Personal insurance advice from Skye Wealth. AFSL licensed. Free 15-min call. Zero obligation.
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Group policy vs adviser-sourced cover

Enter your income and age. See the difference in total coverage between a typical group policy and what a licensed adviser can arrange for you. The gap is usually significant.

Group Policy vs Adviser-Sourced Income Protection

General estimates based on industry averages. Not a quote or personal advice. Your adviser will model your specific numbers in the free call.

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🏢 Typical Group Policy
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✅ Adviser-Sourced Policy
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What a licensed adviser can arrange that group cover never will
A licensed adviser can arrange cover that group policies simply cannot match.
Benefit period to age 65, not capped at 2 years
Own-occupation TPD definition based on your specific job
Every major insurer compared, not just your fund
Trauma cover included, which group policies almost never offer
Waiting period you choose: 14, 30, 60 or 90 days
Portable cover that stays with you when you change jobs
Life and TPD amounts based on your mortgage, dependants and income
Ownership structure that works for your tax situation

This calculator provides general information only and does not constitute personal financial advice. Figures are indicative estimates based on industry averages. Your actual cover, premiums and entitlements depend on your insurer, policy terms, health history, occupation rating, and individual circumstances. Speak to a licensed Skye Wealth adviser for advice specific to your situation.

The four types of personal insurance

Four types of cover.
Most people have one right.

Life cover, income protection, TPD and trauma insurance each do a different job. Most Australians have at least some through super. Almost none have all four set up correctly. Here is what each one actually does.

Life (Death) Cover
Pays a tax-free lump sum to your family when you die. It should cover your mortgage, replace your income for your dependants, and fund your children's education. Most Australians have some through super. The amount is almost always set by a formula. The formula is almost always not enough.
Lump sum payment Tax-free to dependants Group rarely sufficient
Income Protection
Replaces up to 70% of your income if illness or injury stops you working. It is the most important cover most working Australians do not have set up properly. Group income protection almost always stops paying after 2 years. A retail policy arranged through an adviser can run to age 65, with a waiting period you choose.
Up to 70% of income Tax deductible outside super Group caps at 2 years
Total & Permanent Disability (TPD)
A lump sum if illness or injury permanently ends your working life. The definition matters enormously. Group TPD uses an "any occupation" test: you must be unable to work in any job you are reasonably suited to. Adviser-sourced policies can use "own occupation": unable to work in your specific career. That difference decides whether your claim gets paid.
Lump sum payment Own-occ via adviser Group uses 'any occ'
Trauma (Critical Illness) Cover
Pays a lump sum when you are diagnosed with a specified serious condition: cancer, heart attack, stroke, coronary artery surgery and more than 40 others depending on the policy. You do not have to stop working permanently to claim. The money funds private treatment, clears debt, or simply gives you time to recover without financial pressure. It is almost never part of a group arrangement. It must be arranged personally through an adviser.
Pays on diagnosis 50+ covered conditions Not in group policies
1 in 5
Australians will be disabled before age 65
2 yrs
When group IP stops paying, regardless of your situation
4 types
Of personal insurance. Most Australians have one set up correctly.
$0
Cost of your first call with a Skye Wealth adviser
Skye TV

Insurance PDSs are written
in jargon. We translated them.

Policy documents and group cover guides are dense, technical, and written for compliance, not for people. At Skye Wealth we've broken down the concepts that matter most, so you actually understand what you're covered for. Because you deserve to know.

Watch more on Skye TV
What is income protection insurance?
Watch now
Income Protection
What is income protection insurance and do I need it?
TPD own vs any occupation
Watch now
TPD Insurance
Own occupation vs any occupation TPD, the difference that matters
Is your super insurance enough?
Watch now
Super vs Retail
Is the insurance in your super actually enough to protect you?
What your group policy actually says

Six things most Australians
find out too late.

Group cover exists to give your employer a simple solution. It is not designed around your life. These are the six gaps that show up most often when clients come to Skye Wealth for the first time.

Income protection stops paying after 2 years
Most group income protection policies have a 2-year maximum benefit period written into the PDS. If a serious illness or injury keeps you off work beyond that, the payments stop. A retail policy arranged through an adviser can pay to age 65.
Income Protection
TPD uses a definition most people cannot meet
Group TPD pays only if you cannot work in any occupation you are reasonably suited to by education, training or experience. A specialist surgeon with a hand injury may not qualify because they could theoretically do other work. An adviser can arrange own-occupation TPD: you cannot do your job specifically.
TPD Insurance
Your cover disappears when you leave your employer
Group insurance is tied to your employer or super fund membership. Change jobs, take extended leave or retire early and your cover can disappear. If your health has changed in the meantime, getting new cover at the same terms may not be possible.
All Cover Types
Trauma cover is not in your group policy
Cancer, heart attack and stroke are the conditions most likely to hit you during your working years. Trauma insurance pays a lump sum on diagnosis, before you have proven permanent disability. Group arrangements almost never include it. It must be arranged personally through a licensed adviser.
Trauma Cover
Your life cover amount was set by a formula, not your life
Most group life policies pay 1x or 2x your annual salary. That may clear your mortgage. It will not replace your income for your dependants over 20 years or fund your children's education. The right amount is calculated from your actual debts, income, and family situation.
Life Cover
Group policies cannot be changed to suit you
You cannot choose your waiting period, change your benefit definition or add features that match your job. The fund sets the terms and you accept them. A policy arranged through a licensed adviser is built around your occupation, income structure and health history from the start.
All Cover Types
How it works

From your first call
to fully covered.

Getting the right personal insurance should not require you to become an expert in policy documents. Here is how Skye Wealth handles it for you.

Book your free call
15 minutes with Phil or the Skye Wealth team. You talk. We listen. Nothing is recommended until we understand your situation.
We research every option
We compare every major insurer against your occupation, health history and income. You do not need to read a single PDS.
Receive your personal recommendation
A clear Statement of Advice: what cover to get, how much, why, and how to structure it for your tax situation. Written in plain English.
We handle the paperwork
Application, underwriting, insurer follow-up. We manage the entire process. You get covered without the admin.
Meet your adviser

We compare every insurer.
You make one call.

Skye Wealth is not tied to any one fund or product. We look at every major insurer, match the policy definitions to your occupation, and manage the process from application through to claim support.

Phil Thompson
CEO & Founder, Skye Wealth
Phil Thompson, CEO of Skye Wealth
Phil Thompson
CEO, Skye Wealth

Phil built Skye Wealth because he watched too many Australians get to claim time and discover their group policy was not what they thought. He and his team have helped thousands of clients get personal insurance that holds up when it needs to.

AFSL Licensed Life Cover Income Protection TPD Trauma
Client stories

Real clients.
Real claims. Real outcomes.

"
★★★★★

I assumed my super had me covered. Phil showed me my income protection would have stopped after 2 years and my TPD used an any occupation definition. We fixed both. For the first time I actually understood what I was paying for and what it would do.

Senior engineer
Personal insurance client, Sydney
"
★★★★★

Running my own physio practice means no sick leave and no fallback. Skye found income protection that covered my business income properly, and set up trauma cover I never knew I needed. The call was 15 minutes. They handled everything after that. I just said yes.

Self-employed physiotherapist
Income protection & trauma client, Melbourne
"
★★★★★

Your patience with the paperwork was extraordinary. If you had not explained TPD to us we would never have known what he was entitled to. The difference between the group definition and the retail own-occupation definition was the entire claim.

Skye Wealth client
Successful TPD claim recipient
Frequently asked questions

Questions people ask
before they call us.

Answered plainly. No insurance speak.

Group insurance is a one-size-fits-all policy arranged through your employer or super fund. The definitions, benefit periods and amounts are set by the fund. You cannot change them. Adviser-sourced insurance is selected specifically for your situation: your job, your income, your debts, your dependants. A licensed adviser compares multiple insurers, selects the right definitions, and can access products and features that no group arrangement offers.
No. You can buy insurance directly. But a licensed adviser compares policies across every major insurer, matches definitions to your occupation, structures cover tax-effectively, and helps you navigate underwriting if you have any health history. The initial call with Skye Wealth is free and completely obligation-free. If an adviser-sourced policy is not right for you, we will tell you that upfront.
Income protection premiums held personally outside super are generally tax deductible under Section 8-1 of the ITAA 1997. Benefit payments are assessable income. Life cover and TPD premiums held personally are generally not deductible, though they may be deductible to a business in certain ownership structures. Trauma premiums are not deductible. How you own your policies significantly affects your tax position. A Skye Wealth adviser will explain the best structure for your situation.
Own occupation TPD pays if you can no longer perform the duties of your specific job: the one you trained for and have been doing. Any occupation TPD, which most group policies use, requires that you cannot work in any job you are reasonably suited to by education, training or experience. A specialist surgeon with a hand tremor may fail the any occupation test because they could theoretically do other work. Own occupation TPD definitions must generally be arranged through a licensed adviser and are not available through group super funds.
Trauma insurance, also called critical illness cover, pays a lump sum when you are diagnosed with a specified serious condition: cancer, heart attack, stroke and more than 40 others depending on the policy. The key difference from income protection is that you do not need to stop working to claim. You claim on diagnosis. The money can fund private treatment, pay off debt, or give you financial breathing room while you recover. It is one of the most underused cover types in Australia and is almost never part of a group arrangement.
Yes. Completely free and completely obligation-free. The 15-minute call is about understanding your situation and explaining your options clearly. Skye Wealth only moves to a full advice engagement if it is the right decision for you and you choose to continue. If you do not need what we offer, we will tell you. That is the only way this works.

A 15-minute call.
Potentially life-changing clarity.

Most Australians leave that call having learned something about their cover they did not know before. Book yours. It costs nothing.

Free. No commitment. No jargon.