Understanding insurance cover

You might have insurance cover included with your account, depending on whether you are eligible, your employment arrangements, your age, and your account balance.

Find out more or check your current level of cover in Member Online.

One of the benefits of having insurance cover through your super fund is that the costs are paid directly from your super account, so you have the peace of mind of knowing that your family are protected without affecting your day-to-day budget.

In addition, these payments are generally more affordable, as your insurance is provided through a group life insurance policy held by the Trustee.

QSuper insurance is designed to be flexible so as circumstances change, so can your cover. You can change your level of cover by logging into Member Online.

Use the Insurance Needs Calculator to get an understanding of how much cover you might need. 

Yes, you can change how much you pay for insurance cover to reflect your role. This is called an occupational rating.

If you apply to join QSuper directly, we'll occupationally rate you if you set up insurance during the joining process.

Our occupational ratings are:

• Standard rate
• Professional rate
• White collar rate
• High risk rate.

To find out what your occupational rating is and how this could affect the cost of your insurance, use our Insurance Premium Estimator. You can also occupationally rate your premiums through Member Online.
More information about occupational ratings.

We have previously stated our intent to adopt the Insurance in Superannuation Voluntary Code of Practice (the Code). The Code had been scheduled to come into effect on 1 January 2022.

Since the development of the Code, the majority of the requirements have been overtaken by legislative and regulatory reforms, which is why on 1 July 2021, the Code-owners announced they were replacing the Code.

The Code-owners are the Association of Superannuation Funds of Australia (ASFA), the Australian Institute of Superannuation Trustees (AIST), and the Financial Services Council (FSC).

The Code-owners have jointly developed guidance on issues not covered by legislation – improving outcomes for vulnerable members and claims handling for member with life insurance. For more information, see the Code-owners' announcement.

We are committed to continuing any work that improves member experience and we’ll also consider the new guidance in our interactions with members.

It is not compulsory to hold life insurance through your super, although it can have many benefits.

As part of opening a QSuper Accumulation account through your Queensland Government or default employer, you will be provided with death cover and TPD cover if you are eligible. You may also be provided with income protection cover depending on your circumstances.

If you said yes to insurance when you joined directly, you may receive death cover and TPD cover if eligible. You can also apply for income protection cover online.

Your cover won't change automatically if you start working for a Queensland Government or default employer after applying to join QSuper online.

While you may receive insurance cover automatically with your super account, you can cancel it any time via Member Online if it doesn't meet your needs.

When your insurance cover starts will depend on your employment arrangements, your age, and your account balance. Under current legislation, you also need to have received money into your QSuper account in the past 13 months to be eligible for insurance.

Find out more about when insurance starts or refer to the Accumulation Account Insurance Guide (pdf) for more information.

There are a few circumstances where your insurance cover will end. For example, your death cover, TPD cover, and/or income protection cover will be cancelled if we don't receive any money into your account for a continuous period of 13 months, or if there is not enough money in your account to cover the insurance costs. You can also cancel your insurance at any time via Member Online if you feel it is not right for your needs. Refer to the Accumulation Account Insurance Guide (pdf) for more information about the circumstances when cover will end.

You can choose to have your death cover, TPD cover, and/or income protection cover continue even if we stop receiving money into your QSuper account by permanently opting in to cover. This ensures you are covered even if your contributions aren't constant – which is great if you are, for example, a contract worker or on leave without pay.

You can permanently opt in to cover in Member Online. For more information about what happens to your insurance cover if we are no longer receiving contributions into your account, read the Accumulation Account Insurance Guide (pdf).

You may be able to transfer across existing death cover, TPD cover, and/or income protection from another Australian insurer held either directly or through an Australian super fund. For more information about bringing your insurance with you to QSuper, read the Accumulation Account Insurance Guide (pdf) or contact us.

We can't pay your insurance claim if it is caused directly or indirectly by certain things common to most insurers, including war, criminal activity, deliberately hurting yourself, or a pandemic illness that occurs within the first 30 days after getting insurance or increasing your insurance.

Please note the pandemic illness exclusion doesn’t apply to default cover you receive automatically as a result of starting work with a Queensland Government or default employer. The pandemic illness exclusion also doesn’t apply if you apply for default cover within the first 120 days of starting work with the Queensland Government or a default employer.

In addition, you might have a pre-existing condition - an illness or injury where you had symptoms of it before your insurance started or increased. In that case, your insurance might have a pre-existing exclusion period (a time during which we won't pay a claim for the condition) or an exclusion (limited or no cover).

For the list of exclusions that may apply, please read the Accumulation Account Insurance Guide (pdf).

Some of our insurance cover comes with a 'pre-existing exclusion' period where we won't pay out an insurance benefit if you had signs or symptoms of your illness or injury before your cover with us began.

In most circumstances, you will have no pre-existing exclusion period on your default cover once you have been at work for 30 consecutive days following your cover start date. Being 'at work' has a particular definition, which you can find in the Accumulation Account Insurance Guide (pdf).

There are certain circumstances where your default cover will be subject to a five-year pre-existing exclusion period. Read the Accumulation Account Insurance Guide (pdf) to see if this applies to you.

If you have been diagnosed with a terminal illness that's likely to result in your death within 24 months, you may be able to access your superannuation balance and any death benefit insurance cover that you hold with an Accumulation account. For more information and the full definition of terminal illness, read the Claiming a Terminal Medical Condition Benefit factsheet (pdf).

If you need to make a claim, we aim to make the process as simple as possible. Find out how.

Our goal is to support you and your family in your time of need, with a member-centred, holistic approach to claims management.

While income protection products typically only protect 75% of your income, QSuper insurance offers up to 87.75%, which includes a payment into your QSuper account.¹

Our default income protection cover is capped at $20,000 per month. If 87.75% of your insured salary is more than that, you can apply for extra cover up to a maximum total benefit of $50,000 a month,² but you will need to provide us with health and other information.

You cannot apply for cover that is more than 87.75% of your insured salary (or pre-disability income, if you hold unitised cover).

1. Cover amount is 87.75% of your insured salary which includes a contribution replacement benefit of 12.75% of insured salary into your QSuper account.
2. $50,000 per month is calculated as 87.75% of the first $410,256 of annual income plus 62.75% of the next $382,470 of annual income; expressed as a monthly amount. These figures include a contribution replacement benefit.

If you were eligible to receive income protection insurance when you first joined QSuper through your employer, your income protection will be salary-based.

This means your income protection benefit amount and cost will be based on your insured salary, which is determined using the contributions we receive from your employer.

If you want to be covered for a different amount, or if you didn't receive income protection cover when you first joined QSuper (for example, if you joined online or work on a casual basis), 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. 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 are under age 25, your account balance is under $6,000, or your account hasn't received money in 13 months, you may need to permanently opt in to your new cover when you apply.

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

If you have income protection insurance with QSuper, the cost of cover is not tax deductible. However, your income protection insurance is offered through our group life insurance policy, which provides bulk insurance rates for our members.

Costs are deducted from your super account each month, so there’s no impact on your day-to-day budget. 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, but you may pay a higher weekly rate and costs will come out of your take-home pay.

If you are unsure which insurance option is right for you, professional guidance 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 will change your income protection to unitised cover if we do not receive a contribution from your employer for three months.

If we do not receive any money into your account for a continuous period of 13 months, your cover will be cancelled. To stop this from happening, you can choose to permanently opt in to cover, which means cover will continue even if we are not receiving contributions for you.

If you go on leave without pay, your ability to receive a benefit will continue as long as:

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

For more information about what happens to your cover on leave without pay, read the Accumulation Account 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 Accumulation Account 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 Accumulation Account 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 Accumulation Account Insurance Guide (pdf) for more information.

You may automatically receive unitised TPD cover when you join QSuper through an employer, depending on your age, account balance, and eligibility. If you join online, you can choose to receive unitised TPD cover if eligible.

With unitised cover, how much you are insured for is based on multiple 'units' of cover. Each unit is worth a dollar value based on your age.

You can see your level of cover in Member Online.

Fixed cover is based on a fixed dollar amount nominated by you and will remain unchanged until you tell us you want to change it. You can buy fixed cover in multiples of $1,000 of cover, with the cost based on your age.

Based on your fixed cover amount at age 60, the amount of TPD cover you have will reduce every year from your 61st birthday, and will be cancelled when you turn 65. For more information about fixed cover, refer to the Accumulation Account Insurance Guide (pdf).

With unitised cover, how much you are insured for is based on multiple 'units' of cover. Each unit is worth a dollar value based on your age.

You can see your level of cover in Member Online.

Fixed cover is based on a fixed dollar amount nominated by you and will remain unchanged until you tell us you want to change it. You can buy fixed cover in multiples of $1,000 of cover, with the cost based on your age (up to age 69).

We provide eligible Accumulation account members with one of the highest levels of automatic insurance cover offered by an industry or public sector fund.² We offer automatic death and total and permanent disability cover, and many members also automatically receive income protection cover, with the ability to tailor cover to meet individual needs.³

To support our members employed by Queensland emergency services, we provide these members with automatic insurance cover regardless of their age and account balance, under the dangerous occupations exception.⁴ This includes all employees of Queensland Fire and Emergency Services, Queensland Police Service, and Queensland Ambulance Service. We also provide an income protection arrangement for sworn Queensland police officers that is tailored to their employment arrangements.

Cover is highly valued by QSuper members, with 65% of our Accumulation account members holding insurance as at 30 June 2020.

Our member-centric holistic approach to claims management supports members and their families in their time of need.

1. Eligibility conditions and criteria apply. For Accumulation account members only.
2. Chant West Product Research tool, as of November 2020. The Chant West data is based on information provided by third parties that is believed to be accurate. Chant West does not issue, sell, guarantee, or underwrite this product. The findings are based on levels of cover for death, TPD, and income protection default products, where included as default. Go to chantwest.com.au for further information about the methodology used and Chant West’s Financial Services Guide.
3. Subject to requirements for age, account balance, and receiving money regularly. See our Accumulation Account Insurance Guide (pdf) for details.
4. Terms and conditions apply. See our Accumulation Account Insurance Guide (pdf) for details.

We provide meaningful levels of affordable automatic cover for members, supported by sustainable premiums, and with the ability to personalise cover to meet individual circumstances.

Members employed by the Queensland Government or a default employer who receive automatic cover are charged the default premium rate and can choose to pay the occupational rate applicable to their job at any time. Sworn Queensland police officers with automatic cover pay the default Police rate, which is tailored to their occupation.

We conduct regular pricing reviews and assess the affordability of premiums (our recent pricing changes at 1 January 2021 were made to ensure we can continue to pay claims into the future).

We also conduct regular product reviews to ensure our cover is suitable for our current and future members.