Income Replacement Ratio Calculator UK — an indicative UK 2026 calculator. Enter your circumstances below for a personalised income protection recommendation. Real-world pricing then comes from our free whole-of-market comparison (60 seconds).
How this calculator works
The calculator combines three things: (1) your financial circumstances as inputs, (2) published UK insurer starting premiums by age and cover band, (3) industry-standard recommendations for cover amount, term and structure. It's designed to give you a realistic starting point — not a binding quote.
Why use a calculator before comparing quotes?
- Scoping. Most applicants over- or under-estimate by 30–50% what they actually need. The calculator puts you in the right ballpark before you talk to an adviser.
- Confidence. You arrive at the adviser call knowing what you're trying to buy, not asking the adviser to tell you.
- Comparison. Once you know your target cover amount, whole-of-market comparison is much more meaningful.
What the calculator doesn't account for
- Your exact medical history. Pre-existing conditions can add 20–200% to premiums.
- Occupational loading. Some jobs (offshore, high-access construction, pilots) carry loading.
- Policy-specific features. Indexation, guaranteed insurability, waiver of premium each add to the premium.
- Insurer-specific underwriting stance. The insurer cheapest for you depends on your specific profile — whole-of-market comparison is the only reliable way to know.
Next steps
- Run the calculator above for an indicative target cover and premium.
- Get a real quote — our free 60-second form compares every major UK insurer at your exact profile.
- Talk to an FCA-authorised adviser — free, no obligation, paid on commission only on successful placement.
- Apply with full medical disclosure — the single biggest factor in whether your future claim pays.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, completely free. No sign-up, no email required. The calculator runs in your browser — we don't store your inputs.
Indicative — typically within 20% of the actual quote you'd get from a major UK insurer. Accuracy depends on how accurately you enter your age, cover amount, term and smoker status. It can't know your full medical history, so any pre-existing condition will materially shift the real price.
No. It's an indicative illustration. A binding quote requires submitting an application to an FCA-authorised insurer, including full medical disclosure. Our free 60-second comparison is the fastest route from illustration to real quote.
You can use it to scope the ballpark, but for pre-existing conditions you should get a real quote from our panel — individual insurers price conditions very differently, and the cheapest insurer for your healthy profile might not be the cheapest for your actual profile.
For income protection specifically: mortgage-linked cover plus 10× working income for lump-sum life insurance; 60–65% of gross income for income protection; 12–24 months of essentials plus mortgage clearance for CIC. The calculator personalises this for your circumstances.
Do both, in order. Use the calculator to scope your target cover. Then get real whole-of-market quotes — the calculator can't beat a real quote for accuracy, but real quotes are less useful if you haven't scoped cover first. Two minutes of calculator + two minutes of quote gets you a well-informed decision.