Home/Personal protection/Child Critical Illness Cover
Personal protectionTime off work, when they need you most.
Cover for your children against the conditions the policy lists. It is normally added to a parent's plan rather than bought on its own, and the real point of it is letting you stop working for a while without the household falling apart.
What to check before buying
This is the cover people most often buy twice, because a good number of critical illness policies already include a version of it.
- How it is bought
- Almost always an addition to a parent's policy
- What it pays
- A lump sum, usually smaller than the adult benefit
- Ages covered
- Typically from a few weeks old to 18, or 21 in education
- Often included
- Many policies now add it as standard
Check what you already have
Many insurers include child cover automatically on a parent's critical illness policy. Look at what you hold before paying for anything additional.
The conditions and the ages
Children's cover has its own list, and its own age limits at both ends. Some include children born or adopted after the policy starts, some do not.
What it pays
Usually a percentage of the parent's cover up to a stated ceiling. Enough to stop working for a period, not enough to replace an income indefinitely.
How we arrange it
Look at your existing policy first
If child cover is already built in, we will tell you and you can keep your money.
Compare the children's definitions
They differ from the adult list and from insurer to insurer, including how childhood cancers are defined.
Check how new children are treated
Whether children born or adopted later are automatically included matters if your family is not finished.
Add it to the parent's plan
Almost always cheaper and simpler than a standalone arrangement.
Child Critical Illness Cover, answered
- Is it automatically included? Frequently, yes. A good number of critical illness policies now include child cover as standard, which is the first thing we check.
- What ages are covered? Commonly from around a month old until 18, extending to 21 or so while in full-time education. The exact ages vary by insurer.
- How much does it pay? Usually a proportion of the parent's cover, subject to a maximum. The intention is to fund time away from work and travel to treatment.
- Are children born later included? With many insurers yes, automatically. With others you have to tell them. It is worth knowing which you have.
- Does claiming end the parent's cover? Normally not. A child claim usually pays without reducing or ending the adult policy, but check the wording, because it is not universal.
A great many critical illness policies already include child cover. We will look before you buy anything else.
If yours does not, adding it to an existing plan is almost always cheaper than a policy of its own.
Request assistancePeople asking about this usually ask about these
Ask us about child critical illness cover
Tell us where you are up to and an adviser will come back to you. The answers below just save us a phone call working it out.
- One of the five advisers on Eastfield Road, not a call centre.
- Usually the same working day.
- No obligation, and nothing to sign at the end of it.
Would rather talk now? Call 01733 602 033.
Not sure what you have?
Send us your existing policy documents and we will read them properly.