How has Income Protections Changed?
October 2, 2024
Income protection insurance in Australia has undergone several significant changes in recent years, driven by regulatory reforms and market adjustments. Here are some of the main changes:
Navigating Income Protection Reform
Why Partnering with Surety Advisers Matters
Australia’s income protection insurance landscape has undergone major reform. Driven by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Australian Prudential Regulation Authority (APRA), these changes are designed to improve product sustainability, enhance transparency, and protect consumers.
At Surety Advisers, we help clients—and referral partners—stay ahead of these regulatory changes through expert life insurance advice and tailored solutions.
Stricter Regulatory Guidelines
ASIC and APRA now require insurers to meet higher standards around product design, disclosure, and claims handling. This ensures that policies meet the real needs of consumers—but it also makes navigating insurance options more complex. Our advisers are across the latest regulations and can help your clients make informed decisions that align with their risk profiles.
Key Policy Changes
- Disability Definition: Most policies now use the “any occupation” definition, requiring claimants to prove they can’t perform any suitable work—not just their own job.
- Benefit Period Reductions: Many insurers have moved from long-term to shorter benefit periods (e.g., two or five years), affecting claim payouts.
- Waiting Period Adjustments: Standardised—and sometimes extended—waiting periods aim to lower premiums and claims risk.
Surety Advisers explains these nuances in plain language so clients aren’t caught off guard at claim time.
Premium Restructuring
- Higher Premiums: Rising claims and lower investment returns have pushed up premiums industry-wide.
- Age-Based Pricing: Lifetime premium guarantees are vanishing. Today, most policies increase in cost as clients age.
We provide up-to-date comparisons and strategies to keep cover affordable as circumstances evolve.
Simplified Product Offerings
Insurers are streamlining and standardising policy features to make them easier to compare. This makes advice more important than ever. Surety Advisers cuts through the jargon to help clients choose the right option.
Enhanced Disclosure and Fairer Claims
- Improved PDS Clarity: Product Disclosure Statements must now be more detailed and digestible.
- Transparent Claims Handling: Insurers are under pressure to manage claims fairly and promptly.
We support clients throughout the claims process to improve outcomes and reduce stress.
Better Consumer Protections
- Cooling-Off Periods: Clients have more time to cancel a policy if it’s not right.
- Financial Hardship Support: Options now exist to pause or reduce cover without cancelling entirely.
Surety Advisers helps clients use these provisions to stay protected during tough times.
Pandemic Considerations
COVID-19 has prompted some insurers to introduce exclusions or special terms. We ensure clients understand how these affect their policies before they buy.
Why Partner with Surety Advisers?
We specialise in helping self-employed Australians, small business owners, and professionals navigate life insurance and income protection. With tailored advice, compliance support, and a deep understanding of regulatory shifts, Surety Advisers helps referral partners protect their clients—and strengthen their own value proposition.
Looking to enhance your client offering? Partner with Surety Advisers for expert, compliant, and reliable insurance advice.
Contact us to discuss a referral or joint venture opportunity.
Joint Venture with Surety Advisers
In today’s competitive professional landscape, successful legal firms, accountants, mortgage brokers, and general insurance advisers understand that delivering true value goes beyond the transactional. Clients are no longer seeking isolated solutions—they’re demanding a comprehensive, risk-managed future. Life insurance, when integrated into your service offering, becomes a powerful tool to help clients achieve long-term financial security, while reinforcing your position as a trusted adviser. Why Life Insurance Matters to Your Clients Every client—whether they’re purchasing a home, managing a business, writing a will, or structuring their finances—faces risks that go beyond the obvious. Life insurance is often the missing link in a client’s risk management strategy. It provides security for their family, business, and estate if the unexpected occurs. For a mortgage broker, the death of a borrower could mean a family home is at risk. For an accountant, the financial impact of a key person’s death could severely disrupt business continuity. For a solicitor drafting estate plans, ensuring life insurance is in place allows for smooth succession and distribution of assets. In each case, life insurance directly complements your advice and protects the plans you help clients build. Strengthening Retention Through Value-Added Advice By working with a life insurance partner like Surety Advisers, referral partners elevate their offering from a single-issue service to a multi-faceted, client-centric solution. This holistic approach strengthens client loyalty, as it shows you’re thinking beyond today’s needs and planning for tomorrow’s challenges. Clients recognise when their adviser is looking after the ‘whole picture’. That breeds trust—and trusted relationships are the ones that endure. When your client experiences a life event (illness, death, divorce, birth), they’ll return to the professional who helped put the right protections in place, not the one who offered a standalone service. Collaboration Creates Opportunity A structured referral relationship with a life insurance specialist also creates business efficiencies. It allows professionals to focus on their core services while being confident their client’s insurance needs are being handled with care. It also deepens the relationship between advisers—opening cross-referral opportunities and shared growth. Moreover, life insurance advice often uncovers areas needing legal, financial, or tax input. In this way, a well-integrated approach creates an ecosystem of trusted professionals working together to protect the client. Everyone benefits—and so does your client. Conclusion Incorporating life insurance into your client offering isn’t just about ticking a box. It’s about deepening trust, improving retention, and ensuring the advice you give has a lasting impact. Legal firms, accountants, mortgage brokers, and general insurers who align with life insurance specialists are better equipped to deliver truly holistic advice—and in doing so, they keep clients for life. — To learn how Surety Advisers can support your clients with tailored life insurance solutions, contact us at: 📞 03 7053 0791 📧 hello@suretyadvisers.com.au 🌐 www.suretyadvisers.com.au
1. Buy-Sell Agreements (Shareholders' Agreement) In Australia, a buy-sell agreement is also known as a shareholders' agreement. It functions similarly to those in other regions, outlining the procedures if an owner dies, becomes disabled, or leaves the business. There are two main types: Cross-Purchase Agreement: Each business owner purchases a life insurance policy on the other owners. If one owner dies, the surviving owners use the death benefit to purchase the deceased owner's share of the business from their estate. Entity Purchase Agreement (Company Purchase Agreement): The business itself purchases life insurance policies on each owner. If an owner dies, the business uses the death benefit to buy the deceased owner's share from their estate. 2. Key Person Insurance Key person insurance in Australia is similar to other regions. The business purchases life insurance on a key employee or owner, and the business is the beneficiary. The death benefit can be used to: Cover the cost of finding and training a replacement. Offset the loss of revenue or profits. Buy out the deceased owner’s share in the business. 3. Collateral for Loans Australian businesses often use life insurance policies as collateral for business loans. This ensures that if a key person or owner dies, the loan can still be repaid, providing financial stability to the business. 4. Funding for Business Continuation Life insurance provides funds to ensure the business can continue operating after the death of an owner or key employee. This includes covering operational expenses, paying off debts, or buying out the deceased owner’s interest. 5. Executive Benefit Plans In Australia, life insurance can also be part of executive benefit plans to attract and retain key employees. These plans might include deferred compensation agreements, bonus plans, or split-dollar life insurance arrangements. Practical Example: Shareholders' Agreement Consider a business in Australia with three co-owners: Alice, Bob, and Carol. They set up a cross-purchase agreement: Each owner buys a life insurance policy on the other two. Alice buys policies on Bob and Carol, Bob buys policies on Alice and Carol, and Carol buys policies on Alice and Bob. If Alice dies, Bob and Carol receive the death benefit from their respective policies on Alice. Bob and Carol use these funds to buy Alice's share of the business from her estate, ensuring a smooth transition and business continuity. Benefits Provides liquidity: Ensures immediate cash is available to buy out a deceased owner's share without having to liquidate business assets. Reduces conflict: Prevents disputes among surviving owners and the deceased owner’s family. Ensures business stability: Helps maintain the business’s financial health and operational continuity. Legal and Tax Considerations Tax Treatment: In Australia, the proceeds from a life insurance policy are generally tax-free if the policy is owned by the business or the individual owners. However, there may be tax implications depending on the structure of the agreement and the relationship between the insured and the policy owner. Legal Documentation: It's important to have a well-drafted shareholders' agreement and life insurance policies that align with Australian laws and regulations. Consulting with a legal and financial advisor is essential. By integrating life insurance into their business strategy, Australian business owners can ensure they are prepared for unforeseen events, maintain continuity, and protect the financial interests of all parties involved.
