Cover
Insurance inside and outside super
Plain words for where cover can sit, and for two definitions of total and permanent disability. No insurer is named. No quote.
Inside super
MoneySmart, last updated 17 September 2026, says most super funds offer life cover, total and permanent disability, and income protection through the fund. Premiums are paid from the super balance. Default cover is often given without medical checks, for a set amount, on the fund’s terms. The product disclosure statement is the exclusions.
Outside super
The same topics can be bought from an insurer, with the premium paid from your own money rather than from the super balance. The policy wording is the cover. This page does not compare policies.
Own occupation, any occupation
MoneySmart’s total-and-permanent-disability page says “own occupation” means you are unable to work again in the job you were doing. It says that cover is usually only available outside super. “Any occupation” means you are unable to work again in any job suited to your education, training or experience. The words in the policy are the test, not this sentence.
- ASIC MoneySmart — insurance through super, 17 September 2026 ↗
- ASIC MoneySmart — total and permanent disability ↗
ATO — insurance in your super: source page no longer available, checked 14 Oct 2026.
- APRA — Prudential Standard SPS 250 Insurance in Superannuation ↗
What doctors often miss
Own-occupation cover is usually outside super. Any-occupation cover is the harder test. MoneySmart states both. This page does not quote a premium.
Included / Not included
Included
- MoneySmart — insurance through super ↗ · Last updated 17 September 2026
- MoneySmart — total and permanent disability ↗ · Own occupation and any occupation
Not included
- An insurer ranking
- A premium quote
- Stamp duty on a policy
Assumptions you can edit are the inputs on this page. This is a model, not a prediction, a tax assessment, or a recommendation.
A rough figure — not advice. Terms
Advertisement — labelled, never inside the number.