1. Why is there a need for Unemployment Insurance?
2. How these policies can help you?
3. Who can take out cover under this policy?
4. What is the maximum monthly cover limit?
5. What happens if you are a shareholding director or proprietor?
6. How will your employment status affect your cover?
7. How long are benefits paid for in the event of a claim?
8. How long do you wait before receiving your first monthly benefit payment?
9. Can you make an immediate claim?
10. When will you be able to make a claim for unemployment?
11. When will you not be able to make a claim for unemployment?
12. When will you be able to make a claim for disability?
13. When will you not be able to make a claim for disability?
14. When do claims become payable?
15. Can your claim payments be reduced?
16. How are premiums paid?
17. When does cover cease?
18. Can cover be cancelled?
19. What documentation do you receive?
20. Policy terms and conditions

If the information below does not fully answer all of your queries, please telephone the UKinsuranceNET help line on 0845 365 0030 quoting ref WS6

Key Features

If you were unable to work due to an Accident, Sickness or Unemployment would you be able to meet all your financial commitments?  Use the table below to calculate your monthly expenditure:

The UKinsuranceNET range of personal unemployment insurance plans can provide you with valuable financial assistance if you are unable to work due to:

• Unemployment as a result of Dismissal or Cessation of Trade (as detailed in section 6) and
• Disability as a result of an accident or sickness.

To be eligible for cover, at the commencement date of this policy (the Policy Start Date):

You must:

• Be aged 18 or over and less than 64 years of age and be permanently resident in the United Kingdom
• Be in Work (Work means you are actively working for more than 16 hours per week)
• Have completed an application for this policy and agree to be bound by its terms.

You must not:

• Know that you will become Unemployed or have any reason to believe that you may become Unemployed
• Be in casual, temporary or seasonal employment (including casual, temporary or seasonal contracts) or in any type of occupation where Unemployment is a regular feature of that particular job

The maximum monthly cover you can choose under any one of our policies policy is £2,500 or 50% of your Normal Income, whichever is the lower.  The amount of monthly cover you choose is known as the Monthly Benefit.

If you are a Shareholding Director and you own more than 10% of the issued share capital of the business that you work in, or, you are a Proprietor who wholly or partially owns the business (other than as a shareholder) that you work in, you will only be insured if your business Ceases to Trade.

Important Note: If you are a relative of a Shareholding Director or Proprietor who is working in the same business as you, you will only be insured if the business you work in Ceases to Trade.

Relative means husband, wife, co-habitee, or any other immediate family member related by blood, marriage or law.

Full details of the circumstances when Unemployment is deemed to have occurred are provided in section 6.

The circumstances when Unemployment is deemed to have occurred under this type of policy will vary in line with your employment status.  Details of this are provided below:

If you are in Permanent Employment or you have been Employed on a contract basis (other than casual, temporary or seasonal contracts) by the same employer for more than 2 consecutive years*, then:

Provided you are not a Shareholding Director or Proprietor or a Relative of a Shareholding Director of Proprietor who works in the same business as you (as detailed in section 5), Unemployment is deemed to have occurred if you have been Dismissed due to circumstances entirely beyond your control or,

If you are a Shareholding director or Proprietor or a Relative of a Shareholding Director of Proprietor who works in the same business as you (as detailed in section 5), Unemployment is deemed to have occurred if the business you Work in Ceases to Trade due to circumstances entirely beyond your control or the control of any director, owner or partner in that business.

If the same employer has not employed you for more than 2 consecutive years, you will not be insured against the non-renewal of your contract and any entitlement to Monthly Benefit will cease on the date your contract was originally intended to terminate.

If you are Self Employed, you will only be insured if the business you Work in Ceases to Trade due to circumstances entirely beyond your control or the control of any director, owner or partner in that business.

Each separate period of Unemployment or Disability for which you are receiving Monthly Benefit under this type of policy is known as a Claim Period.  You can choose to receive up to a maximum of 24 Monthly Benefit payments for any one Claim Period.

You can choose to receive your first Monthly Benefit payment after either 30, 60 or 90 consecutive days of Unemployment or Disability.  This is known as the Waiting Period.

There is a period immediately following the Policy Start Date during which any occurrence or notification of impending Unemployment or Disability is not insured.  This is known as the Exclusion Period.  The Exclusion Period under this type of policy will depend on the plan you select and how recently you have taken out a mortgage:

You can make a completely new claim under this policy type provided that you have been in work for a period of between 90 & 180 consecutive days following a previous Claim Period.

If you have not been in work for a period of 180 consecutive days following a previous Claim Period, a further claim for the same type of benefit (Unemployment or Disability) will be treated as the same Claim Period.

You can transfer a claim between Unemployment and Disability provided that the combined total of Monthly Benefit payments does not exceed the maximum number of Monthly Benefit payments allowed for any one Claim Period under this policy.

To claim Monthly Benefit for Unemployment under this policy, you must:

Have lost your job due to involuntary Unemployment and be entirely without work

Have paid all you premiums and continue to do so during the Claim Period

Have been in continuous work for the 6 month period immediately prior to your first claim for Unemployment, or if now, then you must have been in continuous work for the 6 month period immediately prior to the Policy Start Date

Have signed a Jobseeker’s Agreement or any similar agreement introduced by the Benefits Agency (unless you are exempt).  You must also have provided us with a copy of this and have agreed to comply with its terms and conditions

Be available for and actively seeking work and be able to provide us with evidence of this

Be prevented from working solely as a result of the Unemployment you are claiming for

Not be receiving Monthly Benefit for Disability

Provide us with all the evidence we require to validate your claim.

In the event of a claim, we will consider the first day of your Unemployment to be the day you are first registered with the Benefits Agency or Job Centre and are credited with National Insurance Contributions.  You are not considered to be Unemployed for any period in which you are in receipt of Payment in Lieu of Notice*.

Payment in Lieu of Notice means any payment, or compensation for loss of office which directly, or indirectly, relates to any period of notice you are not required to serve following the termination of your employment

You cannot receive Monthly Benefit for Unemployment if:

You knew at the Policy Start Date that you would become Unemployed or you had any reason to believe that you might become Unemployed

Your Unemployment occurs within the Exclusion Period or you are told within the Exclusion Period that you will become Unemployed, even if your Unemployment does not occur until after the Exclusion Period

Your employment is of a casual, temporary or seasonal nature (including casual, temporary or seasonal contracts) or Unemployment is a regular feature of your particular occupation

You accept voluntary Unemployment, resign, retire or accept early retirement in lieu of Unemployment

Your Unemployment occurs as a result of your misconduct, breach of contract or you continuously fail to meet the performance standards or targets laid down by your employer

Your Unemployment occurs as a result of you participating in, or attempting to commit, a criminal offence

Your Unemployment occurs as a result of war, riot, radioactive contamination, nuclear accidents or similar risks

Your Unemployment occurs as a result of you directly, or indirectly, participating in industrial action

Your Unemployment occurs when you are away for the EC for a period intended by you to be more than 90 consecutive days.  The clause will not apply if your reason for leaving the EC is because you:       

Work for the British Armed Forces, or

Work as a Civil Servant in a British Embassy or Consulate

Your Unemployment occurs as a result of any Disability howsoever caused.

No Monthly Benefit is payable for any period in which you are in receipt of Payment in Lieu of Notice.

To claim Monthly Benefit for Disability under this policy type, you must:

Have selected the accident sickness benefit on your chosen plan

Have paid all your premiums and continue to do so during the Claim Period

Have been in continuous Work when your Disability occurred

Be under the regular care of a Doctor or Specialist for the Disability you are claiming for

Be prevented from attending Work solely as a result of the Disability you are claiming for

Not be receiving Monthly Benefit for Unemployment

Not be doing any other job for payment or reward

Provide us with all the evidence we require to validate your claim.

In the event of a claim, we will consider the first day of your Disability to be the day a Doctor or Specialist first certifies that you are unable to Work.  If you are Self Employed, you cannot be receiving any form of payment for helping, managing or carrying out any part of the day-to-day running of your business while you remain Disabled.

You cannot receive Monthly Benefit for Disability if:

You knew at the Policy Start Date that you would become Disabled or you had any reason to believe that you might become Disabled

Your Disability is due to a self inflicted injury, drinking alcohol or drug abuse

Your Disability arises from stress, anxiety, depression or any mental or nervous disorder unless a Specialist certifies that the condition solely prevents you from working

Your Disability is due to a Pre-Existing Medical Condition*

Your Disability is due to pregnancy, childbirth, miscarriage or abortion other than a medical complication which directly occurs as a result of your pregnancy

Your disability is due to a back related condition unless there is radiological evidence of medical abnormality, visible wound, contusion, or a Specialist certifies that the condition solely prevents you from working

Your Disability arises from any medical operation or treatment which is not medically necessary including any cosmetic or beauty treatment

Your Disability is due to any of the Unemployment exclusions

You cannot receive Monthly Benefit for Unemployment and Disability at the same time.

Pre-Existing Medical Condition means any sickness, condition or injury for which you received treatment, medication or advice (including regular or routine examination or consultations to monitor the condition) in the 24 months prior to the Policy Start Date.

We will pay your first Monthly Benefit on the first day you remain continuously unemployed, or disabled, immediately following the Waiting Period (31^st, 61^st or 91^st day as applicable).  After that we will pay 1/30^th of your Monthly Benefit for each consecutive day that you remain unemployed or disabled until the earliest of the following events:

The last consecutive day that you remain Unemployed of Disabled

The date you cease to provide evidence that you remain continuously Unemployed or disabled

We have made the maximum number of Monthly Benefit payments allowed for any one Claim Period

The Termination Date of this policy (as detailed in section 18).

If you are making a claim for Unemployment or Disability and the combined total of all monies and benefits in kind you receive from any source (including benefits from this and any other insurance policy) exceed 75% of your Normal Income, we will deduct the excess amount from your Monthly Benefit.

Your premium is payable monthly in advance by Direct Debit.  If you are in receipt of Monthly Benefit, you must continue to pay the premium, as it falls due, in order to ensure continuous cover under this policy

Your premium rate can be amended by giving you 30 days' notice in writing

If there are any changes to the current level of Insurance Premium Tax or any new taxation levies are imposed, your premium will be amended from the date any such changes are implemented.

The Termination Date of this policy is deemed to be the day on which one of the following should occur.

You die

You retire from work or reach age 64, whichever is the earlier

Your premium becomes more than 30 days overdue

You cease to be resident within the United Kingdom

You, or we, cancel this policy (as detailed in section 19).

You can cancel your cover at any time.  If you cancel your cover within 30 days of the Policy Start Date, we will refund any monies we have received in respect of this policy.  We will not refund any monies we have received in respect of this policy if you cancel your cover more than 30 days after the Policy Start Date.

We can cancel your cover by giving 30 days' written notice.  If we do, this will not affect your right to receive Monthly Benefit for any Unemployment or Disability, which occurs prior to the Termination Date.

Key Features document
Policy Schedule
Full policy terms & conditions

If you require a copy of the full terms & conditions for any of our recommended plans, please use the contact details opposite not forgetting to state which plan.