Editor’s note: First published September 2023 | Fully refreshed January 2026 to reflect current Irish underwriting practice and how autism is actually assessed for mortgage protection.
10-second summary: Autism on its own rarely leads to higher premiums or refusals for mortgage protection in Ireland. Most people receive normal terms. The main risk is not the diagnosis itself, but applying to the wrong insurer first.
If you’ve landed here, you’re probably wondering whether an autism diagnosis is going to make getting mortgage protection awkward or expensive.
The short answer is no. For most people, it’s very straightforward.
Autism, by itself, is not viewed by Irish insurers as a high-risk medical condition.
Many people on the spectrum take out mortgage protection at standard rates, without exclusions or special terms.
Where problems do arise, it’s usually not because of autism itself, but because of how and where the application is made.
How insurers actually look at autism
Life insurance companies don’t underwrite autism as a label. They look at how things work in practice and whether anything materially increases the risk of a claim.
In underwriting terms, insurers are usually trying to understand a few practical points.
- Does the diagnosis affect day-to-day functioning?
- Has there been ongoing psychiatric involvement?
- Is there regular medication?
- Has anything changed recently?
For many applicants, the answers are reassuringly uneventful.
- No hospital admissions.
- No ongoing psychiatric care.
- No medication beyond routine support, or none at all.
In cases like this, autism does not materially affect the application.
This is very different from how people often imagine insurers think.
Do you have to disclose an autism diagnosis?
You only disclose conditions you are specifically asked about.
Irish life insurance application forms do not ask a direct question about autism. Instead, they ask broader questions around mental health history, psychiatric consultations, or prescription medication.
If you can answer no to those questions honestly, there may be no additional follow-up at all. If you answer yes, insurers will usually ask some clarifying questions and, in some cases, request a GP report. This is part of the normal underwriting process and does not automatically mean higher premiums or a refusal.
Where people accidentally make this harder than it needs to be
Most difficulties I see don’t come from autism itself. They come from applying to the wrong insurer first.
Some insurers use broader mental health screening questions than others. A yes in the wrong place can trigger GP reports or extended assessments that would never have been required elsewhere.
Once that information is submitted, it can’t be undone.
Even if another insurer had treated the case as routine, the paper trail already exists.
The good news is that this is avoidable. Choosing the right insurer at the outset usually keeps the process simple and stress-free.
Will autism increase the cost of mortgage protection?
In most cases, no.
Where autism is not associated with significant mental health conditions or functional impairment, people commonly receive standard terms. That means the same price as someone without the diagnosis.
As with any mortgage protection policy, the premium is driven mainly by age, smoking status, the term of the mortgage, and the amount of cover required. You can read more about how this works in our mortgage protection guide.
What about serious illness cover or income protection?
Autism on its own does not usually prevent access to serious illness cover or income protection.
As with mortgage protection, insurers focus on stability and any related conditions rather than the diagnosis label itself. Many people on the spectrum hold full protection portfolios without exclusions.
So what’s the sensible next step?
If autism is part of your medical history, the safest approach is to get the order right before submitting an application.
You can either complete our questionnaire, which allows us to assess things quietly before approaching insurers, or book a call so we can sense-check the approach first.
Either way, the aim is the same.
Avoid unnecessary underwriting friction and get cover in place without turning a routine application into a drawn-out process.
Thanks for reading,
Nick
Written by Nick McGowan, QFA RPA APA
Nick is a qualified financial advisor and founder of Lion.ie, an Irish life insurance and income protection brokerage based in Tullamore.
He specialises in helping people with medical conditions secure fair cover — and was named Protection Broker of the Year 2022.
If you want straight answers (without the sales pitch), learn more about Nick here.