It’s also important to know that if your injury or illness is likely to prevent you from permanently returning to your normal work duties (rather than just temporarily), you may also be eligible to make a claim for a Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) lump sum. Your dedicated team of Taxcellent Consulting Services experts and income protection lawyers can help you understand which type of claim will give you the best result for your unique situation.
It’s also important to know that you will likely have to go through a 30 to 90 day waiting period before you can start receiving monthly payments from your income protection cover.
Your local Taxcellent Consulting Services team of income protection lawyers can help you claim every last benefit you’re entitled to and make sure you receive them as quickly as possible so you can focus on getting better.
Plus, Taxcellent Consulting Services income protection lawyers are experts with over 100 years of experience in Australia. We understand the importance of having someone in your corner when taking on a well-resourced insurer.
We even offer ‘no win, no fee’* arrangements for income protection cases. This means that you don’t pay if we don’t win. We have superannuation and income protection claims lawyers across Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin and throughout regional Australia.
Contact us today to receive a free income protection insurance claim check and find out how we can help.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. There are strict time limits that apply to income protection insurance claims. Seeking expert legal advice as soon as possible following your injury or illness is the best way to ensure your claim is successful.
Workers compensation cover is generally only paid out to you if your injury or illness happened as a direct result of your job. Income protection insurance generally covers you for any injury or illness that prevents you from working, regardless of whether it was a result of your job or personal related circumstances.
The date you receive your income protection insurance payout will depend on the waiting period specified within your policy. Waiting periods in these types of claims are generally within three months.
Your dedicated income protection lawyer will tell you how long your claim may take once they know more about your unique situation and policy.
Income protection insurance generally covers you for about 75% of your pre-injury or illness salary. It may also pay a superannuation top up.
If you have income protection cover you can make a claim on it when an illness, injury, disability or any other medical reason prevents you from working, even when the medical condition is expected to improve.
It’s best to claim as soon as possible because time limits do apply. But, you may still be able to claim a long time after you were injured or fell ill. We can help you identify whether you are still able to make a claim.
Many insurance policies require that you:
- cease work ‘solely’ due to your injury or illness which can be a contested fact, especially where the employer formally terminated employment on some other ground such as redundancy or performance
- be under the care and treatment of a registered medical practitioner
We are experts at anticipating these issues during the claim process and overturning claim denials.
It depends on the policy wording but ‘disability’ in income protection usually means you are unfit to do some or all of the duties of your usual job, or any job for which you are suited by education, training or experience.
Under some, but not all, income protection insurance policies you must tell your insurer about any pre-existing health problems or other relevant information it asks for in your application. You also have to truthfully answer any questions they ask you. Otherwise your insurer might try to avoid paying out your claim – but often with our help we can make sure you receive your full policy entitlements.
No, super funds have option, but are not required, to provide income protection cover. If you are covered by an income protection policy under your super fund, this is generally called a group policy and the cover is usually provided automatically without you having to answer any health questions.
If however, you take out a private policy, you usually have to answer health questions before you are covered. This can result in pre-existing exclusion clauses being added to the private policy terms which can be used to decline claims – but often with our help we can make sure you receive your full policy entitlements.
Some (but not all) policies may have an offset clause. This means that your insurer may reduce your insurance payout if you have received other forms of income while you have been unable to work, such as workers compensation weekly payments, sick leave or Centrelink. There may be legal grounds to challenge an insurer’s reduction of benefits for which we can provide advice.
Many people in Australia have income protection through their superannuation fund, employer or an industry organisation like a union. Because income protection insurance is often provided automatically through super fund or other memberships, many people do not realise they are covered. You cant rely on your insurer to notify you that you are eligible to claim.
If you’re not sure if you have income protection insurance, you can ask your super fund or union directly. Your local Taxcellent Consulting Services team can help you find out if you’re covered as well.
