Holloway Friendly: income protection and how it works

Holloway Friendly is a UK friendly society that sells income protection insurance. Income protection insurance protects your income if you fall ill and cannot work, paying a percentage of your income each month¹. It is the main product the brand is known for, and it is sold under the Holloway Income Protection Plus name.

The firm behind the brand is The Original Holloway Friendly Society Limited, which is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under reference 109986, with Holloway Friendly as its current trading name². It also appears on the Bank of England's list of insurers incorporated in the UK authorised to carry out contracts of insurance³. That matters to a reader because it tells you who to check on the FCA Register and who stands behind the policy.

This page covers what Holloway Friendly sells, when payments start, what is excluded, how to claim, how to pause or cancel cover, how to complain, and how your money is protected. It does not give rates or prices: those change, and the firm's own site carries today's figures.

What Holloway Friendly offers: income protection insurance

Income protection insurance is the core of what Holloway Friendly sells. The Financial Ombudsman Service describes the product plainly: "This insurance protects your income if you fall ill and can't work. It pays a percentage of your income each month"¹. That percentage is set when the policy is taken out, and the payout continues while you remain unable to work, subject to the policy's terms.

It is worth separating this from payment protection insurance, which the same source describes as protecting your payments if you have an accident, or become sick or unemployed¹. The two are different products with different triggers, and a reader comparing them should look at what each one actually pays out and when.

Holloway Friendly's income protection sits alongside the wider protection market covered in our guide to protection insurance, which explains how life, income and illness cover differ. If you are weighing up whether income protection is the right kind of cover for your circumstances, that guide sets out the options side by side.

The policy schedule for Holloway Income Protection Plus sets out the scheme rules, including who can be nominated to deal with a policy and what happens when cover is paused or cancelled⁴. Those rules are the source for most of what follows on this page.

When payments start: the employer sick pay rule and Home Protector

The timing of an income protection payout matters because most people have a gap to bridge first. By law, an employer does not have to start paying statutory sick pay until the fourth day of sickness absence⁶. Statutory Sick Pay is payable from the first full day of sickness from 6 April 2026, and can be paid up to a maximum of 28 weeks⁷.

That means a worker who falls ill typically has a waiting period before any employer sick pay begins, and a limited window of 28 weeks before it ends. Some employers offer company sick pay on top, but this can end after six months, at which point a critical illness cover payout may be helpful⁹.

Holloway Friendly's income protection is designed to sit in that gap. The policy's own rules set a deadline for claiming: a member must complete and return a sickness claim form with evidence to support their claim within twenty-eight days from the date they became eligible to receive income benefit⁴. That is a deadline on the claimant, not a promise about when the firm will respond.

For readers who want to understand how income protection fits with other cover, our guide to protection insurance explains the different product types and what each one pays for.

Exclusions: conditions you may not be able to claim for

Every income protection policy has exclusions, and Holloway Friendly's are set out in its scheme rules. The policy states that income benefit is not payable for incapacity caused by intentional self-injury; surgical procedures carried out solely for cosmetic purposes; the misuse of alcohol or drugs, other than drugs taken as directed or administered by a registered medical or dental practitioner; any disorderly conduct, or criminal act or omission; wilful participation in riot or civil commotion; accidents arising from or during participation in any hazardous activity other than those declared to and accepted on risk by the Society; war, invasion or act of a foreign enemy, or civil war, whether declared or not; and the direct or indirect effects of radiation or radioactive contamination⁴.

That list is worth reading carefully before taking out cover, because it defines the boundary of what the policy will pay for. The hazardous activity exclusion in particular can catch people who take part in sports or activities that the firm has not agreed to cover.

How to make a claim with Holloway Friendly

The claim process starts with the sickness claim form. The policy requires a member to complete and return that form, with evidence to support the claim, to the Society within twenty-eight days from the date they became eligible to receive income benefit⁴. Missing that deadline is the main risk in the process.

You will need your National Insurance number, which is a standard requirement for claims and applications of this kind¹⁰. You may also be asked for details of money you receive, as is common with benefit and support claims¹⁰.

The Financial Ombudsman Service's guidance on personal accident insurance sets out how complaints about this kind of cover are handled if something goes wrong¹. If a claim is declined and you think the decision is wrong, that is the route to follow.

Support beyond the payout: therapy, physio and back-to-work help

Income protection pays a monthly benefit, but the policy rules do not set out additional rehabilitation, therapy or physiotherapy services. What the policy supports is the payout itself and the conditions attached to it, not a package of back-to-work support.

Where a reader needs help beyond the payout, the wider support system is the place to look. The Financial Ombudsman Service handles complaints about medical and personal accident insurance¹. For money worries linked to ill health, MoneyHelper offers guidance on making your money easier to manage¹¹, and the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute lists sources of help¹².

If you are struggling with debt while unwell, StepChange's credit confidence guidance sets out warning signs to watch for, including using credit to get by until payday or to cover essentials, struggling to make repayments, and being charged for late repayments¹³. Those are signals to seek free debt advice rather than to borrow further.

Struggling to pay: pausing your Direct Debit or your cover

If you are finding it hard to keep up payments, the policy rules offer a pause mechanism. Upon the payment of arrears of more than fourteen days, a period not exceeding 30 days shall elapse, subject to the discretion of the Society⁴. In plain terms, catching up on missed payments triggers a waiting period before cover resumes.

Cancelling a Direct Debit is a bigger step than it looks. Bounced Direct Debits and standing orders can leave you facing heavy bank charges, so make sure there's enough money in your account¹¹. The Financial Ombudsman Service opened 113 complaints about Direct Debits in Q1 2026/27¹⁴, which shows how often these payments become a source of dispute.

If you are in financial difficulty, free and impartial help is available. StepChange's guidance on warning signs is a starting point¹³, and the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute lists support services¹². For debt advice, contact a free charity such as StepChange or Citizens Advice rather than a fee-charging service.

Changing or cancelling a Holloway Friendly policy

The policy rules allow an Income Plus Member holding Shares to elect, at any time and with the consent of the Board, to discontinue as an Income Plus Member and continue as an Associate Member under Schedule 2⁴. That is a conversion between membership types rather than a straightforward cancellation, and it requires the Board's consent.

On cancellation rights, the Consumer Credit Act 1974 gives five clear days, not counting the date of receipt, to cancel an agreement signed off trade premises⁵. That is a statutory right, separate from anything in the policy rules.

There is also a rule about nominations. The marriage or divorce of an Income Plus Member operates as a revocation of any nomination previously made by them⁴. So if your marital status changes, any person you had nominated to deal with your policy is no longer nominated, and you would need to make a new nomination.

If you are considering cancelling, it is worth understanding what you would be giving up. Our guide to protection insurance explains what income protection covers and why people hold it.

Complaints and how quickly they are answered

If something goes wrong, the first step is to complain to Holloway Friendly directly. The Financial Conduct Authority's complaints rules require firms to send a prompt written acknowledgement providing early reassurance that it has received the complaint and is dealing with it¹⁵. That acknowledgement is a requirement, not a courtesy.

If the firm does not resolve your complaint to your satisfaction, you can take it to the Financial Ombudsman Service. The ombudsman handles complaints about medical and personal accident insurance¹, and its quarterly complaints data shows how it handles volumes across the sector¹⁴.

For readers who want to understand the wider complaints system, our guide to consumer protection explains how the ombudsman and other protections work.

How Holloway Friendly members are protected

Holloway Friendly is authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority under reference 109986, with a status effective date of 01/12/2001². It appears on the Bank of England's list of insurers incorporated in the UK authorised to carry out contracts of insurance, as of 01 September 2026³. Its permissions include accepting deposits².

That authorisation matters because it brings the firm within the Financial Ombudsman Service's jurisdiction. If you have a complaint you cannot resolve with the firm, the ombudsman can look at it¹.