Continue company health insurance after leaving job

You may be able to move from company health insurance to a personal policy when you leave your job. Special continuation terms depend on the scheme and come with a deadline. Check any offer and the end date before workplace cover stops.

Confirm when your company cover ends

Ask HR or your benefits team for the exact date your cover ends. It could be your last day of employment or another date set by the scheme. Your leaving date alone does not tell you when insurance stops.

Check this during notice or garden leave, even while you’re still on the payroll. Get the end date in writing if cover is part of a redundancy agreement or your employer has agreed to keep benefits running after you leave.

Save your membership certificate and cover summary before you lose access to your employee benefits account. Keep your scheme number ready when you ask about continuation.

• Confirm the final day of cover with your employer.
• Ask how to contact the insurer about leaving the scheme.
• Check whether family members’ cover ends on the same date.
• Request any documents explaining the options for employees who leave.

Ask about a personal continuation policy

Continuation usually means moving to a personal policy you pay for yourself. It is also called a company leaver or group leaver policy. The insurer sets eligibility rules and terms.

Check whether the move preserves cover for conditions covered by your workplace scheme, even if you’ve never claimed. An ordinary new policy could have different exclusions.

Ask when you must apply and when the personal policy must start. Deadlines differ between schemes. Some insurers require continuous cover, so check both dates.

If you’ve already left, ask what is still available. A later application does not automatically cover a gap. Get any backdating agreement in writing, including what you would have to pay.

Staying with the same insurer does not automatically preserve your workplace cover.

How underwriting could change

Underwriting sets the rules for pre-existing conditions. A new personal policy may exclude a condition covered at work. Staying with the same insurer does not confirm that your cover carries across.

Moving on continuation terms

Special terms may let you keep some existing cover. Get the underwriting basis and any personal exclusions in writing. Ask the specialist to explain how these compare with your company cover.

Some switches use continued personal medical exclusions. This generally means carrying existing personal exclusions forward. Availability depends on the insurer and your current cover. Check for additional restrictions.

Starting with new underwriting

A fresh policy may use full medical underwriting or a moratorium. Full medical underwriting sets out any personal exclusions when cover starts. A moratorium excludes certain pre-existing conditions, with possible cover later if you meet the policy’s requirements.

Neither approach automatically preserves your employer’s cover. Our guide to pre-existing conditions and underwriting explains the differences. Check the terms before you agree to move.

Get confirmation about ongoing treatment

Treatment authorised under your company scheme is not automatically covered after membership ends. Check booked appointments and existing claims against the end date and any replacement policy’s rules.

Ask your current insurer about treatment that crosses your leaving date. Confirm which policy pays and whether you need new authorisation. Keep the written response with your policy documents.

An appointment before cover ends and a follow-up afterwards may fall under different arrangements. Approval for the first does not confirm payment for the second.

Continuation terms still depend on the new policy’s benefits and limits. Confirm cover for your hospital, consultant and treatment. Do not rely on an approval without checking it still applies.

Check family cover and your next job

Family members on the scheme

Check whether family cover through your employment ends with yours. Ask whether each person qualifies for continuation and whether they must move at the same time. A personal policy may have different rules for dependent children.

Keep a record of who is covered from each start date. Before relying on another workplace scheme, check that person’s acceptance and the scheme’s terms.

Cover with a new employer

If your new employer offers health insurance, check for a waiting period. Confirm the joining date and whether family cover is included.

Underwriting can differ between employers. Previous membership does not automatically carry across. Our guide to switching private health insurance explains what to check before moving policies.

Benefit in kind when you leave

Employer-paid private medical insurance is usually a taxable benefit in kind. You pay income tax on its taxable value, even if your employer pays the insurer directly.

Tax deducted from your pay is different from the cost of a personal policy. Comparing a quote with the tax figure on your payslip does not give a fair comparison. You would be taking on the insurance payment yourself.

Ask payroll how they will record the benefit ending. It may have been taxed through payroll or handled through your tax code and benefit reporting. Keep relevant payslips and benefit statements.

Check HMRC’s record reflects the change, especially if your tax code included the benefit. MoneyHelper explains how employee benefits are taxed and what to do when they stop.

A personal policy paid entirely from your own money does not create an employer-provided benefit in kind. If your former employer still pays towards cover, ask payroll how it will be treated.

Compare the cover as well as the cost

Your employer chose the workplace benefits. A personal policy gives you choices, but cover may differ with the same insurer. Compare the proposed policy documents with your current cover summary.

Private medical insurance pays for eligible private treatment of acute conditions, which can respond to treatment. New policies focus on conditions that start after cover begins, subject to underwriting and policy terms.

Policies usually exclude long-term management of chronic conditions, routine pregnancy and cosmetic treatment. Continuation terms do not remove standard exclusions.

Check these details before choosing your cover.

• In-patient and day-patient benefits for eligible hospital treatment.
• Outpatient limits for consultations, tests and scans.
• The hospital list and any restrictions on consultant choice.
• The excess and how often it applies.
• Any cancer cover or optional benefits you want to retain.

Cost depends on age, postcode, who is covered, cover level, underwriting and the hospital list. Insurance premium tax applies. Our guide to what affects the cost of private health insurance explains these choices.

Put the next steps in place

Before accepting an offer, check the start date and cover documents. Get agreed continuation terms in writing. Keep copies to refer to when you claim.

Leaving your workplace scheme does not affect your entitlement to NHS care if you decide to rely on it. The NHS remains available for emergencies. Private medical insurance usually excludes A&E and emergency care. Read the NHS guidance on urgent and emergency care.

A health insurance specialist can explain cover, quotes and available continuation options. Answer a few questions to compare private health insurance. The form asks no health questions. A specialist will contact you by phone or email to talk through your options.

Common questions

Last updated 8 November 2026