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Life insurance with anxiety, what insurers ask

Life insurance with anxiety is not ruled out: Aviva says a mental health condition doesn't necessarily mean you can't get cover (Aviva ↗).

Mind says you may find it harder (Mind ↗).

This page covers what insurers ask, what can happen and what the insurance industry has promised.

Every claim here is our summary of a named external source, linked beside it. Sources change: check the wording at the link before you rely on it.

What insurers ask ↓What you can ask for →
01 · Key facts

Life insurance with anxiety, the key facts

The points that matter most, each linked to the guide or law it comes from.

At a glance

  • A mental health condition doesn't necessarily stop you getting life insurance (Aviva ↗)
  • It can mean a higher premium or, if very severe, no cover (Aviva ↗)
  • Insurers may ask about a history of stress, depression or anxiety, and treatment (Royal London ↗)
  • Insurers committed to explain on request what evidence informed their decision (ABI ↗)
  • An insurer can't reject your claim if you took reasonable care to answer its questions honestly (MoneyHelper ↗)
New individual protection claims UK insurers paid, 202497.9%The ABI names non-disclosure of existing conditions as a common reason for declined claims.

ABI figure, all individual protection; check at the link: (ABI ↗)

02 · Can you get it?

Can you get life insurance with anxiety?

It depends on you and on the insurer.

Aviva says having a pre-existing physical or mental health condition doesn't necessarily mean you can't get life insurance, and that outcomes can vary between insurers (Aviva ↗).

Pick a source to read what it says.

What each source says

Not necessarily a barrier

Aviva says a mental health condition doesn't necessarily mean you can't get life insurance, but it can mean a higher premium or, if it is very severe, that the insurer can't cover you (Aviva ↗).

Summaries of each source. Check the wording at the links.

03 · Premiums

How anxiety affects your premiums

There is no standard answer, and we publish no figures.

Aviva says a condition can mean a higher premium, and that outcomes vary between insurers (Aviva ↗).

For any pre-existing condition, Aviva lists the outcomes that can follow (Aviva ↗).

What can happen, in Aviva's words

  • Cover: a condition doesn't necessarily stop you getting life insurance (Aviva ↗)
  • A higher premium (Aviva ↗)
  • An exclusion, so the policy may not pay out on a claim linked to the condition (Aviva ↗)
  • A request for more information from your GP, if the condition is severe (Aviva ↗)
  • No cover, if the condition is very severe (Aviva ↗)
04 · Applying

How to apply for life insurance with anxiety

Aviva says the insurer will ask a series of health questions, including about your mental health, and may ask your GP or another health care provider for more information if your condition is severe (Aviva ↗).

An insurer needs your consent to ask your GP for a report, and you can ask to see it before it is sent (Legal & General ↗) (legislation.gov.uk ↗).

Mind suggests having a doctor's report ready before you apply (Mind ↗).

01

Prepare

Note your history

Diagnoses, dates, medication and any therapy.

02

Evidence

Have a doctor’s report ready

It can help the insurer understand your case.

03

Support

Ask for help with the form

Insurers committed to explain why questions are asked.

04

Answer

Answer every question fully

Including medication and treatment, whenever asked.

05

Decision

Ask what evidence was used

If the decision surprises you, ask how it was reached.

05 · Tips

Tips for getting a fair quote

The ABI's mental health standards set out what insurers committed to do, so you can ask for it (ABI ↗).

Mind suggests looking at insurers who cover people with pre-existing conditions, including mental health problems (Mind ↗), and MoneyHelper suggests a specialist broker (MoneyHelper ↗).

What insurers committed to (ABI standards)

  • Help completing the application, and two or more ways to communicate with the insurer (ABI ↗)
  • An explanation of the process and why questions are being asked (ABI ↗)
  • Plain language, clear exclusions and signposting to support services (ABI ↗)
  • On request, the evidence used to decide on your cover (ABI ↗)
06 · Disclosure

Full answers protect your claim

MoneyHelper says an insurer can't reject your claim if you took reasonable care to answer its questions honestly (MoneyHelper ↗).

Mind says that if you don't answer questions about your mental health completely truthfully and your insurer finds out, this could have serious consequences (Mind ↗).

If your health changes between applying and being accepted, Vitality says to let the insurer know straight away (Vitality ↗).

If an answer turns out to be wrong

No remedy against a careful answer

The law asks you to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation to the insurer (legislation.gov.uk ↗). The insurer's remedies apply where the consumer breached that duty (legislation.gov.uk ↗).

Our summary of the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012, section 2 and Schedule 1. Read the Act at the links; it is the authority.

07 · Help

Specialist brokers and your rights

Mind says the Equality Act 2010 protects you from disability discrimination in England and Wales (Mind ↗).

MoneyHelper says it is important to shop around, because criteria and approaches can vary significantly between insurers, and that a specialist broker can research the market for you (MoneyHelper ↗).

If you think an insurer's risk assessment isn't based on a reliable or relevant source of information, MoneyHelper says you can challenge it under the Equality Act (MoneyHelper ↗).

Complain to the insurer first.

We do not recommend brokers or insurers.

Before you buy, the FCA tells consumers to check the firm on its Firm Checker (FCA ↗).

08 · Business owners

Run a business? Key person cover asks too

If your company insures you as a key person, the company applies, owns the plan and pays for it, and any payout goes to the business (Royal London ↗) (Legal & General ↗).

You are the person insured, so your mental health history is part of the application: Legal & General's adviser guide says the key person gives their own personal and medical details (Legal & General ↗).

If Aviva can't decide on a case straight away, it gives free life cover while it looks into it (Aviva ↗).

The business must also be able to show it would lose profits in your absence (Legal & General ↗).

What is key person insurance? →Key person risk →Business protection insurance →Key person vs relevant life →Executive income protection →
01

Applicant

The company applies

The business owns the policy and pays for it. You are the person insured.

02

Your answers

You answer the health questions

The same care applies as for a personal policy: answer every question fully.

03

Underwriting

The insurer assesses the case

It may ask for more evidence before it decides, as with any application.

04

Sizing

The cover is sized on the business

How much cover the business can take is based on what it would lose.

09 · Related

Related life insurance guides

Guides to other health conditions and to the cover itself.

10 · Trusted sources & further reading

Check it for yourself

Every claim on this page is our summary of one of the documents listed here.

We last checked them against the live sources on 28 September 2026.

The documents are the authority, not this page.

Insurers and HMRC update them, so validate any figure or condition at its link before you rely on it.

Questions

Life insurance with anxiety, answered

It can, but not always.

Aviva says a pre-existing physical or mental health condition doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t get life insurance, but it can mean a higher premium or, if the condition is very severe, no cover at all, and that outcomes can vary between insurers. Aviva guide ↗

Yes, when the application asks.

Mind says that if you don’t answer questions about your mental health completely truthfully and your insurer finds out, this could have serious consequences, including the policy being void and a claim being dismissed. Mind guide ↗

Possibly: Aviva says a mental health condition doesn’t necessarily mean you can’t get cover.

Its definition of a pre-existing condition includes medication, so declare what you take when the application asks, and the insurer will assess your case. Aviva guide ↗

We do not rank insurers, and this site does not give advice.

Mind suggests looking at insurers who cover people with pre-existing conditions, including mental health problems.

MoneyHelper says criteria vary significantly between insurers and suggests a specialist broker. Mind guide ↗

It is part of what you may be asked about.

Royal London says insurers may ask about your mental health, such as a history of stress, depression or anxiety, and any treatment you have had for it.

How that affects your terms is for each insurer to assess. Royal London guide ↗

Beta · information only

Run a business? Size the key person cover.

If a business depends on you, the calculator works through the earnings, profit and loan methods UK insurers publish.

01Earnings, profit and loan methods

02Insurers’ published multiples, with sources

03No email, no quote, no sales call

Information, not advice

We are not an insurer, broker or regulated adviser, and we do not give quotes or recommend a policy. For regulated advice, use an adviser authorised by the FCA.

Open the calculator →

Takes you to the key person insurance calculator.

Not financial advice. This page is general information. Before buying insurance, the FCA tells consumers to check the firm on its Firm Checker (FCA ↗). For free guidance, see MoneyHelper.