Sick Pay Insurance FAQ’s

Find the most commonly asked questions about our Sick Pay Cover here.

Get in touch if you can’t find the answer to your question.

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Am I eligible for the policy?

You may apply for cover if you meet the following criteria: You are a permanent UK resident, you work more than 16hrs a week and you are between 18 and 61 years old. That’s it!

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Can the self employed benefit from the sick pay plan?

Yes, the self-employed are one of the most common groups that choose to benefit from the sick pay plan as they can be more vulnerable financially if they are unable to work.

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What does the sick pay plan cover?

We will pay the benefit if you suffer an accident or illness and are unable to attend your usual place of employment as a result of this. The benefit will be paid until the date that you return to work or until the maximum benefit has been paid, whichever comes first.

The accident or illness must occur during the period of cover and the symptoms must last for more than 30 calendar days in a row before we will pay a benefit.

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How long does the policy offer cover for?

The sick pay plan will pay out a monthly benefit amount for up to 6 months of the policy year.

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How long does the policy last?

This policy is an annually renewable policy. We will contact you between 4 weeks before your renewal date to check that you wish to continue with the policy. Alternatively, you can cancel it at any time, should you wish to.

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What does ‘qualifying period’ mean, and how long is it?

The qualifying period is the period of time after the policy start date, that you cannot submit a claim.

We offer a fixed qualifying period to all of our customers.

There is a 90-day qualifying period, from the policy start date, applicable to any claim on an illness benefit, and a 14-day qualifying period applicable to any accident benefit.

There is also a 30 day waiting period applied to the policy. You cannot claim for the first 30 days of being off sick from work.

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What factors of my lifestyle will drive my premiums up?

None. That is the beauty of it. All of our sick pay policies are the same price for everyone, regardless of your age, health, occupation or drinking and smoking habits.

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If your income is less than the monthly benefit, can you apply?

Yes, but the benefit paid out is up to benefit level (£500, £1,000 or £1,5000) or 75% of your gross monthly salary – whichever is the lesser.

Your benefit cannot exceed 75% of gross income but less any other similar insurances or wages or work related income. If an accident or illness is covered by any other insurance policy or your salary is paid by your employer, we will not pay more than our proportional share of a claim as you cannot receive more than 100% of your gross monthly salary across all policies held. We do not take into account any Statutory Sick Pay benefits received.

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Why can't I just rely on state benefits?

The state Statutory Sick Pay benefit currently rests at just £116.75 per week, which works out at only £2.92 an hour, if you work the average of 40 hours per week. Research in March 2016, done by the Office for National Statistics, showed that UK Homes spent an average of £528.90 per week – so you can see having some financial protection in place is important to help cover your bills.

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Can I cancel my policy if I no longer need it?

Yes, all of our insurance policies are annually renewable policies so they only last 1 year, and you can cancel at any time of your choosing. We also provide a 30-day-money-back-guarantee after your take out our insurance, in which you can change your mind and not pay a penny!

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What happens if I miss a payment?

If you happen to miss a payment, we will attempt to collect payment on the next monthly payment run, and if payment is still not made then we will cancel your policy. We will notify you in writing when a payment has not been made.

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Why does ESMI not require you to answer medical questions or take a medical exam?

At ESMI we firmly believe that it is wrong to either; deny a persons application, or charge them a higher premium, just because of their lifestyle, health or occupation. We offer the same premium’s to all Sick Pay customers.

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Are pre-existing conditions covered under the plan?

No, pre-existing conditions are not covered under the plan

Definition of a pre-existing condition:

Any conditions, injury, illness disease or related condition and/or associated symptoms whether diagnosed or not, which you suffered in the 36 months immediately before the start date of the insurance which an insured person knew about or should reasonably have known about or had seen a doctor or consultant about.

The exclusion is then automatically removed if the insured person has been symptom free and has not required treatment or medical advice for at least 24 months in a row immediately after the policy start date.