Reviewed by Joe Chalk, Executive Client Advisor at CoverLife · Last reviewed
PROTECTION GUIDES
Life insurance when you are pregnant
Arrange cover for your growing family before the baby arrives, while you have the time to do it properly.
The short answer
You can usually get life insurance while you are pregnant. Pregnancy on its own is not normally a reason for an insurer to refuse cover. You answer the same health questions as anyone else, and declare the pregnancy and anything that has come up during it where the application asks.
Applying before the birth is often simpler than applying after it, and it means the cover is in place on the day your family starts depending on it.
Why expecting parents look at cover now
Pregnancy is usually the first time somebody is about to depend on you completely. For most couples it also means one income for a while, a bigger monthly budget once childcare starts, and possibly a move to a bigger home. Each of those makes the gap left by a parent's death larger.
It is also the last stretch of time, for a while, when you will have the energy to sort it out. Families who leave it until after the birth often find months go by before they get to it.
What you declare on the application
Every application asks about your health. During pregnancy, the things to have ready are:
- •Your due date, and whether this is your first pregnancy
- •Any condition diagnosed during the pregnancy, such as raised blood pressure or gestational diabetes, with how it is being treated or monitored
- •Tests, scans or appointments you are waiting for, beyond routine antenatal care
- •Anything from a previous pregnancy or birth that the questions cover
- •Your usual health history, exactly as you would declare it at any other time
Worth knowing
Where a complication is being treated or monitored, an insurer may ask for more information, offer different terms, or wait until after the birth to make a decision. That is a decision about timing, not a refusal, and it is one reason to apply early rather than late in the pregnancy.
Life cover, critical illness and income protection
Life insurance
The core of family protection. Most expecting parents choose level cover lasting until their youngest child is likely to be independent, often with a separate policy for each parent. Our family life insurance guide explains how to set the amount and term.
Critical illness cover
Many critical illness policies include some cover for the policyholder's children, which typically starts shortly after birth. The age range and conditions covered vary, so it is worth reading the children's section of the policy. See children's critical illness cover.
Income protection
Income protection replaces part of your earnings if illness or injury stops you working. How a policy treats claims connected with pregnancy and childbirth, and time spent on maternity or paternity leave, varies between policies, so this is a wording to check rather than assume. We go through it with you before you apply.
Who it suits, and when it may not be needed
Who it can suit
- •Couples expecting their first child, with a mortgage or rent to cover
- •Parents expecting another child, whose existing cover was set before this one
- •A parent planning to stay at home for a while, whose care the family would have to replace
- •Single parents-to-be, who will be the only provider
When it may not be needed
- •Existing cover already runs until your youngest child would be independent, for enough to support the family
- •Savings or investments would support the family for as long as needed
Death-in-service benefit from an employer is a useful base, but it was usually sized before the baby and it ends if you leave that job.
Next steps
- •Work out a rough amount with our life insurance calculator, or see guide prices by age.
- •Gather your due date, mortgage balance and term, and details of any cover either of you already has
- •Talk to us, and we will compare cover for both of you across our panel of 15 insurers
- •Once the baby is here, revisit the plan with our guide for new parents.
Talk to us before the baby arrives
Tell us your due date, your mortgage and what each of you earns, and we will compare cover for both parents across our panel. There is no fee for our advice.
How CoverLife can help
CoverLife helps families, parents and homeowners protect their mortgage, their children and their income, with a dedicated adviser for your application and ongoing support. We have access to a panel of 15 protection insurers, with availability varying by product and circumstances, and we compare benefits and terms alongside price. We also help people with common pre-existing conditions, review cover you already have, and look at over-50s and funeral cover for later life.
We charge no advice or arrangement fee; we receive commission from the insurer. CoverLife is a trading name of CoverTrade Risk Management Ltd, authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority, firm reference number 1020148. More about CoverLife
Related guides
The questions people usually ask next.
- Family life insuranceHow much cover a family needs, and for how long.
- Life insurance for new parentsWhat changes once the baby is here, including insuring a parent at home.
- Children's critical illness coverWhat some adult policies include for your children once they are born.
- How much life insurance do I need?Work out an amount with the calculator.
Common questions
Can I get life insurance while I am pregnant?+
Usually, yes. Being pregnant is not, on its own, normally a reason for an insurer to refuse life cover. You answer the same health questions as anyone else, and you declare the pregnancy and anything that has come up during it where the application asks. The insurer then decides the terms.
Is it better to apply before or after the baby is born?+
Before is often simpler. Cover is underwritten on your health on the day you apply, and anything that arises during or after a birth becomes part of your medical history. Applying earlier also means the cover is already in place on the day your family's need for it is greatest.
Do I have to tell the insurer I am pregnant?+
Answer every question fully and accurately. If a question covers the pregnancy, a condition diagnosed during it, or tests and appointments you are waiting for, include it. An application that leaves something out is the most common reason a claim runs into difficulty.
What if I have had a complication, such as gestational diabetes?+
Declare it with the details: when it was diagnosed, how it was treated and how things stand now. A complication that is being treated or monitored may lead an insurer to ask for more information, apply different terms, or wait until after the birth to decide. We help you set it out clearly so the insurer has what it needs first time.
Should my partner take out cover at the same time?+
Usually, yes. Both parents contribute something the family would have to replace, whether that is an income, childcare, or both. Arranging both policies together means you can see the total cost and decide between separate policies and one joint policy with the full picture.