VitalityLife paid £149m in claims across life, serious illness and income protection (IP) in 2025 – almost 5% up from £142m the previous year.
The life insurance approval rate was up slightly and the serious illness cover approval rate was down more than 1% while the insurer outlined reasons for declining claims.
Vitality has also provided more detail to Health & Protection about its IP claims and reasons for claims being declined.
Earlier this month the insurer passed one million lives insured across its UK life insurance business and added the number of advisers placing business with it had grown by 50% in the last two years.
Life insurance
Vitality paid £105m in life claims, up from £95.7m in 2024. It approved 99.4% of claims, also up from 98.9% the previous year.
In total 1,306 term life, whole of life and terminal illness claims were paid with an average value of £84,517 for life claims.
The largest claim paid was £2.6m and the oldest claimant was 97 years old.
Cancer, heart disease and stroke were the leading causes together accounting for well over half of all claims.
The insurer gave details on the seven claims it had to decline: six claims were declined because the terminal illness definition was not met and there was one declined for a suicide within 12 months of taking out a plan.
“These are standard plan exclusions that, whilst rare, highlight the important role advisers can play in ensuring clients fully understand the terms of their cover at the point of sale,” it said.
Serious illness
Vitality paid £42m in serious illness claims last year, down from £44.4m in 2024. It approved 87.3% of all claims in 2025, down from 88.6% a year earlier.
Overall, 1,115 serious Illness claims were paid, including for children, with an average value of £40,516 for adults. The largest claim paid was £500,000 and the oldest claimant was 68 years old.
Cancer dominated claims, accounting for 64% of female claims and 41% of male claims – making it by far the most common cause overall.
Heart and artery conditions represented nearly 25% of male claims but just 4% of female claims, which the insurer noted was a striking contrast.
Stroke and nervous system conditions were the second most common cause for both sexes, while complications of pregnancy made up 6% of female claims.
Vitality noted that a small number of serious illness claims are declined each year, most commonly where the severity threshold has not been met.
“Given the breadth of conditions our cover assesses, occasionally claims will be declined that have not met the threshold,” it said.
“Advisers who take time to explain how severity-based payments work, and who encourage full disclosure at application, are best placed to support clients through the claims process.”
Income protection
Vitality paid £1.8m in IP claims in 2025, on par with the previous year.
The insurer did not disclose to Health & Protection how many IP claims were paid but highlighted that with significant increase in IP customers in recent years the figures risked being distorted.
“In recent years, we have seen significant growth in the amount of IP policies sold. Over half of our IP members have joined us since we refreshed our offering in 2023, updating it to reflect consumers evolving needs,” the insurer told Health & Protection.
“Consequently, a larger proportion of our IP claims are from new plans claiming within the year and a smaller proportion are from existing claimants.
“Industry standard methodology typically includes both new and ongoing claims, which can significantly inflate the paid percentage for providers with larger legacy books.
“As a newer provider with a rapidly growing book of business, applying this methodology and publishing it, would be misleading if compared to more established providers,” it added.
However, Vitality told Health & Protection that it declined 36 claims in the calendar year, which it said “compares well to the industry average for new claims within the year”.
Reasons for declining included claims not meeting the policy definition and non-disclosure.
“The main reasons for declined IP claims were claims not meeting the policy definition and non-disclosure at application, highlighting the importance of helping clients understand the role of IP and underlining the importance of answering all questions honestly and accurately when completing an application,” it said.
Mental illness (24%), musculoskeletal conditions (22%) and cancer (17%) were the most common causes of claims.
The youngest claimant was 22 years old and the average length of a claim in payment was 3.8 years. It added that more than 70% of claims were for illnesses covered by its recovery benefit.
Largest amount to date
VitalityLife CEO Justin Taurog noted the £149m paid in protection claims was the insurer’s largest amount to date.
“We believe that protection should deliver value every day, not just begin and end at point of claim,” he said.
“Our shared value model is designed to meet that expectation, combining financial protection with ongoing support to help people stay healthier for longer.
“In 2025, we delivered £108m in everyday value through the Vitality Programme and helped members save £44m on their premiums through Optimiser.
“At a time when the industry is rightly focused on customer outcomes and avoiding foreseeable harm, our approach supports both,” he added.
