Illustrative scenario 01No employer sick pay
A sole trader wants to discuss income if unable to work. Insurable earnings and household costs need to be separated.
Useful information for the conversation
- Accounts and personal income
- Essential household expenses
The aim is to identify the questions and evidence that matter before making a commitment. A short outline is enough to begin; detailed records can follow through an agreed secure route.
Illustrative scenario 02A director with mixed drawings
Salary and dividends fund personal spending. The insurer's earnings definition needs checking.
Useful information for the conversation
- Essential household expenses
- Savings buffer
The aim is to identify the questions and evidence that matter before making a commitment. A short outline is enough to begin; detailed records can follow through an agreed secure route.
Illustrative scenario 03Personal and business expenses
A business owner wants support for both. Household income protection and business overhead needs are different questions.
Useful information for the conversation
- Savings buffer
- Existing policies and business overheads
The aim is to identify the questions and evidence that matter before making a commitment. A short outline is enough to begin; detailed records can follow through an agreed secure route.
Illustrative scenario 04Evidence focus: Use insurable income rather than turnover
A household or business owner wants to discuss self-employed income protection. Two points need attention: accounts and personal income; essential household expenses. Insurers need evidence of earnings and may assess directors and sole traders differently. The evidence and the decision need to be considered together rather than in isolation.
Useful information for the conversation
- Existing policies and business overheads
- Accounts and personal income
The aim is to identify the questions and evidence that matter before making a commitment. A short outline is enough to begin; detailed records can follow through an agreed secure route.
Illustrative scenario 05Decision point: Savings buffer
A household or business owner has started a conversation about self-employed income protection, but the brief has changed. The review revisits two points: savings buffer; existing policies and business overheads. The next step is agreed using the updated facts, with any unresolved questions recorded.
Useful information for the conversation
- Accounts and personal income
- Essential household expenses
The aim is to identify the questions and evidence that matter before making a commitment. A short outline is enough to begin; detailed records can follow through an agreed secure route.
The wider assessment
Use insurable income rather than turnover
Insurers need evidence of earnings and may assess directors and sole traders differently. The benefit should fit the policy's income definition. Business overheads and personal living costs are separate needs, even when both come from the same business account.
A fall in sales alone is not normally an income-protection claim. Cover is based on incapacity under the policy definition.