Would the Government provide me with any income?

The government may provide you with a limited income in the event of you becoming unable to work due to an accident or illness. However, it is important to remember that government based incapacity benefits are not normally high and you may find that these benefits are not actually enough money for you and your family to live on. Without extra income, it is very possible that you may find it very difficult to maintain your previous standard of living if you relied solely on state benefits.

• If you are employed and earning on average over £109 per week, in the event of you being unable to work because of an accident or illness, you are likely to be entitled to Statutory Sick Pay (SSP).
• SSP is just £86.70 (from day 4 of your time off for up to a maximum payment period of 28 weeks).
• After 28 weeks (or in some cases sooner) when Statutory Sick Pay comes to an end, you may then be able to claim Employment and Support Allowance (ESA).
• ESA benefits are dependent entirely on eligibility and your own circumstances and could provide between £56.80 and £105.05 a week.
• Neither benefit is "earnings-related" so the more you earn, the more likely you are to really notice the shortfall in your income.

If you're concerned about how you'd cope financially in the event of a loss of income to your household you can look at the potential solutions by using our exclusive interactive financial research tool the Finance Navigator.

By asking you targeted questions it will help you to find out more about the solutions available for meeting your needs, allowing you to consider what action to take.

Next: What defines being unable to work?