Personal Accident Insurance Calculator
Personal accident insurance pays a tax-free lump sum, or an ongoing weekly benefit, if you suffer a specific, defined injury as the direct result of an accident — not illness. This is a genuinely narrower scope than it might first sound, and understanding exactly what that scope covers, and what it does not, matters more here than for most other protection products. This calculator estimates cover cost based on your age, occupation risk and the specific benefit levels you choose.
Personal Accident Insurance Calculator
Estimate the cost of personal accident insurance. Pays a lump sum or weekly benefit if you're injured in an accident and can't work.
Accidents Only, Not Illness — And That Distinction Matters
This is the single most important thing to understand before considering this cover: personal accident insurance responds to accidental injury specifically, not illness, however serious — a heart attack, a cancer diagnosis, or a stroke would not trigger a payout here, regardless of how disabling the outcome, since none of those are accidents in the sense this policy covers. This is a genuinely different, narrower scope than income protection or critical illness cover, both of which respond to a broader range of health events including illness. Confusing the two is a common and consequential misunderstanding — someone relying on personal accident cover as their sole protection could find a serious illness leaves them completely uncovered.
This narrower scope is exactly why personal accident cover tends to be considerably cheaper than income protection or critical illness cover for a comparable benefit level — the insurer is taking on a genuinely smaller, more specifically defined range of triggering events, and the pricing reflects that reduced scope directly.
The Scale of Benefit Isn’t a Blank Cheque
The lump sum payout is not simply awarded for “being seriously hurt” in general — policies work from a defined scale of benefits, listing specific, named outcomes such as loss of a limb, loss of sight, or permanent total disablement, each typically tied to a set percentage of the full sum insured. An injury that does not appear on this defined scale, even a genuinely serious one, may not trigger the full lump sum, or any payout at all, depending on how closely it matches a listed outcome. Reading the actual scale of benefits for a specific policy, rather than assuming broad coverage for any accident-related injury, is worth doing before relying on this cover for a specific financial need.
This is worth discussing directly with an insurer or broker if a specific scenario matters to you — asking explicitly whether a particular type of injury relevant to your own circumstances or occupation would qualify under the scale of benefits gives a far more useful answer than assuming coverage based on the general concept of the product alone.
Why a Roofer Pays Three Times What an Accountant Does
Occupation risk is one of the largest factors in this estimate, and the range is dramatic — a low-risk, largely desk-based occupation sits at the baseline, while a very-high-risk occupation, involving genuinely dangerous physical work, can see the premium more than triple for identical cover levels. This directly reflects real accident statistics by occupation type, not an arbitrary assumption: physically dangerous work carries genuinely, measurably higher accident rates than office-based work, and the pricing follows that real underlying risk closely. Regularly participating in higher-risk sports adds a further loading on top, for the same underlying reason — genuinely elevated accident risk during that specific activity.
Age contributes a further, separate loading beyond 50 and again beyond 60, reflecting that recovery from a serious accident genuinely tends to take longer, and carries somewhat higher risk of permanent complication, at older ages compared with a younger person suffering an identical injury.
Same Cover, Two Very Different Occupations
Identical cover — a £100,000 lump sum and £500 weekly benefit — costs roughly £15 a month for a low-risk occupation, or around £180 a year. The same cover for a very-high-risk occupation rises to roughly £48 a month, or around £576 a year — more than three times the cost, purely reflecting the genuinely elevated accident risk that specific occupation carries, with every other factor held identical.
Before You Buy, Check What You Already Have
This calculator explicitly flags a genuinely useful, honest point: check your existing life insurance and income protection policies for overlap before adding personal accident cover on top, since some of what this product covers may already be addressed, at least partially, by cover you already hold. This is not universally true — personal accident cover fills genuine gaps that other policies do not address, particularly around a specific lump sum for defined injuries — but it is worth confirming this deliberately rather than assuming a gap exists without checking. Our Income Protection Calculator covers the broader illness-and-injury income replacement scenario this product does not, and our Critical Illness Calculator covers the lump-sum-for-serious-illness scenario this product also does not address.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does personal accident insurance cover accidents at work only?
No — most policies cover accidents both in and outside work, including at home or during leisure activities, unless specifically restricted, though it is worth confirming the exact scope with your specific policy.
Is there an age limit for this type of cover?
Many policies have an upper age limit for new applications, or for cover to continue, commonly somewhere around 65 to 70, so it is worth checking this specifically if you are considering cover later in life.
Does the weekly benefit pay out immediately after an accident?
No — there is typically a deferred period before the weekly benefit begins, similar to income protection, and choosing a shorter deferred period generally increases the premium, since the insurer takes on risk for a larger share of the recovery period.
Can self-employed people get this cover?
Yes — this cover is available to both employed and self-employed individuals, and can be particularly relevant for self-employed people who may have less structured sick pay or employer support if a genuine accident occurred.
Does a pre-existing disability affect eligibility?
It can affect underwriting, since insurers assess your specific circumstances before agreeing terms, so it is worth disclosing any relevant pre-existing condition accurately during the application process rather than risking a declined claim later.
Important Information
This calculator provides an estimate for general information purposes only and does not constitute insurance advice. Actual premiums, the specific scale of benefits and exclusions vary by insurer. For an accurate quote, compare policies directly with insurers. See our Disclaimer for further information.