Personal accident and illness insurance for tradies
Personal accident and illness cover can pay you a weekly benefit if an injury or illness stops you working, depending on the policy. Looking for income protection? We don't arrange income protection or life insurance. We arrange personal accident and illness cover.
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General advice only. Read the policy documents we send with your quote before you decide.
What it can cover.
Examples of what this cover is for. What a policy covers, and whether a claim is paid, is up to the insurer under the policy wording.
Time off after an injury
Plenty of careful tradies have thought it would never happen to them. A fall from a ladder, a crushed hand, a back that goes on a heavy lift: if an injury stops you working, personal accident cover can pay a weekly benefit while you recover, to help with the rent or mortgage and the bills that keep coming. How much, and for how long, depends on the policy.
Time off with an illness
You can work safely and still get a bad diagnosis, and some trades work around dust and products that carry a risk of disease. Some policies cover illness as well as injury; others cover injury only, so check which kind you're looking at.
Injuries away from work
Workers compensation is for injury or illness caused by work, and employers arrange it for their workers. Getting hurt at home, on holiday or playing weekend sport can be covered by this kind of policy, depending on the wording.
General insurance, not life insurance
Personal accident and illness cover is general insurance, from the same family as public liability and tool cover. Income protection is usually life insurance. What a personal accident and illness policy pays, and for how long, is set by the policy.
Sources: Income protection insurance, Moneysmart (opens in a new tab); Who needs a policy, icare NSW (opens in a new tab).
What it usually doesn't cover.
These are the usual gaps, and what covers them instead. Every policy is different: the wording is what counts.
- Conditions you already had when cover started, unless the insurer agreed to cover them
- The first stretch of time off, if the policy has a waiting period
- Time off for reasons other than injury or illness, like a quiet month or a cancelled job
- Injury you cause on purpose
- Damage to your tools, vehicle or other people's property: tool, vehicle and public liability cover
- Your employees' time off after a work injury: that's workers compensation
Who usually carries it.
- Sole traders and subbies with no sick leave to fall back on
- Tradies whose household relies on their income
- Anyone in physical work, where a back, knee or hand injury stops the job
How to get personal accident and illness insurance.
Tell us about your work.
Fill in the quote form or call us. Tell us your trade and whether you work for yourself, and use the comments box to say you're after personal accident and illness cover.
We get you quotes.
Our brokers ask insurers to quote on personal accident and illness cover for your work, and explain what each policy covers and what it doesn't.
Read it, then choose.
Read the product disclosure statement (PDS) and policy wording before you decide. Cover starts once you choose a policy and the insurer agrees to it.
Personal accident and illness cover by trade.
Each trade page explains the risks and the covers that matter for that work.
Your questions.
Do you arrange income protection?
No. We don't arrange income protection or life insurance. We arrange personal accident and illness cover, which is general insurance and can pay a weekly benefit if an injury or illness stops you working, depending on the policy.
Personal accident and sickness cover vs income protectionDoesn't workers comp cover me?
Workers comp is cover employers arrange for their workers under each state's scheme, for injury or illness caused by work. It's for employees, so as a sole trader it generally won't cover you. If you're hurt away from work, don't count on it either.
Do sole traders need workers comp?What sets the price?
Things like your age, your health, your trade, the benefit you choose, how long it can be paid and the waiting period. The insurer sets the price.
Can I get it if I work for myself?
Yes. Personal accident and illness cover is sold to people who work for themselves, sole traders and subbies included. The insurer will ask what you do and what you earn.
How long before a benefit starts?
That's the waiting period, and it's set by the policy you choose. Our brokers explain the options when they get you quotes.
Choosing a waiting periodCan I claim it at tax time?
That's a question for your accountant, or for the ATO's own guidance.
What if I need to claim?
Call us. We manage your claim with the insurer from start to finish. The insurer decides whether it's paid and how much, under your policy.
Sort your cover.
Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm. Or email mate@tradies365.com.au.