Claims Handlers play a vital role in the insurance industry, ensuring claims are processed efficiently and in line with policy terms and regulations. They investigate claims, gather evidence, communicate with stakeholders, and negotiate settlements while maintaining excellent customer service.
Claims Handlers use their analytical skills to assess claims, identify potential fraud, and ensure fair outcomes. Their responsibilities include managing various claim types, maintaining accurate records, and complying with FCA and GDPR regulations to protect insurers and policyholders.
Claims Handlers are regarded as key to the claims process, ensuring fair resolutions while upholding industry standards and safeguarding insurers.
There are no minimum qualification requirements for claims handling roles, so job vacancies vary in terms of what they ask for. Having said that, it is common for employers to expect applicants to be at least RQF level 2 qualified, ideally level 3. So, if you are looking to increase your options and develop your career, achieving a relevant qualification will put you in a competitive position.
Many Claims Handlers will have achieved or be working towards at least a level 3 qualification. The main examining bodies offering qualifications are:
Before choosing which qualifications to take, we recommend you do some research into the methods of assessment used by the examining bodies. Some examinations are multiple choice, others are written answers. Some qualifications are assessed using just exams, some use a mixture of coursework and examination, others are heavily coursework based. Each individual will have their own preferences so deciding on a route that best suits your strengths is an important step.
It is also worth considering the qualification preferences of the firms you are hoping to work for; find out if they favour one route over another.
At BTS, we support the CII route so the information in this profile focuses on some of the main qualifications offered by the CII. Below you will find an overview of the Certificate in Insurance, CII Diploma in Insurance and the CII Advanced Diploma in Insurance, along with links to detailed information on each of the exams that make up the qualifications.
The CII Certificate in Insurance is an RQF Level 3 qualification made up of 3 modules. There are 2 routes to take depending on the area of the insurance industry you want to specialise in; General Insurance or the London Market.
For the General Insurance route, IF1 (Insurance Legal and Regulatory) is a mandatory module and although the modules can be taken in any order, we recommend starting with this as it covers the essential principles of insurance and provides a solid grounding for the other units. We would then suggest moving on to IF2 (General Insurance Business) as this leads on nicely and gives more detail of the products and services offered within the general insurance market, before finishing with IF4 (Insurance Claims Handling Process) to hone your knowledge of claims handling practice.
For the London market route, LM1 (London Market Insurance Essentials) and LM2 (London Market Insurance Principles and Practices) are both mandatory modules and as with the General Insurance route the modules can be taken in any order but we recommend starting with the two mandatory ones to gain the foundation knowledge of the London Market and it’s processes and procedures before again moving on to IF4 (Insurance Claims Handling Process) to hone your knowledge of claims handling practice. Completing LM1, LM2 and IF4 will result in the achievement of the Certificate in Insurance rather than the Certificate in London Market Insurance as there is not a London Market equivalent of IF4.
The CII Diploma in Insurance is an RQF Level 4 qualification designed to build advanced technical knowledge across key areas of general insurance. It is made up of a mix of core and optional units, allowing you to tailor your learning to your career goals. While there’s no fixed order in which you must take the exams, some units naturally complement each other and may be better tackled together.
Although it is often referred to as the toughest Diploma level module, we strongly suggest starting with M05 (Insurance Law), as it lays a strong legal foundation that supports many of the other units and revisits the core principles of insurance from the certificate level modules in greater detail. M05 is one of the mandatory modules, as is M92 (Business and Finance) so this may be a good choice to do next as it focuses on how insurance businesses are managed and details the governance and accounting principles associated with financial success.
After completing both mandatory modules, we recommend moving on to M85 (Claims Practice) as this will enhance the knowledge gained of claims practice from your certificate level IF4 module.
To finish your Diploma, we suggest choosing one of the optional modules that fits with the products you are working with. This could be M93 (Commercial Property & Business Interruption Insurances) or M94 (Motor Insurance) for example.
To complete the Diploma, you’ll need to gain 120 CII credits, with at least 90 credits at Diploma level or above. The credits awarded for each Diploma level module vary from 20-30 so it’s important when choosing your optional modules that you ensure they give you enough credits to fully achieve your Diploma.
The CII Advanced Diploma in Insurance is a level 6 qualification. It is becoming increasingly common for Insurance Claims Handlers to pursue level 6 qualifications.
To complete the Advanced Diploma, candidates must already hold the CII Diploma in Insurance. The Advanced Diploma is made up of a selection of modules totalling 290 credits (with at least 120 coming from having completed your Diploma). As with the Certificate and Diploma level qualifications, the Advanced Diploma also has mandatory modules and again we suggested starting with the relevant one, in this case 820 (Advanced Claims). The remaining 120 credits can be obtained from the optional modules or other mandatory ones.
Our suggestion here would be to follow 820 with 996 (Strategic Claims Management) to continue the theme of claims. It is then up to you to pick 3 other modules depending on their relevance to your role or other areas of the insurance market you may be interested in. As an example, you may wish to complete 990 (Insurance Corporate Management) if your goal is to move into leadership within the industry or 992 (Risk Management in Insurance) to learn more about management of risk within the context of an insurance organisation. You may also wish to consider the other mandatory modules; 960 (Advanced Underwriting) or 930 (Advanced Broking) to gain a better understanding of how these areas of the industry support and impact the claims function. The CII Qualifications Framework shows the full range of CII units, their level and credit value.
A typical day for a Claims Handler may include:
Career development for an Insurance Claims Handler often begins in an entry-level role, where individuals gain hands-on experience managing claims, speaking with customers, and learning to assess policy coverage and liability. As confidence and expertise grow, Claims Handlers can progress to more complex cases involving higher-value claims, specialist areas (such as motor fleet, high net worth property, liability, or personal injury), or even suspected fraud.
With further experience, opportunities may arise to move into Senior Claims Handler or Team Leader roles, where individuals may mentor others, manage workloads, and oversee the resolution of more contentious or high-risk claims. Some may choose to specialise in areas like loss adjusting, litigation, or technical claims.
Longer-term career progression could include moving into claims management, compliance, training and development, or even transitioning into related areas such as underwriting, risk management, or customer experience strategy. This makes it a varied and rewarding path with opportunities across the insurance sector.
Claims Handlers are employed by insurance companies to handle and manage claims from their policyholders, or by brokers or intermediaries to support their clients throughout the claims process and liaise with insurers.
