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Welcome back to my Insurance Providers Breakdown series – where I do all the digging so you don’t have to. If you missed the previous thrilling instalment starring the lads at Irish Life and their mortgage protection plans, go on and have a gander at that first. Spoiler alert: not all that glitters is gold… sometimes it’s just a very shiny load of sh…
…ite.
But today, let’s chat about Zurich Life and their take on income protection.
Now, if you’re the kind of person who’s done their homework, you already know that income protection is the bee’s knees.
You’ve probably read the blogs, watched the reels, asked ChatGPT (sound fella), and you’re almost there… just not sure which insurer to trust.
So here you are, wondering:
How do the Swiss roll?
Let’s break it down — the good, the better, and the surprisingly generous — with a look at Zurich Life’s top income protection benefits.
Look, most people think all they want from income protection is a reliable payout.
Get sick, get paid.
Job done.
But Zurich Life go a step further – they’ve got an in-house team of rehab nurses ready to back you up like a group of health-conscious bouncers.
These legends offer:
Why?
Because the quicker you’re back on your feet, the less Zurich has to fork out. Everyone’s a winner. They’re not doing it purely out of the goodness of their Swiss hearts — let’s not kid ourselves — but still, fair play to them for offering a proper support system instead of just chucking you a cheque and ghosting you.
One of Zurich Life’s strongest features is their Early Intervention Benefit (EIB) — and it’s surprisingly rare across the market. Most insurers wait until you’re deep in a claim before getting involved. Not Zurich.
As soon as you notify Zurich that you might be off work long-term, even before your deferred period kicks in, you’ll be connected with a dedicated case manager from the Health Claims Bureau. They’ll work with you to:
Why is this a big deal? Because the sooner you get support, the more likely it is you’ll bounce back and avoid a long-term claim altogether. Zurich’s early intervention team aims to prevent small issues becoming big problems.
It’s good for them (less time paying claims), and it’s great for you (less time out of action, less stress). This kind of proactive support is a big win — and often overlooked.
Here’s one of the lesser-known perks: If you’re in hospital for more than 7 days, Zurich will pay you.
Even if you haven’t reached the deferred period yet (which could be 4, 13, or even 52 weeks), they’ll still start your income protection payments from day 8, and backdate them to cover your full hospital stay.
So, if you get flattened by a rogue hot-air balloon the day after your policy kicks off — unlikely, but hey, life’s weird — and you’re in hospital for six months, Zurich will be sending you cheques by week two.
Handy.
You’re back at work, but only part-time. You’re still not 100%, and your boss is being “flexible” (read: stingy) with your hours.
Zurich gets that.
So they’ll top up your salary to match your original income — on a proportionate basis — until you’re back at full steam.
It’s short, sweet, and keeps the wolf from the door.
Cue everyone’s favourite imaginary couple — Bill and Hilary.
When we first meet them, they’re fresh-faced and skint.
He’s flipping burgers, she’s cutting hair for a fiver a head, and their parents kindly bought them an income protection policy instead of a PS5.
Fast forward 15 years:
Thankfully, Zurich lets them increase their cover at key life events — like:
So your cover can grow alongside your income and life chaos.
Handy.
But — and it’s a decent-sized but — Zurich’s increase option is more limited than others on the market, and to be honest, we prefer the flexibility offered by Aviva and Royal London.
Both of those providers let you increase your cover by 20% every 3 years, no medical questions asked. So over 15 years, you could double your original cover — no awkward GP reports, no underwriting headaches, no stress.
If you’re young, healthy, and planning for a big future (raises, kids, emigration, midlife tattoo sleeve), that kind of freedom to adjust your cover as life changes is a serious advantage — and a big tick in the Aviva and Royal London columns for us.
With prices soaring faster than your blood pressure during a penalty shootout, Zurich lets you add inflation protection to your policy.
Your cover goes up 3% every year — though your premium rises 3.5%.
If you do add it, make sure your income will increase over time to support a bigger payout.
Quick look at the competition:
Zurich – Solid all-rounder. Great hospital and rehab benefits. Very client-friendly in the right circumstances.
You didn’t expect to be comparing rehab nurses and deferred periods this morning, did you? But here we are. So, are you sold on Zurich Life for your income protection?
Still not sure?
That’s grand too.
You don’t have to figure it all out alone.
I’ll happily chat through it with you — just fill in this short questionnaire or book a callback and I’ll help you figure out what’s best for your life, your budget, and your peace of mind.
No salesy nonsense, just straight-up advice.
Thanks for sticking with me.
— Nick
Editor’s note | We published this blog in 2022 and have updated it regularly
As Ireland's leading life insurance broker, we specialise in comparing the rates and policies from the top five Irish life insurance providers and offering the very best value quotes to suit the individual needs of our clients. Our expertise lies in finding a suitable insurance plan for those with specific needs, be it a particular illness, occupation or claim history, we've got you covered in every sense!
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