How to make an income protection claim

We are here to help

Making a claim can be an overwhelming experience, but we are here to help.

To begin, please phone CBUS on 1300 722 152 to determine if you can make a claim.  

Understanding your circumstances is our priority, and we're here to discuss your claim options. And so that you are organised for the conversation, it would be helpful if you could prepare the following:

• Information about your illness or injury
  
• Your last employer’s contact details
• Details of when you stopped working

After we have gathered your relevant information, it will be passed to the claim team. Their role is to contact you and guide you through the claims process. They are someone you can reach out to if you have any questions or need help.

Provide relevant claim information

The claims team will send you a letter with claim requirements and forms via post or email. If the forms are emailed, please print them out. We want to have your claim assessed as quickly as possible. To help that happen, we need you to provide all the necessary information.

Below is a checklist to assist in getting your paperwork organised:

• Complete a claim form
• Sign a form granting the insurer access to necessary information, such as your medical records
• Proof of age and identification
• Your doctor will need to complete a form about your condition and provide relevant medical reports, test results, or supporting evidence
• Submit required financial documentation to support your income, depending on your employment status at time of claim
• Provide bank details for payments and a tax file number declaration for tax deductions, which will be paid to the Australian Tax Office on your behalf

Double-check everything and then send it

Dealing with paperwork can be tiring, but it's necessary to get your claim assessed. We recommend submitting all the required information at once to save you time. This will prevent the need to go through everything again and will help avoid delays in processing your claim.

Here’s what you need to do:

• Collect all the documents mentioned in our letter, such as proof of age and identification
• Fill out and sign any required forms
• Make sure your doctor’s form is fully completed and signed

When you have everything ready, please scan and email or post your completed forms to our claims team.

Email: claims@cbussuper.com.au

Postal Address: CBUS Insurance, Locked Bag 5056, Parramatta NSW 2124

The insurer now assesses your claim

Once we receive all the requested documents, we will pass your claim to the insurer. The insurer will then aim to carefully assess your claim. If needed, they will phone you to request any additional information.

This might include requesting more information, related to:

• Obtaining your financial records, especially if you're self-employed
• Your condition and work duties before your accident or illness
• The insurer might also contact the doctor/s you've seen regarding your condition 

In some cases, the insurer might request you review the information provided to assess the claim. You can also provide any additional evidence to support your claim. 

During the claim assessment, the insurer will be your point of contact. If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out to them for support. 

Your claim is now being assessed

Using the information you provided, the insurer will assess your claim according to the income protection definition in the insurance policy. The insurer will inform CBUS of their decision to accept or decline your claim.

• If the insurer accepts your claim, they will contact you and take you through the next steps to receive your monthly payments. 
• If the insurer declines the claim, CBUS will review the claim decision to make sure it is a fair and reasonable outcome.

When the review process has been completed, we will contact you to explain the outcome and next steps. These will be confirmed in a letter (post or email) to you. 

Should you have any concerns or disagreements with the outcome, you can request a review. We are here to address any issues and discuss the next steps with you.

Your claim will be paid monthly

If your claim is accepted, the insurer will let you know. The insurer will make your payment according to the instructions you gave them and send you a letter (via post or email) with the details of each monthly payment.

How much you receive will depend on how much income protection cover you had and if you can do some work or not. 

IP benefits are paid monthly, in arrears, starting from the end of your waiting period.

Here’s how your monthly payments will be worked out:

Your monthly payment = The lower of:

• The amount of income protection cover you have
• 87% of your pre-disability monthly income
• $30,000 a month
• Minus Any other disability income or post-disability income you receive (or are due to receive) that month. Your benefit will only be reduced when the sum of the benefit and other disability income or post-disability income exceeds 87% of your pre-disability monthly income. See page 7 of the Applying for income protection payments factsheet (PDF) to understand what counts as other disability income and post-disability income.

How much you are entitled to

The insurer will ask you for information each month to determine if you are entitled to the payment. This might include a progress claim form completed by you and a form to be completed by your doctor. The insurer might also ask for financial information.

IP cover premiums will stop being deducted from your super account while you’re receiving IP benefit payments. Premiums will start being deducted again once your IP benefit payments end, unless you no longer have IP cover.