Key Person Protection (also known as Key Man Insurance or Key Person Insurance) is a business insuring itself against the financial loss it would suffer if a key person in the business died or was diagnosed with a critical illness, during the length of the policy. It also usually pays out if the key person is terminally ill and meets specific definitions, except in the last 12 months of the policy.

Typically the business owner is key to the future viability of the company or partnership. For this reason insurance against the survival of a critical illness is sometimes as important as insurance against death itself.

This type of protection transfers the risk of a key person suffering death or illness to the insurance company, meaning that, should the worst occur, the business has an immediate injection of capital to allow it to survive and adapt to the crisis.