Income protection insurance in Australia.

Around 70 per cent of your pre-tax earned income is the common maximum, with super contribution top-ups available on some products. Specialists with strong income often qualify for higher monthly sums where the underwriter accepts the file.

Generally yes when the policy is held outside super in your personal name. The claim benefit is then taxed as income. Inside-super premiums are not deductible to you personally, though they come out of your super balance instead of cash flow.

Two to six weeks for straightforward files. Doctors and other specialists often take longer because of overseas medical records, complex specialty scope, or additional health questionnaires. We coordinate the underwriting end to end.

Not always a blanket decline. Different insurers respond differently. An advised application can be shopped to underwriters more likely to accept your situation, often with loadings or specific exclusions rather than a refusal.

Both have a place. Inside super eases cash flow because premiums come from your balance. Outside super gives you a wider product set, clearer claim outcomes, and the personal tax deduction. Most professionals end up with a mix.

For most people whose lifestyle depends on their ability to earn, yes — it is the only cover that replaces the asset actually paying for everything, which is your income rather than your house or your super. The honest exception is someone close to retirement with enough assets to fund a permanent stop work tomorrow. Whether it is worth it for you depends on your circumstances, which is a conversation rather than a web page.

There is no useful average, because the same person can be quoted double or half depending on five choices. Premiums are driven by your age, your occupation class, the waiting period before benefits start, how long benefits are paid, and whether the premium is stepped (rising each year with age) or level.

A longer waiting period is the single biggest lever most people have — moving from 30 days to 90 days cuts the premium materially, and is reasonable if you hold enough leave or savings to bridge the gap. We would rather quote your file than a number from an article.

There is no single best policy, and any page that names one is selling something. What separates a policy that pays from one that argues is the disability definition, whether it is indemnity or agreed value, the waiting and benefit periods, and the insurer's claims record. The right answer changes with your occupation: a definition that suits a surgeon is wrong for a site foreman. We are authorised to advise on which fits your situation.

Most policies end at 65, with some running to 70. The practical answer is that cover stops being worth the premium once your assets could fund the rest of your life without your income — for many people that is earlier than the policy expiry, which is why the cover is worth reviewing rather than simply renewing.

Notification, medical evidence, financial evidence, and ongoing review while the benefit is paid. Most disputes at claim trace back to gaps at application. Advised cover keeps the file in good shape from day one.