Is Legal & General life insurance a good choice?
Legal & General remains one of the strongest options for low-cost life insurance in 2026, especially if you want simple, flexible cover from a long-established UK brand. With almost 200 years of experience, a wide choice of policies, guaranteed fixed premiums, and useful extras like free terminal illness cover, temporary mortgage cover, and 24/7 virtual GP access, Legal & General can offer very solid value for money for many UK families and homeowners. However, they are not always the cheapest provider on the market, so it is worth comparing quotes and getting independent advice before you decide.
Who is Legal & General life insurance best for?
Legal & General is often considered to be better suited to people looking for simple life cover and critical illness cover to protect their family or mortgage. Premiums are typically lower for younger adults and non-smokers, but other specialist areas include some pre-existing medical conditions, sports, and occupations.
Is Legal & General life insurance cheap?
Life insurance premiums start from around †£5 per month for Legal & General, and it is typically one of the cheaper life insurance companies, and you would often see premiums in the top 3 for price.
How strong is Legal & General’s life cover claims record?
Legal & General reports that they pay the vast majority of claims, and in 2025 they paid out on 97% of individual protection claims, which should give some reassurance that valid claims are usually accepted without issues.
Is Legal & General right for you personally?
The “right” policy depends on your age, health, budget, and whether you are mainly protecting a mortgage, your family income, or a future inheritance, so it is sensible to compare Legal & General with a few other insurers and, if you have medical conditions or a tight budget, speak to an independent life insurance specialist before committing.
Key Points: Legal & General life insurance review 2026.
- Legal & General is one of the UK’s biggest life insurance and pensions providers with roots going back to 1836.
- They offer a full range of life policies, including level and decreasing term, family income benefit, whole of life and over 50s life cover.
- Critical illness cover can be added with a choice of core or enhanced versions, including children’s cover as standard.
- Useful free extras include terminal illness benefit, temporary mortgage cover while your house purchase completes, and 24/7 online GP services.
- Policies have guaranteed fixed premiums and you can choose index linked cover so your benefit keeps pace with inflation.
- Legal & General has a strong claims record, paying 97% of individual protection claims in 2021.
- They are rarely the very cheapest insurer, so it is worth comparing prices with other providers through a broker.
- You can place your policy in trust with Legal & General for free, which can speed up payouts and help with inheritance tax planning.
About Legal & General
Legal & General began life in 1836 as the New Life Assurance Society, originally focused on legal professionals working. The company soon opened its doors to the wider public and rebranded as Legal & General. Nearly two centuries later, it has grown into a major UK financial services group offering life insurance, pensions, investments, and later-life mortgages, serving millions of customers across the country.
In the UK, Legal & General is particularly well known for life insurance and retirement products. They work directly with consumers, through employers, and via partnerships with big names such as Barclays and Nationwide. For many households, they are a familiar brand, which can help people feel more comfortable taking out long-term protection such as life cover.
Legal & General Life Insurance advert UK 2020
Legal & General television advert from 2020 looks at the financial realities faced by families with children after losing a parent and parter.
Legal & General awards and industry recognition
Legal & General has picked up a long list of awards for both products and customer service. While awards alone are not a reason to choose an insurer, they do indicate consistent performance and recognition from independent industry bodies.
Recent awards
- 2022: Financial Times Financial Adviser Service Awards (FASA) ‘4 Stars for Life & Pensions’.
- 2022: Moneyfacts Awards – Best Annuity Provider ‘Investment, Life & Pensions’.
- 2021: Your Mortgage Awards ‘Best Later-in-Life Lender’.
- 2021: Mortgage Strategy Awards – Best Equity Release/Lifetime Lender.
- 2020: Financial Times FASA ‘4 Stars for Life & Pensions’.
- 2020: Product and Service Innovation Awards ‘Customer Innovation and User Experience’.
These sit alongside strong recognition in pensions, mortgages and investments, showing that Legal & General is more than just a life insurer, which can be useful if you like to keep several financial products under one roof.
Why consider Legal & General life insurance?
For many people in the UK, Legal & General is on the shortlist when they first look at life insurance. The key reasons are brand reputation, breadth of cover, a good set of included benefits and the ability to tailor your policy to suit your budget. That said, you should treat any big insurer as one option among many rather than assuming they are always best for everyone.
Main types of Legal & General life cover
- Term life insurance: pays a lump sum if you die (or meet the terminal illness definition) during a set term, such as 20 or 25 years.
- Whole of life insurance: designed to pay out whenever you die, with no fixed end date, often used for funeral costs or inheritance planning.
- Over 50s life insurance: guaranteed acceptance between certain ages, with no health questions, usually for smaller cash sums.
- Family income benefit: pays an income each month or year rather than a single lump sum.
- Index-linked (increasing) cover: your cover and premiums rise each year, helping to combat inflation.
Legal & General offers guaranteed (fixed) premiums on most life policies, which means your monthly cost will not change during the term unless you choose an increasing option or use a feature such as guaranteed insurability to boost your cover.
Built in and optional extras
- 24/7 access to virtual GP and well-being support services.
- Terminal illness benefit is included on standard life policies.
- Free temporary life insurance when you apply for decreasing (mortgage) cover, giving short-term protection while your property purchase completes.
- Optional critical illness cover and total and permanent disability cover.
- Optional waiver of premium so your policy can continue if you are too ill to work for a prolonged period.
This mix of core features and add-ons makes Legal & General flexible enough for a wide range of situations, from protecting a young family on a tight budget through to more complex arrangements linked to inheritances or business life cover.
Legal & General life insurance policy summary
Life insurance is often the simplest way to provide a financial safety net for your partner, children or anyone else who relies on your income. The table below summarises the key features of Legal & General’s term-based life insurance policies.
| Type of cover | Life insurance (term based) |
|---|---|
| Cover options | Level term, decreasing term (mortgage), family income benefit, whole life, over-50s, and increasing (index-linked) versions. |
| Single or joint cover | Single life policies or joint life cover on a first death or second death basis. |
| Terminal illness benefit | Included on standard life policies at no extra cost, paying out if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness with a life expectancy of 12 months or less. |
| Indexation option | Optional index linking to help offset inflation. Cover and premiums can increase each year, broadly in line with the Retail Prices Index (up to a set maximum). |
| Waiver of premium | Optional extra that pays your premiums if you cannot work due to illness or injury for at least 26 weeks. |
| Policy term | Minimum 1 year, maximum 50 years, with the policy ending by age 90. |
| Age limits | Available from age 18 up to age 77 at the start of the policy. |
| Maximum benefit | Up to £10 million, which is usually more than enough for most households. |
| Main exclusions | Suicide within the first 12 months is excluded, and terminal illness claims must meet the technical definitions set out in the policy terms. |
These details apply to Legal & General’s current products at the time of writing. Always check your own policy documents or speak to an adviser for the exact terms that will apply in your situation, as these can change over time.
What does Legal & General life insurance actually cover?
Legal & General life insurance is designed to pay out if you die during the term of the policy or if you are diagnosed with a terminal illness that meets their definition. The payout is a tax-free lump sum under current UK rules, and your family can use the money however they need to, such as paying the mortgage, rent, household bills, childcare or other debts.
- Single life cover protects one person and pays out if that individual dies or is diagnosed with a terminal illness within the term.
- Joint life cover typically pays out once, either on the first death or on the second death depending on how the policy is set up.
- Decreasing term (mortgage) cover is designed around a repayment mortgage, with the sum insured reducing broadly in line with the mortgage balance.
- Level term cover keeps the cover amount the same throughout the policy term, which can be better for family protection.
Joint life policies are often cheaper than two single life policies, but they only pay out once. Many couples choose separate policies instead so that both lives are fully covered, particularly if they have children or very different earnings.
Legal & General critical illness cover summary
Critical illness cover from Legal & General pays out a lump sum if you develop a serious condition covered by your policy definitions. You can take it on its own or bolt it onto a life insurance policy for an extra cost. It is typically used to clear or reduce a mortgage, replace income while you recover, or adapt your home if you are no longer able to work.
| Type of cover | Critical illness insurance (level or decreasing) |
|---|---|
| Cover options | Level term, decreasing term, and index-linked versions, plus family income-style cover. |
| Coverage | Single life or joint life. |
| Conditions covered: core | Protection for 33 specified critical illnesses. Most of these pay 100 per cent of the cover amount, with a couple of conditions paying a lower partial benefit. |
| Conditions covered: enhanced | Enhanced critical illness cover includes 76 conditions. Many pay 100 per cent of the sum insured, while some pay a partial benefit up to a capped amount. |
| Total and permanent disability | Can be added for an extra cost, paying out if you become permanently unable to work because of illness or injury. |
| Children’s cover – core | Automatically included when an adult takes critical illness cover, protecting children from 30 days old up to young adulthood for the core list of conditions. |
| Children’s cover – enhanced | Enhanced children’s cover includes additional child-specific conditions and higher benefit limits. |
| Premiums | Guaranteed (fixed) throughout the term, unless you choose an increasing option. |
| Age limits | Applications are generally accepted from age 18 up to age 64, with a maximum term of 50 years. |
| Main exclusions | The condition must meet strict policy definitions. No benefit is paid if you die within a short period (for example, 14 days) of diagnosis. |
Critical illness policies are more complex than standard life insurance, so it is even more important to read the wording carefully and, if in doubt, get independent guidance before you rely on this as your main safety net.
Whole-of-life and over 50s life insurance from Legal & General
Alongside its term policies, Legal & General also offers whole of life insurance and over 50s life insurance. These are usually aimed at people who want to guarantee a payout at some point, rather than only being covered for a fixed number of years.
- Whole of life insurance is often used to help cover inheritance tax, repay debts that will not reduce over time, or leave a gift to children or grandchildren. Premiums are higher than for term cover because the insurer knows it will pay out at some point, as long as premiums are maintained.
- Over 50s life insurance is a type of guaranteed acceptance plan for UK residents in a set age band. There are no medical questions, and as long as you meet the age and residency rules, you will be accepted. These plans tend to offer modest sums, so they are best suited for funeral costs or a small cash gift rather than full mortgage protection.
Whole-of-life and over-50s plans can be extremely useful in the right circumstances, but they are not always the most cost-effective way to get cover. If your budget is tight or you still have a large mortgage, a standard term life insurance policy will usually provide far more cover for each pound you spend.
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Trusts and estate planning with Legal & General
Placing your life insurance in trust can make a big difference to how quickly your loved ones receive the payout and whether it is counted as part of your estate for inheritance tax. Legal & General offers trust options at no extra cost for many of its policies, which is a useful feature for families who want to plan ahead.
- Discretionary trust allows your trustees some flexibility over who benefits and in what proportions, which can be helpful if your family circumstances may change.
- Absolute trust fixes the beneficiaries at the outset and cannot easily be altered later on.
- Relevant life trust is mainly used for business owners who arrange individual life cover for staff as a tax-efficient employee benefit.
- Master trust is used for group schemes, typically arranged by employers.
Using a trust can help avoid probate delays and may reduce or remove inheritance tax on the policy proceeds, though everyone’s situation is different. It is often worth speaking to a financial adviser or tax specialist, or reading more via independent sources such as the MoneyHelper guidance on trusts and inheritance tax, to work out the best structure for you.
Free benefits included with Legal & General policies
One of the reasons many people pick Legal & General is the package of free extra benefits attached to its life and critical illness policies. These can add real day-to-day value, especially if you have children or a busy lifestyle.
- 24/7 virtual GP services: access to medical professionals for consultations and second opinions, which can save time compared with waiting for standard GP appointments.
- Guaranteed insurability option (GIO): lets you increase your cover after certain life events such as marriage, having a child or taking on a larger mortgage, usually without fresh medical underwriting.
- Accidental death cover during application: short-term protection against accidental death while your life insurance application is being processed, typically for up to 90 days.
- Terminal illness cover: early access to your life cover if you receive a terminal diagnosis, which can help with bills, bucket list plans or making financial arrangements.
- Free temporary mortgage cover: included with decreasing life insurance while you are in the process of buying a home, so the mortgage can be protected even before completion.
- Accidental hospitalisation benefit (critical illness): an extra £5,000 cash lump sum if you are hospitalised for a set period as the result of an accident.
- Children’s critical illness cover: built in for children from 30 days to 18 years old when an adult takes out critical illness cover.
These extras are not a substitute for proper cover levels, but they can make a noticeable difference in stressful situations and improve the overall value of your policy.
Optional add-ons with Legal & General life and critical illness cover
You can tailor many Legal & General policies by paying for extra protection features. These will push up the monthly premium but might be worth it if you are worried about losing income through ill health or want broader illness cover.
- Waiver of premium: pays your premiums if you cannot work for at least 26 weeks because of sickness or injury, so your cover stays in force even if you have no income.
- Total and permanent disability: available with critical illness cover, paying a lump sum if you become permanently unable to work in line with the policy definition.
- Critical illness extra: an enhanced version of critical illness insurance that covers more medical conditions and sometimes earlier stages of illness.
- Children’s critical illness extra: extends the level of protection for your children, including extra conditions and higher benefit limits.
Whether these add-ons are worthwhile will depend on your job, savings and how much you rely on your income. A good independent adviser can help you balance cost and protection, and sites like MoneyHelper’s protection insurance guide provide impartial background information.
How much does Legal & General life insurance cost?
Life insurance with Legal & General can start from just a few pounds a month for younger, healthy non-smokers, but the actual premium you pay will depend on your age, health, smoking status, occupation, hobbies, the amount of cover you choose and the term of the policy. As with any insurer, the higher the risk and the more cover you need, the more you will pay.
Example premiums for £200,000 cover over 25 years (non-smokers).
| Age | Legal & General | Typical lowest on market | Typical highest on market |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 year old | £7.10 per month | £7.10 per month | £12.94 per month |
| 40 year old | £14.72 per month | £13.43 per month | £20.62 per month |
| 50 year old | £36.49 per month | £34.32 per month | £46.48 per month |
Example premiums for £200,000 cover over 25 years (smokers)
| Age | Legal & General | Typical lowest on market | Typical highest on market |
|---|---|---|---|
| 30 year old | £12.88 per month | £11.95 per month | £19.48 per month |
| 40 year old | £32.71 per month | £29.52 per month | £41.39 per month |
| 50 year old | £88.31 per month | £83.94 per month | £126.84 per month |
Note: These are the cheapest quotes generated from our live pricing systems to highlight how affordable life cover can be. These quotes are accurate as of September 2026 and are regularly updated to reflect the latest pricing from the UK’s top life insurance companies.
Legal and General Life Insurance contact details
You may need to contact Legal and General life insurance at various points during the term of your policy. There are several reasons for this, including increasing, decreasing or even cancelling your cover.
There is an FAQ section for basic policy questions, plus many ways to contact them available on their website. We have listed some of the main Legal & General life insurance numbers for you on this page.
Contact details: Legal and General – Insurance Support and Contact
Legal and General Life Insurance Customer Services
You can call Legal and General life insurance at one of several contact numbers. Below we have a list of the main phone numbers for Legal & General life insurance.
Legal and General life insurance (existing customers)
Telephone – 0370 163 0657
Opening hours – Monday to Friday 9.00am – 6.00pm
Legal and General life insurance phone number (new customers/enquiries)
Telephone – 0808 296 6430
Opening hours – Monday to Friday 8.30am – 8.00pm, or Saturday 9.00am – 1.00pm
Note: Be aware call charges may apply when calling certain Legal & General life insurance telephone numbers.
Legal and General life insurance complaints
You are entitled to complain about your policy if you feel misled or are unhappy about the quality of the product. If you want to complain, you need to contact the Legal & General complaints team.
Legal and General will do their best to address your complaint as quickly and as fairly as possible.
Telephone – 0370 010 4080
Email – online.complaints@landg.com
Post – Legal & General Assurance Society Limited, City Park, The Droveway, Hove, BN3 7PY
You can also message Legal and General via secure message through the MyAccount service on the website.
Legal and General life insurance complaints process
Legal and General understand that occasionally things can go wrong and will always do their best to put this right. They will assess your complaint, aiming to resolve the problem immediately. They will contact you at various points during the complaints process to keep you informed of what is happening.
It is possible you are not happy with how Legal and General has dealt with your complaint. You can choose to refer your complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS). You are always within your rights to take legal action.
Legal and General – Making a complaint
Making a complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service
The Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS) is an impartial and free service for financial services customers in the UK. This service can be used to settle any disputes between life insurance companies and their customers in the United Kingdom. If they feel that you have suffered any financial loss as a result of your life insurance policy, then they may rule for compensation to be awarded.
Telephone – 0800 023 4567 (or 0300 123 9123)
Telephone (outside the UK) – 0207 964 0500
Claims performance
- In 2025, Legal & General reports it paid out £993 million in life, critical illness and income protection claims.
- Protected more than 22,000 families with successful claims.
- The overall payout rate for individual protection over 97%.
- Total protection claims paid out were
- Just under £1.4 billion to over 26,000 claims.
While payout rates across the UK industry are generally high, it is still reassuring to see an insurer publish clear statistics that show most valid claims are accepted and paid quickly.
Legal & General life insurance customer reviews
You can read some independent Legal & General life insurance reviews on the customer review site Trustpilot. This will help give you an idea of what other customers think about the service and products provided.
Trust Pilot score (Legal & General) ‘Excellent’ (4.3 out of 5.0 stars) Over 33,000 customer reviews
Read reviews or leave your own: Trust Pilot – Legal & General
How to buy, change or cancel Legal & General life insurance
You can arrange Legal & General life insurance directly online or by phone or through a broker or financial advisor. Going direct can be quick, but you will only see Legal & General’s own products, not the wider market. Using an independent adviser allows you to compare several insurers and can be particularly helpful if you have health conditions, a risky job or you are trying to keep costs as low as possible.
- Buying a new policy: You will typically answer health and lifestyle questions, choose your cover amount and term, then receive an instant quote. In some cases Legal & General may request a GP report or medical checks.
- Changing cover: During the policy term, you may be able to use guaranteed insurability options to increase cover after major life events without full medical underwriting or request other changes, subject to Legal & General’s rules at the time.
- Cancelling your policy: You can cancel at any time by contacting Legal & General and stopping your direct debit. There is normally no cancellation fee, but you will lose your cover and may find it more expensive or difficult to replace it later, especially if your health has changed.
Remember that life insurance is not a savings product. You cannot cash in a Legal & General life policy for a lump sum if you decide you no longer want it. It only pays out if there is a valid claim for death or terminal illness (or critical illness, if that benefit is included).
FAQs – How does L&G life insurance work?
What are the main advantages of choosing Legal & General life insurance?
Legal & General offers a broad range of life insurance options, from simple term policies for mortgages and family protection through to whole of life and over 50s plans. Most policies come with guaranteed fixed premiums, the option of index linked cover to help keep pace with inflation, and useful built in extras such as terminal illness benefit, temporary mortgage cover during a house purchase and access to 24/7 virtual GP services. The insurer also has a strong track record on claims and has been a familiar UK brand for almost 200 years, which can reassure people who want long term protection from a well established provider.
How do Legal & General’s prices compare with other UK life insurers?
Legal & General is often competitively priced, especially for younger non smokers, and example quotes in the article show it frequently sits close to the lowest premiums on the market. However, the company is not always the absolute cheapest provider for every age or risk profile, particularly for older applicants and smokers. Because premiums depend on health, lifestyle, occupation and the type and length of cover you choose, it is sensible to compare Legal & General quotes with other insurers or ask an independent broker to check the wider market before you decide.
What types of life and critical illness cover can I get with Legal & General?
Legal & General offers level term and decreasing term life insurance, family income benefit, whole of life and over 50s plans, with the option of single or joint life cover. You can usually choose a policy tailored to a repayment mortgage, ongoing family expenses or inheritance planning. Critical illness cover is available on a core or enhanced basis, either alongside life insurance or on its own, and can protect you against a wide list of serious conditions, with children’s cover included as standard and the option to extend it further. You can also add features such as waiver of premium and total and permanent disability, although these extras increase the monthly cost.
Is Legal & General life insurance suitable if I have health conditions or a limited budget?
Legal & General can still be an option if you have pre existing medical issues, but the impact on price and eligibility will depend on your specific history and the level of cover you want. Because underwriting rules and prices vary by insurer, people with health conditions or tighter budgets are usually better off speaking to an independent adviser who can compare several providers, including Legal & General, and suggest realistic cover levels that are more likely to be affordable long term. In some cases a straightforward term policy with a modest sum assured can provide a valuable safety net without overstretching your finances.
How do trusts and policy changes work with Legal & General life cover?
Legal & General offers a range of free trust options on many policies, including discretionary and absolute trusts for individuals and relevant life or master trusts for business and group schemes. Placing your policy in trust can speed up payouts to your chosen beneficiaries and may help reduce inheritance tax on the proceeds, although you should seek personalised guidance if your estate is complex. During the policy term, you may also be able to use guaranteed insurability options to increase your cover after events such as marriage, having children or taking on a larger mortgage without full medical reassessment, subject to Legal & General’s criteria at the time.
Is Legal & General life insurance right for you?
Legal & General is a strong, established choice for many UK households who want reliable protection from a big-name insurer, with good policy features and a proven claims record. They are particularly worth considering if you appreciate extra benefits such as virtual GP services, want the option of comprehensive critical illness cover, or need help with trusts and inheritance tax planning.
- If you are mainly focused on the lowest possible premium, it is still wise to compare Legal & General’s quotes against other UK providers through a broker.
- If you have existing health problems or a complicated medical history, a specialist life insurance adviser can identify which insurers are most likely to offer competitive terms.
- If you only need a small amount of cover for funeral expenses, a simple over 50s or whole-of-life insurance from Legal & General could work, but check alternatives such as dedicated funeral plans too.
Ultimately, the best life insurance policy is the one that pays out quickly and smoothly if the worst happens, while staying affordable over the long term. Legal & General scores well on those fundamentals, so they are certainly worth having on your shortlist, but you should always compare them with other providers before making a final decision.
If you are unsure where to start, independent sites like MoneyHelper’s guide to choosing life insurance can give you a neutral overview, and a good adviser can then help you work out whether Legal & General or another insurer offers the best balance of cost, cover and benefits for your circumstances.
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