Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) Insurance

The table below shows life insurance policies from our Online Partners that include Total and Permanent Disability (TPD) insurance as an optional extra.

 

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The initial results in the table above are sorted by Star Rating (High-Low) , then Provider Name (Alphabetical) . Additional filters may have been applied, which impact the results displayed in the table - filters can be applied or removed at any time.

What is total and permanent disability insurance (TPD)?

Total and permanent disability insurance (TPD) pays you a lump sum if you’re permanently disabled after an accident or illness and can’t return to work.

It’s a way to help support you and your family financially should anything unfortunate happen to you.

A TPD payout could go towards covering medical and rehabilitation costs and any everyday living expenses, as well as towards paying off any personal debts such as a home loan or car loan.

The Australian Government’s Moneysmart website says TPD insurance will typically cover you if you’re unable to work ever again, either in your ‘own occupation’ or ‘any occupation’:

  • Own occupation: You’re generally covered if you’re not able to work again in your usual occupation. Moneysmart says this type of cover is usually more expensive and is typically only available to buy outside of superannuation.
  • Any occupation: You must be unable to work again in any job suited to your education, training and experience. This cover is often cheaper, but it may be more difficult to meet the requirements for a successful claim.

TPD policies can be taken out as stand-alone TPD-only policies, available directly from a provider; via life insurance, and; through superannuation.

You can use Canstar’s comparison tables to compare TPD policies offered as an option through:

The table at the top of this page compares TPD through life insurance. Change the filter to suit your needs.

Canstar Research also awards Star Ratings for superannuation and the life insurance policies it considers to offer the best policies when assessed across a range of costs and features.

When considering any of these, similarly to TPD insurance, it’s recommended you read the product disclosure statement (PDS), target market determination (TMD) and any other relevant policy materials before you sign the dotted line.

Frequently Asked Questions about Total and Permanent Disability Insurance

The cost of TPD insurance can vary depending on a number of factors such as your age, gender, occupation, medical history, lifestyle and the level of cover you take out.

Insurance providers will typically offer either “stepped” or “level” premiums.

Stepped premiums are recalculated each year and will typically increase as you get older. Level premiums will generally be more expensive initially, but will not increase as you age.

Canstar’s Life Insurance Needs Calculator can help you estimate how much coverage you may need.

How much TPD cover you need will depend on your own personal circumstances.

You should consider what expenses you’d need to cover if you were not able to work again due to an accident or illness. These could include:

  • medical and rehabilitation costs
  • modifications to your home and/or vehicle
  • paying off any debts, such as a home loan
  • living expenses
  • funding future goals, such as the cost of education for any children

Think about other sources of money you might have access to as well.

For example, could you get a payout from another insurance policy, such as an income protection policy? Do you have savings and investments you could rely on if times get tough?

You may find you already have some cover as many super funds provide eligible members with life insurance and TPD insurance by default, so it’s worth checking if you have any existing cover.

If you don’t have any TPD cover in your super then ask to see if you’re eligible and can  apply.

You can apply for TPD cover through an insurance company, a financial adviser or an insurance broker. This may be worth considering if you want “own occupation” cover.

You can buy TPD insurance as a stand-alone policy or as part of a package with life insurance cover.

Generally it’ll be more cost-effective to buy TPD insurance as part of a life insurance policy or through your super, rather than as a stand-alone product.

With packaged cover, Moneysmart says your life insurance cover may reduce by the amount paid out on a successful TPD claim. But many policies offer “buy-back” options that allow you to reinstate the original life insurance amount after a period of time.

If you’re considering a TPD policy, Moneysmart recommends checking:

  • whether the policy covers “your own occupation” or “any occupation”
  • what exclusions may apply
  • what the waiting periods are
  • what the limits are on your cover
  • premiums – both now and in the future.

Take the time to read through any relevant documentation, including the PDS and TMD, which should be available from the product issuer.

Speak to whoever is the provider of your TPD cover for more information about the process of making a claim.

You’ll generally need to complete a claim form and your provider will usually ask you for information to support the claim.

Be prepared to provide evidence of your incapacity or inability to work. This will usually be required for insurance purposes with this type of claim. For example, you may need to provide specialist reports.

TPD insurance covers you if you’re permanently unable to return to work due to becoming “totally and permanently disabled” by illness or injury.

Income protection (IP) insurance covers you if you’re temporarily unable to work because you became partially or totally disabled, which could be due to illness or injury.

Income protection is typically paid as a monthly benefit, usually a proportion of your previous income and only payable for a certain amount of time. This is known as the “benefit period”.

Bear in mind that you may already have both TPD and IP insurance as part of your superannuation or an existing life insurance policy.

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About the authors

Nina Rinella, Editor-in-Chief

Nina Rinella
As Canstar’s Editor-in-Chief, Nina heads up a team of talented journalists committed to helping empower consumers to take greater control of their finances. Nina has written countless articles about finance and has been interviewed on finance topics by media organisations including The Australian, Realestate.com.au, Domain, the Herald Sun and the Sydney Morning Herald. Previously Nina founded her own agency where she provided content and communications support to clients around Australia for 8 years. She also spent four years as the PR Manager for American Express Australia, and has worked at a Brisbane communications agency where she supported dozens of clients, including Sunsuper and Suncorp. When she’s not dreaming up ways to put a fresh spin on finance, she’s taking her own advice by trying to pay her house off as quickly as possible and raising two money-savvy kids. Nina has a Bachelor of Journalism and a Bachelor of Arts with a double major in English Literature from the University of Queensland. She’s also an experienced presenter, and has hosted numerous events and YouTube series. You can follow her on LinkedIn and Canstar on Facebook. Meet the Canstar Editorial Team. Have a media enquiry, and interested in featuring Nina as a financial expert and commentator? Contact Canstar’s Media Team today.

Joshua Sale, GM, Research

Joshua Sale
Joshua Sale is responsible for developing the methodology and delivering Canstar’s flagship Star Ratings, as part of Canstar’s Research Team. With tertiary qualifications in economics and finance, he enjoys helping Australians find more suitable financial products by transforming complex calculations into a consumer-friendly Star Rating that explains the values and benefits of different financial products. As one of Canstar’s company spokespeople, Joshua is confident participating in print, radio and broadcast journalism interviews. He has participated in interviews with the Australian Financial Review, news.com.au and Money Magazine, along with other leading media outlets, discussing topics such as home loan equity, banking incentive schemes, digital wallets and wider finance trends. You can follow Joshua on LinkedIn. Have a media enquiry, and interested in featuring Joshua as a financial expert and commentator? Contact Canstar’s Media Team today.

Important information

For those that love the detail

This advice is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this advice is right for you.

Canstar may earn a fee from its Online Partners for referrals from its website tables, and from sponsorship or promotion of certain products. Fees payable by product providers for referrals and sponsorship or promotion may vary between providers, website position, and revenue model. Sponsorship/promotion fees may be higher than referral fees. If a product is sponsored or promoted, it’s an ad and it is clearly marked as such. An ad might appear in different places on our website, such as in comparison tables and articles. Ads may be displayed in a fixed position in a table, regardless of the product's rating, price or other attributes. The location of an ad doesn’t indicate any ranking or rating by Canstar. Payment of fees for ads does not influence our Star Ratings. See How We Get Paid to find out more. Payment of fees for ads does not influence our Star Ratings or Awards.

The Life Insurance Star Ratings were awarded in November 2024 and data in the table is current as at that date, updated from time to time to reflect product changes notified to us by product issuers. The results don’t include every provider in the market and we may not compare all features relevant to you. You can find a description of the initial sort order below the table. You can use the sort buttons at the top of each column to re-order the display. Learn more about our Life Insurance Star Rating Methodology. The rating shown is only one factor to take into account when considering products.

The products and Star Ratings in the table might not match your exact inputs in the selector. Sometimes the methodology uses profiles with categories or bands (e.g. income, loan amount or monthly spend), but sometimes a single methodology, without any categories or bands, is applied. The results will show the products that most closely match your selection, based on our profiles. If you are unsure about any terms used in the comparison table please refer to the glossary.

What is a Target Market Determination?

A Target Market Determination (‘TMD’) is a document that explains which people particular financial products may be suitable for (the target market) and sets out any conditions around how financial products can be distributed to consumers.

Why do product issuers provide Target Market Determinations?

From 5 October 2021, TMDs are compulsory for most financial products.

Issuers and distributors of financial products must take reasonable steps that are likely to result in financial products reaching consumers in the target market defined by the product issuer.

We recommend that you consider the TMD before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the TMD.

The results don’t include every provider in the market and we may not compare all features relevant to you. You can find a description of the initial sort order below the table. You can use the sort buttons at the top of each column to re-order the display. Check current rates and product details with the product issuer. The results will show the products that most closely match the inputs in the selector above the table. If you are unsure about any terms used in the comparison table please refer to the glossary.  Any advice on this page is general and has not taken into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. Consider whether this general financial advice is right for your personal circumstances. You may need financial advice from a qualified adviser. Canstar is not providing a recommendation for your individual circumstances. It’s important you check product information directly with the provider. Not all policies cover every part of a region. Your specific address may not be included in the policy’s coverage, even if other parts of the area are. For example, some insurers cover North Queensland but exclude Far North Queensland. Consider the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) before making a purchase decision. Contact the product issuer directly for a copy of the PDS and TMD. For more information, read our Detailed Disclosure

Canstar is not providing a recommendation for your individual circumstances. We cannot and do not recommend that any particular product is suitable for you. 

We provide links to our Online Partners. These are brands that may pay Canstar a fee for referring you. Our tables default to display only our Online Partners’ products initially, you can adjust the Online Partner Filter to see all of the products available for comparison on Canstar’s website. We provide these links so that you can click through to the product provider’s website to get more information. The provision of these links does not constitute a recommendation by Canstar.

If you are seeking to replace an insurance policy, you should consider your personal circumstances, including continuing the existing cover until the replacement policy is issued and cover confirmed. Your current policy may have different features to products currently on the market. Please consider what features are right for you when comparing insurance products and refer to the provider for further details on a policy.

Companies listed in the table, or in ads, may use or be used by another company to arrange, issue, distribute or sell its insurance policies to customers. For more information on the issuer of the policy, please read the Product Disclosure Statement.

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