High quality executive income protection solutions: There is not a one size fit all solution for business protection. It is not quite as easy as getting a £1 million pound life insurance policy for each of the directors and then thinking the business is safe. Instead a business should consult with a business protection expert who can then design a bespoke solution individual to the business Often the policies need to be written in trust and it is also very important to look at the tax position of the policies both the premiums payable and how these are treated and also the sum assured upon a claim. We have helped many directors and business owners protect their businesses. Find extra details on Key Person Income Protection Insurance .
Keyman insurance can be an invaluable asset to a business, allowing them to cover the loss of valuable personnel such as Executives or Board Members. Often, premiums for keyman insurance are tax deductible provided certain criteria are met. Generally speaking, for the policy to be eligible for corporation tax relief it must be used to compensate for profit loss should a key individual die, have a limited term of 5 years or less and must not be convertible into another type of policy. Tax regulations vary from region to region however; therefore each business should speak with its local tax inspector to grow greater clarity on this matter before taking out any kind of coverage.
How Much Cover is Needed? When it comes to the amount of cover you need, it is important to reflect the amount that would be needed to pay the debt or loan back in full. To ensure you have the right level of protection, there are two main types of business loan protection insurance available; level and decreasing. Level protection is suitable if your debts stay at a consistent level over a set period, such as with an interest only mortgage. Decreasing protection allows you to address your liabilities in smaller amounts which makes more sense when responding to repayments on longer-term loans such as car finance. Business loan protection can provide significant support during a financially challenging time, allowing the continuity of trading while deferring payments on those outstanding debts. It’s vital that all businesses review their current debt levels regularly and consider the implications if one or more were suddenly unable to be paid off quickly, before selecting an appropriate level of loan protection insurance.
How the policies should be set up: There are various ways in which shareholder protection can be taken out and set up. We work closely with your accountant and other professional connections to ensure the cover is setup in the correct way for your business. In order to protect individual shareholders, it is recommended that each shareholder takes out a separate “own life” policy. This policy will insure them for a sum assured equivalent to the value of their company shares. By taking out this coverage, the shareholder can rest assured knowing that if something were to happen, their investment in the company would be protected. Additionally, if they choose to write this policy into trust, they can benefit their co-shareholders in case of unforeseeable events.
Family Benefits: If for example one of the shareholders owned 33% of a business and they were to die. To make things simple lets value the business at £3,000,000 and lets say their shares are worth £1,000,000. The spouse would normally be the one who would inherit the shares. But the remaining shareholders usually would not have spare £1 million as a cash lump sum freely available. So the chances are that they might offer the spouse a smaller sum than the shares are worth. Or another option is that the spouse could sell the shares to someone else potentially a competitor. Another option would be that the spouse could potentially keep the shares and get involves in the business. But usually the spouse would have other commitments and would not want to get involved in the business.
When an individual or couple take out a mortgage then in most cases they will protect their mortgage with life insurance or life and critical illness. The same principle should apply for business that have loans, overdrafts or other type of commercial loans. However many business owners overlook and forget to cover any outstanding loans. Business loan protection is very similar to key person cover but rather than the sum assured amount covering the loss of income from the death of a key employee instead it covers outstanding debts.
Who are the Key Persons of Business? The concept of a key person is essential for any business. A key person is someone whose skills, knowledge, experience or leadership are vitally important to the long-term financial success of a company. Examples include company directors, sales directors, IT specialists and managing directors. Companies normally have several key people within their organization who provide expertise in various areas and drive development. Moreover, these individuals are very hard to replace and should something happen to one of them it could potentially cause major financial strain on the business. Discover additional information at Key Person Income Protection Insurance.