L&G paid more than £1.388 billion across more than 26,000 retail protection and group protection claims in 2025.

The insurer said the total was equivalent to an average of £3.8 million a day, supporting tens of thousands of families across the UK.

Retail protection accounted for just under £1 billion of claims, with L&G paying an average of £2.7 million a day across its life insurance, income protection and critical illness products.

The group said this equated to an average of 56 retail protection claims paid each day.

Group protection claims reached £396 million across group life assurance, group income protection and group critical illness products. This was a 14% increase on the £347 million paid in 2024.

L&G said its protection teams had also focused on improving accessibility, keeping customers covered and providing rehabilitation support for individuals and employees.

Its retention team kept 22,000 retail protection customers covered in 2025 who might otherwise have lost their cover due to lapses or cancellations.

The insurer also digitised its claims submission process across all retail protection policies last year. More than 40% of L&G’s retail protection claims now start online through MyAccount or its third-party portal.

In group protection, L&G said interactions with its prevention-focused health and wellbeing support services rose by 23%, from 188,000 in 2024 to 231,217 in 2025.

Under its Group Income Protection Be Well. Get Better. Be Supported. framework, L&G supported 89% of employees to return to work within the first year of absence, where appropriate, up from 78% in 2024.

It also supported 81% of employees to return to work within the deferred period, compared with 74% in 2024.

The number of vocational rehabilitation assessments provided by L&G’s in-house team increased from 4,266 in 2024 to 5,007 in 2025.

James Shattock, managing director, protection and retail retirement at L&G, said: “Protection is more than paying a claim, it’s about supporting individuals and families when they need us most, keeping them protected, and helping them recover afterwards.

“We’re committed to continuously improving the claims journey by investing in our people, processes and digital solutions, so it’s efficient, transparent and flexible for customers during difficult times.

“For example, our fully digitised claims journey is already making a positive difference, allowing customers and their loved ones to start, pause and resume a claim whenever they’re ready.”

Shattock added: “Our Group Income Protection return to work outcomes have also gone from strength to strength over the past decade, thanks to our proven case management approach.

“This aligns closely with the recommendations in the government’s Keep Britain Working report, which we are proud to support.”