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- Optional critical illness cover
You might be the sole earner in the household, but even if you’re not, you might be worried about how your family will manage financially if you die or become ill. Life insurance for mums can help ease your mind, so we’ve set out what it covers and what you need to know.
If you’re a mother and take out life insurance, if you die, the payout from the policy can help provide for your children and even pay for things like university fees or a deposit on their first home.
If you get critical illness cover, you can get financial support if you become seriously ill, which can help cover household expenses for you and your children.
If you’re a single mum, your children depend on you completely. Not being there to watch them grow up is unimaginable, but knowing they will be financially secure can help ease the burden.
Even if you have a partner or spouse who’s earning, will they be able to cope with just one income if something happens to you? If the answer is no, then your life insurance payout would help them, too.
There are three types of life insurance available for mums:
Being pregnant shouldn’t make a difference when it comes to taking out life insurance.
That said, applying early can have its benefits, as some conditions that arise later in the pregnancy might mean the insurer postpones your cover until after you’ve given birth.
You can find out more in our guide to pregnancy and life insurance.
This depends on what the usual outgoings are for your family and how much money you think your dependants would need if you died.
Many mums choose to maintain their life insurance cover only until their children are grown up and are financially independent.
However, even in this case, your loved ones can still benefit from a payout when you die. Life insurance can help with things like funeral costs and settling any debts you leave behind, like mortgage payments and credit card bills.
Your partner can also be helped by the extra financial security of the payout.
Generally speaking, the younger you are, the lower your premiums will be. Note that if you have existing medical conditions, you smoke or have a high alcohol consumption, your premiums will be more expensive, but your age can still be a benefit so taking out a policy early is likely to be worth it.
If you are your children’s only provider, it is even more important for you to make sure they are looked after financially if anything happens to you. Losing you will no doubt be devastating for your children, but having to deal with the financial responsibility this can bring will be a huge burden.
Of course, being a single mum might mean you also have less disposable income to put into things like life insurance, but getting even a basic, cheaper policy can still help support your children should the worst happen.
As a working mum, you are providing crucial funds to the household. Consider whether your family would be able to cope without your monthly wages. Even if you have a partner, they might not manage to pay all of the household expenses on one salary.
While nothing can replace your presence in your family’s life, getting life insurance can help them manage better financially without your support.
Some might think that, as stay-at-home mums (or dads) don’t earn a salary, they don’t require life insurance. However, this is a misconception.
Parents who take on the responsibility of maintaining the household – cleaning, buying groceries and being the children’s private taxi service – all make an invaluable contribution to keeping family life on track.
Should you not be there to do all of these things, someone else will need to do them. This means either having to pay a professional, or having your partner or other family member take time out of their schedule. In both cases, having financial support in place will make this much easier for whomever assumes this responsibility.
If you smoke, you will be considered high risk for life insurance. This means that your premiums are likely to be higher.
Note that, even if you’ve given up smoking during pregnancy, unless you’ve had no contact with nicotine (including cigarettes, e-cigarettes and nicotine replacement products) at all for at least 12 months as a minimum, you will still be considered a smoker by most insurance companies.
Read our comprehensive guide on shareholder protection cover, including how it works, pros and cons for taking out a policy and how to set cover up correctly.
Use our online calculator to find out how much life insurance you need based on your own personal circumstances.
Find out all about life insurance beneficiaries and the current rules around them in the UK.
We take a closer look at the pros and cons of taking out more than one life insurance policy.
We explain the effect smoking has on life insurance claims and premiums, how to save and different ways to get cheaper cover.
If you are a new parent and looking for life insurance, read our comprehensive guide to find out what type of cover you need and what’s included.
Are you self-employed and looking for life insurance? Read our comprehensive guide on what options are available and what’s included.
If you’re thinking of cancelling your life insurance policy, rest assured that it can be done. Find out how to cancel, how much it costs and what the consequences might be.
Looking for life insurance for your children? Read our comprehensive guide on child life insurance and get quotes online today.