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UPDATED JUL 7, 2026💡 What to expect for employee benefits when you hire in the UK through Toku. UK employees receive private medical insurance, life insurance at 4× salary, critical illness cover, and wellbeing services - plus a workplace pension under the UK's auto-enrolment rules.
At a Glance
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Private medical insurance | VitalityHealth - auto-enrolled on start date |
| Pension | Smart Pension: 3% employer / 5% employee (salary sacrifice) |
| Life insurance | 4× base salary - employer-funded, day one |
| Critical illness | £50,000 tax-free lump sum - employer-funded |
| Wellbeing | Help@hand: 24/7 remote GP, mental health support, EAP |
| Dependents | Can be added via the benefits app |
Statutory Context
Private medical insurance sits alongside NHS coverage. Workplace pension auto-enrolment is a statutory obligation: employees aged 22+ earning over £10,000/year (£833/month) must be enrolled, with contributions at the levels below.
Private Medical Insurance: VitalityHealth
All eligible employees are auto-enrolled from their start date. Coverage includes: virtual GP fully covered; specialist consultations and diagnostics fully covered with GP referral; physiotherapy; mental health care (talking therapies, psychiatric stays up to 28 days/year); in-patient and day-patient treatment fully covered; full cancer care including chemo and radiotherapy; childbirth/adoption benefit of £100 per child; dental (routine £100/year, major treatments 80% up to £400/year, emergency dental up to £2,500/claim); optical up to £500/year; and worldwide travel cover with emergency medical up to £10 million.
Underwriting note: the plan uses moratorium underwriting - pre-existing conditions (treated or consulted on before enrollment) aren't covered for the first 2 continuous years, and may become covered after a symptom- and treatment-free period. Employees switching from another insurer may apply for continued terms subject to approval.
Dependents can be added via the benefits app once the benefit appears in the employee's Toku account. Employees with 12+ months of continuous cover can convert to an individual plan within 30 days of leaving.
Pension: Smart Pension
Defined contribution scheme with 3% employer / 5% employee contributions, with the employee share taken via salary sacrifice (pre-tax); rates are adjustable by the employee. Employees meeting the statutory triggers are auto-enrolled and can opt out (with refund) within the opt-out window in their Smart Pension welcome email - typically one month. The employer 3% is billed to the client.
Life Insurance & Critical Illness (Employer-Funded)
- Life insurance: 4× annual base salary, with cover from day one and auto-enrollment at hire; continues during temporary absence.
- Critical illness: £50,000 tax-free lump sum on diagnosis of a covered condition (cancer, heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and more); children automatically covered at 25% of the employee benefit.
Wellbeing: Help@hand
24/7 services at no cost to employees: unlimited remote GP (video within 2 hours), mental health support and therapy, fast-track CT/MRI diagnostics, up to 8 physiotherapy sessions/year, lifestyle coaching, an EAP, and shopping discounts.
Last verified July 2026. This guide is for general information and doesn't constitute legal or tax advice. Questions? Contact [email protected].