Income protection insurance can help maintain the lifestyle you've built for yourself and your loved ones, by paying a weekly benefit if you're temporarily unable to work due to an illness or injury.

Income protection when you join

Get on with life, knowing you're protected

Depending on your age, employment arrangements, and account balance, you may have income protection insurance included as part of your QSuper account. You can check your current level of cover in Member Online.

How much you're insured for

Our income protection cover can protect up to 87.75% of your income, which includes a 12.75% payment to your QSuper Accumulation account.1 This means that if you're unable to work, you can still cover everyday living expenses and continue to grow your super.

How long you'll be paid

If you're sick or injured, you may get payments for up to 2 years, giving you time to recover and focus on your health. This is known as a benefit period. Your benefit period is the maximum period of time we can pay you an income protection benefit.

How long you'll wait

If you make a claim and it’s approved, your income protection payments will start when the greater of your accrued sick leave or 90 days has passed from the date you can’t work because of illness or injury. This is called a waiting period. You can change your waiting period to 30 or 60 days in Member Online.2

Key QSuper claim statistics3

  • 98% Claim acceptance rate
  • 3,116 Income protection claims approved in 2021‑22
  • 1.7 months The fastest average time for making claim decisions

Cost of income protection insurance

How much you will pay for income protection insurance will depend on your age, the type and level of cover you have, and your premium rate. The cost automatically comes out of your QSuper account, not your take-home pay – so there’s no impact on your day-to-day budget. But it may mean you'll have less for retirement.


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Check your current insurance level

Log in to Member Online to see if you have income protection insurance included with your QSuper account. If you don't have cover, you can apply easily online.

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What else to consider

Make an insurance claim

The real value of income protection insurance through your super is when something may happen out of the blue and you need to make a claim. We aim to make the claims process as simple as possible.

Make a claim

Income protection FAQs Show all Hide all

You might have income protection included with your QSuper account, depending on your employment arrangements, your age, and your account balance. Find out more or check your current level of cover in Member Online.

Default income protection cover (salary-based cover) is set at 87.75% of your insured salary,1 capped at $20,000 per month. This includes a 12.75% contribution replacement benefit. We pay this to your QSuper Accumulation account while you’re getting an income protection benefit.

You’ll need to give us health and other information if you want to apply for cover above this limit.

If you aren’t eligible for default income protection cover, you can apply for unitised cover. Each unit is worth $500 of cover a month. This includes a contribution replacement benefit of $72.65 for each unit.

If you're employed on a full-time or part-time basis, the most cover you can apply for is $50,000 per month. If you're employed on a casual basis, the most cover you can apply for is $5,000 per month.

See the QSuper Insurance Guide (pdf) for more information on increasing your cover.



1.In summary, your insured salary is the salary notified to us by your Queensland Government or default employer for your permanent full-time or part-time employment. See the Insurance Guide (pdf) for full details.


If you have salary-based income protection cover, you can ask us to update your insured salary if your salary goes up or down during the year, as long as:

  • You're employed by a Queensland Government employer or default employer on a permanent full-time or part-time basis
  • You apply within 60 days of your salary change
  • You haven't changed your insured salary in the last 12 months
  • Your Queensland Government employer or default employer confirms your new insured salary.

Note: We'll update your cover amount automatically on 1 November each year based on your insured salary1 as told to us by your employer.

To apply to change your insured salary, please fill out the Application to Change Insured Salary form.

Other situations

If you aren’t eligible for salary-based income protection cover (for example, you joined online or work on a casual basis) or you want to be covered for a different amount, you can apply for unitised cover.

With unitised cover, you buy cover in 'units'. Each unit is worth $500 a month. This includes a super contribution replacement benefit of $72.65 per unit.

You can buy as many units as you need (subject to maximum limits). You may need to permanently opt in to your new cover when you apply if you meet one of the following:

  • You’re under age 25
  • Your account balance is under $6,000
  • There's been no money put into your account in 13 months.


1.In summary, your insured salary is the salary notified to us by your Queensland Government or default employer for your permanent full-time or part-time employment. See the Insurance Guide (pdf) for full details.


While you can't be covered for an agreed value with QSuper, you can apply for unitised cover.

With unitised cover, you can buy cover in "units". Each unit is worth $500 a month, which includes a superannuation contribution replacement benefit of $72.65 per unit. You can buy as many units as you need (subject to maximum limits) – which is great if you receive income from an employer other than the one putting money in your QSuper account, and you want to be covered for your total income from both jobs.

If you're eligible to get an income protection benefit, there are 2 ways we calculate it.

For salary-based cover

Your benefit will be the lesser of:

  • Your salary-based cover amount (expressed as a monthly amount)
  • 87.75% of your pre-disability income1 (includes a 12.75% contribution replacement benefit).

For unitised cover

Your benefit will be the lesser of:

  • The insured value of your units
  • 87.75% of your pre-disability income1 (includes a 12.75% contribution replacement benefit).

Please note periods of no pay may reduce your pre-disability income.


1. In all cases, benefits are limited to 87.75% of your pre-disability income up to a monthly benefit of $30,000. This reduces to 62.75% of your pre-disability income on any further monthly benefit up to $50,000.

If you have QSuper Income Protection insurance, the cost of cover is not tax deductible. But it's offered through our group life insurance policy, which gives bulk insurance rates for our members.

Costs come out of your super account each month, so there’s no impact on your day-to-day budget. But it may mean you'll have less for retirement. If you take out income protection insurance with a private insurer, you could be eligible to claim a tax deduction on the cost of your cover.

If you're not sure which option is right for you, professional advice can help.

When you go on maternity or paternity leave, your income protection insurance will continue as long as you have enough money in your account to pay for the insurance premiums. If you have salary-based cover and your parental leave includes a period of leave without pay, we'll change your income protection to unitised cover if we don't get a contribution from your employer for 3 months.

If we don't get any money into your account for 13 months straight, we'll cancel your cover. To stop this from happening, you can permanently opt in to cover.

Check the QSuper Insurance Guide (pdf) for details on other circumstances when cover could end.

If you go on leave without pay, you may still be eligible to claim a benefit as long as:

  • The time you are on leave without pay isn't longer than 12 months
  • You had a documented return to work date before you went on leave without pay
  • You have enough money in your account to pay the insurance premiums.

Find out more about what happens to your cover on leave without pay in the Insurance Guide (pdf).

Some of the situations where your income protection payments will stop include when:

  • You no longer meet the definition of total and temporary disablement or partial and temporary disablement
  • You turn 65 (or 60 if you're a police officer)
  • You come to the end of your benefit period.

For a full list of when your income protection payments will stop, read the QSuper Insurance Guide (pdf).

If you're currently receiving your full income protection benefit and receive Workers' Compensation payments, motor accident compensation, social security payments, or any statutory or government payments for loss of income relating to illness or injury, we will reduce your income protection payments by an equivalent amount. Read the QSuper Insurance Guide (pdf) for more information.


If your employer starts paying you any annual, recreational, long service, sick, or other personal leave, your income protection payments will be suspended. Read the QSuper Insurance Guide (pdf) for more information.


For more information

For more information about the insurance cover provided through QSuper, see our other Insurance FAQs, or download our QSuper Insurance Guide (pdf).