Insurance in super
Did you know you may be able to get low-cost insurance through your super fund? In fact, default funds are obliged by law to provide a minimum level of cover for many Australians. However if you are under age 25, or your account balance is under $6,000, you will have to specifically opt-in to be able to qualify for automatic (default) insurance through your super fund.
Despite the peace of mind insurance offers and its potential to make a huge difference to people’s lives, many people remain under-insured and aren't aware of the insurance options available to them.
If you’re thinking about getting some insurance to protect you and your family, it’s worth checking out what’s on offer from your super fund as they do tend to offer very competitive premiums. You may even discover you already have insurance through your super you weren’t aware of.
Keep an eye on your insurance cover
You should be aware that your insurance could be cancelled if your account hasn’t received contributions for at least 16 months.
If you want your insurance cover to continue in an existing superannuation account which hasn’t received any recent contributions, you need to contact your fund and opt-in, or make a contribution to your account.
Your fund will send you three notices prior to cancellation of insurance and we urge you to pay attention to this correspondence so that you understand your options.
What kinds of insurance are offered through super?
If your super fund offers an appropriate level of cover for your needs, it can be a really simple and cost-effective way to insure yourself and your family.
The main insurance types offered by superannuation funds include:
- Life insurance
- Total and permanent disability (TPD) insurance
- Income protection (IP) insurance
Download a copy of the guide Super insurance explained.
Life insurance
If you hold life insurance (also known as death cover), the beneficiaries you nominate on your policy, usually your family, receive a benefit in the event of your death. Depending on the rules of the super fund, this money can be paid to them either as a lump sum or as an income stream, and provides them with financial support to ensure they can continue paying the bills after you’re gone.
Choosing life insurance is a big decision and you need to be realistic about how much cover you need. Consider factors such as how much debt you have, and how much your family will need to maintain their lifestyle both now and in the future.
Total and permanent disability (TPD) insurance
TPD insurance provides a financial safety net if you become seriously ill or permanently disabled and are no longer able to work. TPD insurance is designed to help cover the costs of rehabilitation as well as support the future cost of living.
It is important you check how your insurer defines TPD before taking out a policy as each insurer generally has its own definition.
Income Protection (IP) insurance
IP insurance provides you with income for a certain period if you can’t work due to a temporary disability or illness. Unlike Life or TPD insurance, IP insurance covers you just for the income lost through your inability to work. For families or individuals who rely heavily on one income to meet expenses, IP insurance can be an extremely important consideration.
Again, each policy differs in how it defines disability and illness and the type of benefits offered, so it’s important to make sure you fully understand what you’re getting.
You should also be conscious that the IP insurance benefit could be reduced or offset by income from other sources such as social security payments, employer IP schemes or other insured benefits such as Workcover.
For this reason you should also check whether you have more than one superannuation account and whether you might have IP already in another account. You should be cautious about having more than one IP policy in super as in general only one benefit is payable in full in the event that you are temporarily unable to work.
Generally, IP insurance will offer coverage up to a maximum of 75 per cent of your wage for a maximum amount of time – this could be two or five years or until you’re 65.
You will need to choose a waiting period when you select your coverage level. This is the amount of time you’ll have to wait after you become ill before you can make a claim. Periods usually range from 30 to 90 days so consider how much leave you have saved up with your employer when making your decision.
Making an insurance claim
See our Making an insurance claim page.