Stop ‘zombie’ insurance chewing up your super
THEY lurk in the shadows of super accounts and are dead to anyone who tries to claim them, but “zombie” insurance policies can be killed off easily.
Almost half of Australian workers overpay $1.9 billion in premiums each year through duplicate superannuation accounts. So consolidating super and insurance through the my.gov.au website is wise, says Affinity Private Advisors founder Catherine Robson.
Anyone who has a tax file number lodged through the Australian Taxation Office on the MyGov website will be able to consolidate duplicate super with a transfer button. “This generally comes with a warning for you to understand how this affects your insurance,” Mrs Robson said. “Once you’ve transferred out of a fund, insurance will lapse.’’
She said income protection claims could never exceed 75 per cent of your current income, so make sure your cover does not exceed your current earnings. Duplicate insurance policies will be offset against each other by insurers to ensure that they do not collectively exceed 75 per cent.
Temporarily stopping work, such as taking parental leave, also can affect insurance cover, with many policies requiring MoneySaverHQ editorial
|paid employment at the time of illness or injury as a precondition of any claim.
Mrs Robson said it might be wise to retain coverage while not working to prevent the need to reapply and avoid the risk that cover was denied as a result of changed health.
Endorsed cover, where people provide medical and other information upfront so there is no financial assessment at the time of claim, may be a better option than indemnity insurance, which is common to many default super accounts.
Mrs Robson said indemnity premiums could be cheaper, with fewer hurdles, but came with the need to prove your Anthony Keane income at the point of claim, which could be difficult and distressing when ill or injured.
Despite horror stories emerging from the Hayne royal commission, insurance is vital for people with no other income streams, such as property or a share portfolio. Sophie Elsworth Consolidate duplicate or “zombie” insurance policies through the my.gov.au website.
“Insurance often is an inexpensive way to make sure that there’s some replacement income if you can’t work,’’ Mrs Robson said.
Mercer head of corporate superannuation Darren Stevens said insurers and super funds were now negotiating new premiums and products as a result of recent changes.
The good news from all the regulatory scrutiny was that insurers and superannuation trustees would likely remove inappropriate and unnecessary insurance for under 25s, who rarely claimed on such policies. However, this could lead to under-insured tradebased workers.
“Trustees will be working with insurers to provide better outcomes for members, although this may see a fall in insurance cover for some members, such as younger workers with more hazardous jobs that opt out of life insurance,’’ Mr Stevens said.
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