At the end of term you either walk away, renew on new terms, or switch insurers. Each path has underwriting and timing risks.
Start early
Begin quotes 3–6 months before expiry. Medical evidence takes time.
Guaranteed vs new underwriting
Some products offer guaranteed start options; many do not. Health changes dominate the maths.
No gap day
Overlap old and new by a few days. Admin delays happen.
- Diary expiry minus 6 months.
- Gather GP details early.
- Overlap cover dates.
A practical six-month runway
At six months out, request GP details and start dual-track quotes. At three months, choose a path. At one month, overlap start dates so admin delays cannot open a gap.
If health has worsened, keeping an existing guaranteed product (where available) may beat a shiny cheaper quote that never reaches offer.
Practical next steps
Treat this topic as a decision with paperwork attached. Write down the household facts that matter — who depends on income, which debts must clear, and which workplace benefits already exist — before you compare products. A clear brief stops glossy quotes from steering the plan.
When you speak to an insurer or adviser, ask for definitions and exclusions in writing, and keep PDFs of every illustration you rely on. Markets and underwriting change; your notes are the audit trail.
- Confirm what cover you already hold (personal and workplace).
- Size need against obligations, not round marketing numbers.
- Align wills, trusts, and nominations with the policy.
- Never cancel old cover until replacement is on risk.
Mistakes families make here
The common failure mode is optimising for the cheapest monthly figure while ignoring structure: joint versus single policies, accelerated versus additional benefits, and whether a trust exists at all. Another is letting group benefits create false confidence until a resignation removes them overnight.
Build a short annual review habit. An hour with schedules and nomination forms prevents most emergency weekends after a diagnosis or redundancy.
If you no longer need cover, cancel deliberately — do not let it lapse unnoticed.
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