Does family history affect life insurance?

7 September 2026

Insurers can ask what your parents died of. They cannot ask for your predictive genetic test result on most policies. Those are two different rules.

6 min read · Ben Tomlin · Last reviewed September 2026

The short answer

Yes. Insurers can ask about illnesses in your parents and siblings, and can price for them. A predictive genetic test result is different. Today they can only ask for one on life cover above £500,000, and only for Huntington's disease. The Code also sets limits of £300,000 for critical illness cover and £30,000 a year for income protection, but no test is approved for those.

Family history and genetic tests: two different rules

Almost every application asks whether a parent, brother or sister has had a serious illness before a certain age.

That is family history, and insurers are allowed to ask about it and price for it.

A genetic test result is a separate thing with its own rules, set by an agreement between the government and the Association of British Insurers.

People hear that insurers cannot use genetic tests and assume family history is off limits too. It is not.

The distinction in one line.

Family history is what happened to your relatives. A predictive genetic test is what a laboratory says about your own future risk. The first is underwritten normally. The second is protected.

What the Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance says

The Code is an agreement between the Department of Health and Social Care and the ABI. It was published in October 2018 and was last updated in March 2026.

It commits insurers to four things that are worth knowing before you apply.

An insurer will never require or pressure you to take a genetic test as a condition of getting insurance.
An insurer will not treat you differently just because you have had a predictive genetic test.
An insurer will only ask you to disclose a predictive genetic test result above the cover limits set out below.
You can choose to disclose a favourable result voluntarily, and the insurer can use it to your benefit.

The cover limits are the part most people never see written down.

Type of cover	Limit before a predictive result can be asked for
Life insurance	£500,000 per person
Critical illness cover	£300,000 per person
Income protection	£30,000 a year of benefit

Below those amounts, a predictive genetic test result will not be asked for and will not be taken into account.

There is one further limit that surprises people. The approved list of relevant predictive tests currently contains a single condition, Huntington's disease, and only for life cover above £500,000.

So for every other inherited condition, a predictive test result is not something an insurer can ask for at all, whatever the sum assured.

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The exception to the genetic testing code

The Code protects predictive tests. It does not protect diagnostic ones.

A predictive test says you may develop something in the future. A diagnostic test confirms or rules out a condition you already have symptoms of.

A diagnostic genetic test is treated like any other medical test, in the same way as a blood test or an MRI scan.

So if a genetic test was used to diagnose a condition you are living with, that is normal medical history and it must be declared.

If a genetic test was used to tell you about a risk you do not yet have, the Code applies.

This is a fine distinction and it is worth asking your adviser to check which one applies to you before the form is filled in.

How family history affects your life insurance price

Most applications ask a version of the same question. Has a parent or sibling been diagnosed with heart disease, stroke, cancer or a hereditary condition before a certain age.

One relative is often no problem at all. Two close relatives with the same condition at a young age is what moves the price.

The outcome is usually one of four things.

Standard rates. The history is common enough or distant enough that it does not change the risk.
A rating. Your premium is loaded by a percentage to reflect the higher risk.
An exclusion. Rare on life cover, more common on critical illness, where the specific condition is carved out.
A postponement or decline. Uncommon on family history alone, and usually driven by your own health rather than a relative's.

The important point is that the answer differs between insurers, often substantially, because each one sets its own underwriting rules.

Two insurers can look at the same family history and quote very different prices. That is the whole argument for not buying the first quote you see.

Critical illness is where family history bites hardest, because the product pays on diagnosis rather than death.

Getting cover with a difficult family history

Answer the question honestly, including ages at diagnosis, because a vague answer usually gets underwritten as the worst case.
Get the ages right. A parent diagnosed at 71 is a completely different application from a parent diagnosed at 51.
Ask for the application to be pre-assessed with more than one insurer before a formal application is submitted.
Do not cancel existing cover until the new policy is on risk and you have seen the final terms in writing.
If you have had a predictive genetic test, ask whether the Code limits apply before you volunteer anything.

The pre-assessment point is the one that saves the most money. An adviser can put an anonymous summary of your history to several underwriters and compare the answers.

A formal application that gets declined may have to be declared on later applications, which can make the next one harder. A pre-assessment does not.

Cancer, heart attack and stroke drive most critical illness claims, so a family history of any of those three is worth handling carefully rather than hopefully.

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Frequently asked questions

Do I have to tell an insurer about my family history?

Yes. If the application asks about illnesses in your parents or siblings, you must answer accurately, including ages at diagnosis. Leaving it out is non-disclosure and can affect a future claim.

Can an insurer ask for my genetic test results?

Only in narrow circumstances. The Code on Genetic Testing and Insurance sets the thresholds. An insurer can ask for a predictive result only above £500,000 of life cover, £300,000 of critical illness cover or £30,000 a year of income protection. It must also be a test on the approved list, and that list currently contains Huntington's disease alone, for life cover only.

Does a genetic test make my insurance more expensive?

Not on its own. Insurers have committed not to treat you differently just because you have had a predictive genetic test. A diagnostic genetic test that confirmed a condition you have is different, and is treated like any other medical result.

Will family history stop me getting life insurance?

Rarely on family history alone. It is more likely to produce a rated premium or, on critical illness, an exclusion for that specific condition. The answer varies a lot between insurers.

Does family history affect critical illness cover more than life cover?

Usually yes. Critical illness pays on diagnosis rather than death, so an inherited risk of developing a listed condition matters more to that product.

Should I use a comparison site if I have a family history?

A comparison site prices a healthy applicant. Once underwriting is involved the quoted price often changes. Pre-assessment with several insurers gives you a realistic answer before you commit to an application.