Your hands are the business
A carpenter can work around a sore back for a while. A damaged hand or wrist is another story. Saws, routers, chisels and nail guns are all part of the job, and one slip can mean surgery and weeks in a splint. Even a tendon problem from years of repetitive gripping can keep you away from fine work.
Site carpenters also carry sheet materials, work from scaffolds and roof structures and kneel to fit floors and skirting. Joiners in a workshop face less climbing but spend all day around machinery and fine dust.
Site first fix or workshop bench
Insurers want to know where you spend your time. First fix on new builds, roof framing and formwork are heavier jobs. Second fix in finished houses, bespoke furniture or a joinery workshop are lighter, though still manual. Your answer helps them place you in a risk class.
That class drives the premium and the claim definition. The more generous definition pays if you cannot work as a carpenter. A stricter one may only pay if you cannot do any job that suits your skills, which matters for a trade where a hand injury could leave you able to do something else.
- Describe the split between site and workshop work
- Mention any supervisory or estimating time
- Tell the insurer about past hand, wrist or back problems
- Ask which claim definition each quote uses
Money in the gaps
Most carpenters are self-employed, many paid as subcontractors under the Construction Industry Scheme. Day rates disappear as soon as you stop, and work can be lumpy even when you are well. Insurers usually look at your profits over recent tax years, so a quiet year can affect the cover you are offered.
A deferred period of one to three months suits many self-employed chippies with a small cash buffer. If you are employed by a joinery firm or shopfitter with decent sick pay, set the waiting period to begin when that runs out.
Looking after the family
Life insurance protects your family if you die during the term. A repayment mortgage can be matched with decreasing cover, and family costs with level cover or family income benefit. If you are employed, any death in service from your employer can add to it, though you will lose it if you change jobs.
Putting a life policy in trust lets you choose who receives the money and can keep it outside your estate for inheritance tax.
How Hi Tomorrow helps carpenters
We look at the type of carpentry you do and compare insurers on our panel, so you see which ones rate your work most kindly. We explain the claim definitions side by side in plain words, and we help with the application and the health questions.
If you are thinking of moving from site work into a workshop, or taking on an apprentice, tell us. A change of duties can change your rating, so it is worth checking your cover still fits. Our advice is free, and we are there to help if you ever need to claim.