If you’re temporarily unable to work because of an injury or illness you may be able to make an income protection claim through an insurance policy attached to your super, employment contract or financial product.
What is Income Protection Insurance?
Income protection insurance is designed to replace your income if you are unable to work due to sickness or injury. Its purpose is to provide you and your dependants with a regular income so you can focus on recovery.
How much does it pay?
Income protection pays you a monthly benefit up to 80% of your pre-tax salary.
Who can claim income protection?
So long as you have a valid policy you may be able to make an income protection claim if:
- You become injured or sick preventing you from working
Making an income protection claim
If you are unable to work your first step is to identify whether or not you have a valid income protection insurance policy. To do this you may need to take a look through all of your memberships or insurance policies including reading through the small print because income protection is often an add on to something else you bought or joined.
It may even be that you never received you policy because the company you work for has a group insurance policy or it’s attached to your superannuation.
Once you have established whether or not you have cover the next step is to fill out a claim form which is where things can get tricky. Income protection companies are notoriously difficult to deal with and one wrong answer could void your claim. It’s, for this reason, it’s best to seek some legal guidance, especially if you’re expected to be off work for some time.
For expert help and advice call 1800 106 107 with no obligations. Millner and Knight have compensation lawyers in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth.
What is the waiting period?
The waiting period is a specified amount of time, usually 14, 30 or 90 days after the date you stopped working. This means that you won’t receive payments for however long is statted in your policy. Even once the waiting period is over you may need to wait another 28 days to get paid as most income protection companies pay in monthly arrears.
What to do next?
There are two ways in which you can get the ball rolling with your claim, either call our national helpline on 1800 106 107 or click here start online.
Remember all calls are confidential and we will never pressure you into starting a claim with us.
Did you know you may also be eligible for several benefits or lump sum payments through your superannuation? Many people have TPD insurance coverage via a range of everyday financial products and memberships they didn’t even know about. We can quickly help you understand your rights and entitlements and let you know whether or not you qualify.
Learn more about our superannuation offerings here.
or
TPD total and permanent disability claims here
