05 Nov 2025

Do I need life insurance if I’m single?

There are various situations where getting individual life insurance as a single person could be good idea. For example, you may have children from a past relationship that you want to provide financial protection for should you pass away. You may have other family members that depend on you financially. If you own a property that you would like to leave to a loved one if you were to die, life insurance could cover the cost of your mortgage if you pass away while covered.

Reviewed by Lisa Redman

Misconceptions about life insurance

People often think you only need life insurance at certain stages of your life, such as getting married, having children, or buying a property with a spouse. But what about life insurance for single people? While it’s certainly true that life insurance becomes especially important if other people depend on your income, there are plenty of circumstances where you may want to consider life insurance even if you’re single.

The benefits of life insurance for single people

Here are some examples where having life insurance in place can prove beneficial for single people:

Buying a property

If you pass away before your mortgage is paid off, your life insurance could help pay the remaining amount. This could allow you to leave the property to loved ones or charitable causes that may be important to you. But if you don’t have an individual life policy or death in service with your employer, your bank or building society can seek repayment from your estate. If there is still not enough money to cover the costs, your lender can demand that the property is sold and may add interest charges in the meantime. So if you’re buying a property with friends or on your own, it could be a smart idea to take out life insurance.

Protecting your children

If you have children from a previous relationship, Life insurance can give you peace of mind knowing your children would be cared for financially if the worst were to happen to you, while you're covered by the policy. It could pay out a cash sum to your beneficiaries to help with things like child-care costs and everyday living expenses.

Friends and Family

It is not only children who might rely on you financially. A single person may choose to help a close relative in full time education, or parents in retirement etc. Life insurance could ensure this support continues should the worst happen. In other situations, life cover could give you peace of mind that a loved one will not be financially disadvantaged if you were to pass away. For example, a friend or family member may have agreed to act as a guarantor for a loan you have taken out and could be liable to repay the debt if you are unable to do so.

So if you have a need for life insurance as a single person, it's worth remembering that the younger you are, the less your life insurance premiums will cost when you take out your policy.

Types of life cover we offer suitable for single people

Life Insurance – this could pay out a lump sum if you die during the length of the policy, and help your family or loved ones to pay off the mortgage or help maintain their lifestyle and everyday living expenses.
Decreasing Life Insurance – this is designed to help protect a repayment mortgage so the amount of cover reduces roughly in line with the way a repayment mortgage decreases.

Please note, life insurance is not a savings or investment product and has no cash value unless a valid claim is made.

Get the cover you need

Everyone situations are different, and whether you’re single or married, L&G’s life insurance can help to give you peace of mind and financial protection.

Lisa Redman

Senior Propositions Manager, Retail Protection

Lisa works in UK Retail Protection Proposition Development team and is responsible for identifying and assessing new product and proposition enhancements to meet customer needs, with a strong emphasis on regulatory compliance ensuring all required governance is completed.

More about Lisa

Young Mum and Dad looking happy with new baby

Choosing the right length of time for your life insurance cover

Learn what you should think about when deciding the length of term of your life insurance.

Types of life insurance

In this article, we’ll explain the main types of life insurance available and what kind of customer they might be best suited to.