Zurich Protection: Our claims paid in 2025

Paying claims is at the heart of what we do. When a person experiences illness, injury or loss, it is often an incredibly difficult period in their life. That’s why, when a client submits a claim, we ensure it is handled with care by one of our dedicated specialists. We are committed to delivering a fair and honest resolution every time.

Claims lie at the core of any good protection plan, and at Zurich, we take great pride in our track record. We’ve recently published our 2025 claims statistics, and we’re pleased to share them with you.

Our claims paid in 2025

In 2025, we’ve paid over €96 million in life claims and more than €25 million in serious illness claims. The classic “Big Three” (heart attack, stroke and cancer) remain the leading causes of claims in these categories.

Life and serious illness

In 2025, we paid €122.3 million in Life and Serious Illness claims, including 823 Life Insurance claims. Cancer, heart‑related conditions and respiratory illnesses were the main reasons for these payouts. We also paid 351 Serious Illness and Cancer Cover claims, with cancer being the leading cause. Claimants were typically in their early 50s to mid‑60s.

Income protection

We paid €9.9 million in Income Protection claims in 2025, supporting 377 people who were unable to work due to illness or injury. Mental health conditions, cancer and musculo‑skeletal issues were the most common causes of claim, and the average new claimant was 47 years old.

Underwriting provides the key to good claims outcomes

While we pay the vast majority of claims, there are occasions where a claim cannot be paid, usually because information was missing or incomplete at application stage, the condition did not meet the policy definition, or the claim did not meet the policy terms.

Encouraging clients to provide full and accurate information from the outset helps ensure their cover works exactly as intended when they need it most. Our Underwriting Helpline (01 799 2825) is available if you ever have questions or concerns about under‑disclosure.

More information about the importance of disclosure can be found in our Broker Guide and our Client Guide.

Supporting your clients through the claims process

We know that making a claim can feel overwhelming, so we’ve worked to simplify the process as much as possible. Information on how to make a claim can be found here.

For Income Protection clients, our Early Intervention service can also provide timely, practical support to help clients focus on their recovery and, where possible, a safe return to work.

Want to know more?

For further information or if you have any questions, please contact your Zurich Broker Consultant or read our full 2025 Claims report.