless your incapacity has prevented you from submitting your claim.
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What information will I need to give you when I contact you with a claim?
If you contact us by phone or email, we will need your contact and plan details and a full summary of your claim. If you choose to contact us online via the claims form, a list of required information and documents will be provided at the start of the form.
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What evidence will you need when I need to make a claim?
When you need to make a claim, we will need an original medical certificate, your last 2 months wage slips and latest P60 if your are employed. If you are self employed, we will need your last 3 years account and tax returns.
We will also require a copy of your photo identity.
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How quickly will I receive my payments?
Once we have accepted your claim, we will make a payment to you on our next available payment date. Our payment dates are either the 5th or 20th of the month.
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How long does the claims process normally take?
The process length of time is dependent on the type of claim. For most claims, we can make a decision within 48 hours of receiving your completed form and documents. However, there are some occasions where we will need further medical or financial evidence, which may cause slight delays in us reaching a decision.
Our Member Services Team are always happy to help. You can call them on 0800 526 249
or email us at info@shepherdsfriendly.co.uk
