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Insurance Renewal
Reminder and Checklist

Enter your car, home, motorcycle or landlord renewal dates, choose when you want reminding, and download one calendar file. Then use the checklist before you accept each renewal.

Made for shift workers: pick a reminder far enough ahead that the decision does not land mid-run of nights. Information only, not regulated advice.

1. Your policies

Add each policy and its renewal date (it is on your policy schedule or renewal email). The insurer name is optional free text; it is only written into the calendar file on your own device.

Policy 1

2. How early should we remind you?

Shift workers: a good rule is to pick at least one reminder that is 21 days or more ahead, so the decision does not land in the middle of a run of nights. Check when your insurer usually sends its renewal notice and pick dates to suit.

3. Download your calendar file

Add at least one future renewal date and choose a reminder time to create your file.

Nothing leaves your device. What you type is held in this page’s memory only: it is not sent anywhere, not saved in cookies or browser storage, and is gone when you close or refresh the tab. Keep the .ics file if you want to keep your reminders. The only thing we record is an anonymous count when you download (how many policies and events), never the names, dates or notes you type.

Before you accept a renewal

Your renewal checklist

Printed from policepay.co.uk. Information only, not regulated advice.

The checklist follows the policy types above, and every point cites where it comes from. Ticks are for your own use while the page is open and are not saved. This is general information, not regulated insurance advice: it cannot tell you which policy or insurer is right for you.

Car insurance

PolicePay.co.uk is independent and does not sell, arrange or recommend insurance, and does not claim that any insurer offers police discounts. Rules referred to are those in force in England and Wales as checked on 30 September 2026. Complaints about an insurer can go to the Financial Ombudsman Service, normally within six months of the insurer’s final response.

How to add the file to your calendar

Google Calendar

On a computer, open Settings, choose Import & export, select the .ics file from your computer, pick the calendar and click Import. Google’s help covers the steps.

Apple Calendar

On a Mac, drag the file into Calendar. Apple’s help also says you can import an .ics file from Mail, including on iPhone.

Outlook

In Outlook on the web, choose Add calendar, then Upload from file, browse to the .ics file, choose the calendar and import it. Microsoft’s help covers the steps.

What the file contains: a standard iCalendar (RFC 5545) calendar with one all-day event per reminder and one for each renewal day, each with a display alarm at 9am that day. Events are marked free, so they do not block your diary. Each event’s description lists the main things to check for that policy type and links back to this page. Insurer names you type appear in the event titles, so use a label you are happy to see in a calendar that others might be able to view.

Why a reminder beats auto-renewal

The FCA’s rule, in force since 1 January 2022, is that for home and motor insurance sold to consumers an insurer must not set a renewal price higher than the equivalent new-customer price. Renewal notices must also show last year’s premium next to the new one, encourage you to check your cover and shop around, and say whether the policy renews automatically. Insurers must offer easy ways to cancel auto-renewal.

Those protections only help if you look. A reminder weeks ahead gives you time to read the notice, ask for the new-customer price for identical cover, get one other like-for-like quote and check that your job, hours, vehicle use and address details are still right. If a mistake about those matters to a claim, the Consumer Insurance (Disclosure and Representations) Act 2012 decides what the insurer can do, as explained on our insurance hub.

Frequently asked questions

Is anything I type sent or saved?

No. The tool runs entirely in your browser. The insurer names, dates and notes you enter stay in the page's memory, are not sent to us or anyone else, and are not saved in cookies or browser storage, so they disappear when you close or refresh the page. The only thing recorded is an anonymous usage count when you click download (how many policies and events), never the text or dates you typed.

How do I get the reminders into my calendar?

Download the .ics file and import it. In Google Calendar on a computer, use Settings, then Import and export, then select the file. In Apple Calendar on a Mac, drag the file into Calendar; Apple also says you can import an .ics file from Mail. In Outlook on the web, choose Add calendar, then Upload from file. Each event is all-day, so it will not block your diary.

Will I actually get a notification?

Each event includes a display alarm set for 9am on the day. Whether a notification fires depends on your calendar app: some apply their own default reminders to imported events, so check your app's notification settings. Either way the events appear in your calendar on the right days.

Why offer reminders 21 to 45 days ahead?

The FCA requires renewal notices to show last year's premium so you can compare it with the new one. A reminder several weeks ahead leaves time to read the notice, get a like-for-like quote and do it outside a run of nights. We have not found a sourced rule on exactly how far ahead every insurer sends its notice, so check when yours usually arrives and choose your reminder dates to suit.

What is the FCA renewal price rule the checklist mentions?

Since 1 January 2022, an insurer must not set a renewal price for home or motor insurance sold to consumers that is higher than the equivalent new-customer price (ICOBS 6B.2.1R). The FCA expects a buy-to-let landlord to be treated as a commercial customer, so the rule may not apply to a landlord policy. The checklist says so where it matters.

Does it work for policies with automatic renewal?

Yes, and that is when reminders matter most. The FCA requires renewal notices to say whether a policy renews automatically and requires insurers to offer easy ways to cancel auto-renewal. Do not cancel automatic renewal until a replacement policy has started, to avoid a gap in cover.

Can I update the dates later?

Enter the new dates and download a fresh file. The events in each file have stable identifiers based on the policy type, insurer text and date, so re-importing a file with the same details may update rather than duplicate them, depending on your calendar. If you change a date you may need to delete the old events by hand.

Is this insurance advice?

No. The checklist is general information from the sources cited on it, is not regulated advice, and does not recommend any insurer, broker or product. We do not claim any insurer gives police officers a discount.

Evidence

Sources

  1. RFC 5545: Internet Calendaring and Scheduling Core Object Specification (iCalendar) — the file format the tool writes (accessed 30 September 2026)
  2. Google Calendar Help: import events to Google Calendar — importing an .ics file on a computer (accessed 30 September 2026)
  3. Apple Support: import or export calendars on Mac — importing an .ics file into Calendar (accessed 30 September 2026)
  4. Microsoft Support: import or subscribe to a calendar in Outlook on the web — uploading an .ics file (accessed 30 September 2026)
  5. FCA press release, 28 May 2021: measures to protect customers from the loyalty penalty — renewal price rule; in force 1 January 2022 (accessed 30 September 2026)
  6. FCA Handbook ICOBS 6B.2: setting renewal prices — ICOBS 6B.2.1R (accessed 30 September 2026)
  7. FCA: transparency in insurance renewals — last year's premium; shop-around message (accessed 30 September 2026)
  8. FCA Handbook ICOBS 6A.6: cancellation of automatic renewal — easy cancellation of auto-renewal (accessed 30 September 2026)
  9. FCA pricing practices Q&As (updated 13 September 2024) — consumers; buy-to-let landlords; motorbikes (accessed 30 September 2026)
Insurance for police officers

Read the guides behind the checklist

Start here Insurance hub How insurers rate occupation and shifts, what to disclose, renewal rules and a shopping checklist. Car Car insurance Commuting, business and duty use, night shifts, telematics, no claims discount and renewals. Home Home insurance Kit and gadgets, single-item limits, time away, home working, lodgers and keeping your address private. Motorcycle Motorcycle insurance Commuting bikes, rider training certificates, security, seasonal use and riding for work. Landlord Landlord insurance Letting a property as an officer: declaration, landlord vs home cover, rent guarantee, compliance. Leaving Leaving or retiring What to tell insurers, Federation schemes after service and keeping cover continuous.

Also on PolicePay

Protection Protection hub Life, income protection and what your employment benefits do and do not cover. Protection Death in service What the police scheme provides if you die in service. Protection Income protection and life insurance How private protection sits alongside police sick pay and injury benefits. Free tool Protection gap calculator See the gap between your benefits and what your household would need. Property Property hub Affordability, mortgage rules and buying or letting as a serving officer. Property Mortgage lending rules How lenders treat police pay, overtime and allowances.

Legal Disclaimer

PolicePay.co.uk is an independent reference site. It is not an insurer, broker or adviser, is not authorised by the Financial Conduct Authority, and does not sell, arrange or recommend any insurance product or provider, or claim that any insurer discounts police officers or staff. This tool and its checklist are general information, not regulated insurance, legal, tax or financial advice, and they cannot consider your circumstances. Read your policy documents and ask your insurer, or an FCA-authorised adviser, about your situation. Rules are those in England and Wales as checked on 30 September 2026.