Admin work and the reasons people stop
Admin roles exist in every sector: schools, councils, solicitors, builders' merchants, hospitals. The work is steady and screen-based, with data entry, scheduling, filing and phone calls making up most days.
Accidents at work are rare. When administrators need long periods off, it is usually for something like a back or neck condition, a repetitive strain problem, anxiety or depression, or an illness or operation with nothing to do with the job. Income protection pays out for any qualifying illness or injury, wherever it started.
Making cover affordable on an admin salary
If money is tight, you can shape a policy to suit. Cover only your essential bills rather than your full salary. Choose a longer deferred period if you have some savings or decent sick pay. A shorter payment period, such as two years per claim, can also reduce the cost while still covering most absences.
Part-time administrators can usually insure the income they actually earn. Insurers look at your earnings rather than your hours, and some have minimum benefit levels, which a broker can check for you.
- Insure essential outgoings first
- Lengthen the deferred period if your savings allow
- Consider a limited payment period per claim
- Review the benefit when your pay rises
Your occupation and the claim definition
Insurers rate each job by risk. Office administration tends to sit in the lower-risk groups, so many insurers will offer an own occupation definition: a claim is judged on whether you can do your own admin job.
Some cheaper policies use weaker tests, such as whether you can do any suited work. Check the definition before you choose purely on price, because it decides whether a claim pays.
Public sector or private firm
Administrators in the NHS, councils, schools and the civil service usually have a set sick pay scheme based on length of service, plus pension death benefits. Private employers range from generous to the legal minimum.
Find out which applies to you before you buy. A long-serving council administrator might choose a long deferred period, while a new starter at a small firm might need cover far sooner.
Life insurance and how Hi Tomorrow helps
If you have a partner, children or a joint mortgage, life cover can repay the home or provide a monthly income for your family. Larger public sector employers may offer death in service, but many private firms do not.
We do not charge a fee for advice on personal protection. We compare the insurers on our panel, explain what each option would do for you and help you fill in the forms. Our UK team is available Monday to Friday, and the online form is open any time.