Income protection and WorkCover: What’s the difference?

WorkCover and income protection both provide you with an income should an illness or injury force you to stop working. However, there's a key difference between the two:

• WorkCover. Designed to cover work accidents and illnesses.
• Income protection. Covers incidents inside and outside work that stop you from working.

What's the difference between WorkCover and income protection?

Income protection is not the same as workers compensation. Here are the main differences:

Should I still consider income protection?

There are a number of reasons you might consider having income protection. Income protection is a far more comprehensive type of insurance. It pays you 75% of your income and you don't need to prove where your injury or illness occurred like workers compensation; you just need to prove that you're unable to work. Take a look at the income protection calculator and comparison table below to find a policy that works for you.

How we calculate Income Protection Finder Scores

Read full methodology

What different scores mean

9+

Excellent

These products offer great value, with a good score across both features and price.

7+

Great

These are competitive products, though they didn't quite get top scores.

5+

Standard

These products might offer less value or command a higher premium than others in the market.

0+

Basic

These products might only offer a basic set of features or aren't very competitive on price.

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Product	Finder Score	Maximum monthly benefit	Maximum % of income covered	Maximum Benefit Period	Average Claims Acceptance Rate	Sum insured
Promoted TAL Accelerated Protection Income Protection Finder Award	Finder score 9.9 Excellent	$30,000	Up to 70%	Age 65	Data not available	$1,305 million	Get up to 70% of your income covered with flexible short and long term benefit periods.	Get quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Promoted AAMI Income Protection	Finder score 8 Great	$10,000	Up to 75%	5 years	Data not available	$222 million	Save up to 10% on premiums every year for the life of the policy on AAMI Income Protection. Offer ends 31 July 2025. T&Cs apply.	Get quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Suncorp Income Protection	Finder score 7.9 Great	$10,000	Up to 75%	5 years	Data not available	$222 million	Save up to 10% on premiums every year for the life of the policy on Suncorp Income Protection. Offer ends 31 July 2025. T&Cs apply.	Get quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Medibank Income Protection	Finder score 6.7 Standard	$12,500	Up to 70%	5 years	Data not available	Data not available	Save 10% on your first year of Medibank Income Protection when you apply by 31 July 2025. T&Cs apply.	Get quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
ahm Income Protection	Finder score 6.7 Standard	$10,000	Up to 70%	5 years	Data not available	Data not available	Get 10% off your first year of ahm Income Protection when you apply by 31 July 2025. T&Cs apply.	Get quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Zurich Ezicover Income Protection	Finder score 6.6 Standard	$12,000	Up to 70%	5 years	Data not available	$5 million	Get your first month of cover free when you buy Zurich EziCover Income Protection.	Get quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...
Real Income Protection	Finder score Not yet rated	$15,000	Up to 70%	5 Years	Data not available	Data not available	Cover up to 70% of your monthly income if you can’t work due to illness or injury, up to a maximum of $15,000 a month.	Get quoteView details Compare	loading Fetching your data...

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How we picked these

Finder Score - Income Protection

Income Protection is a little complicated and a lot overwhelming. That's why we made the Finder Score, to make it easier to compare Life Insurance products against each other. Our experts analysed over 12 products and gave each one a score rank out of 10.

But a higher score doesn't always mean a product is better for you. Your situation is unique, so your policy choice will be too. Don't think of Finder Score as the final word, but as a good place to start your life insurance comparison.

Read full Finder Score methodology

Speak to an insurance specialist to help you find personalised cover

Pros and cons of WorkCover and income protection

What are the types of WorkCover payments you can receive?

One outstanding issue concerning workers compensation is that there is no uniformity in its benefit periods and amounts. Each state has its own workers compensation laws.

There are basically four types of benefits you can have under workers compensation: income replacement, permanent disability, medical benefits and death benefits.

• Income replacement. Income replacement through workers compensation may vary from state to state. Lump sum benefits are determined based on the nature of the injury sustained.
• Permanent disability. Under the workers compensation policy, permanent disability or impairment is defined as the illness remains unchanged despite continuous medical treatment. Once deemed permanently disabled, you will be paid a lump sum benefit in addition to your weekly benefits.
• Medical benefits. These benefits cover medical costs and other health-related expenses for injuries sustained at work. The amount will again vary from state to state depending on the severity of the accident or injury. However, if the injury or accident happened outside the work premises, you are not eligible to claim.
• Death benefits. Just like other insurance policies, your beneficiaries can receive a lump sum benefit in the event of your death to help them cover funeral costs and other living expenses.

Under the policy, you can be paid one or more of these benefits. The benefit period is between 13 weeks and 9 years, but is subject to the maximum limits of the lump sum.

When am I eligible to claim WorkCover or income protection?

There are far more restrictions when it comes to claiming with workers compensation:

• WorkCover. You are only eligible to claim if you are injured inside your workplace. This means you need to prove that your injury occurred directly as a result of work, which can be difficult. You also can't make a claim if your injury was caused due to negligence.
• Income protection. If you are injured or ill, you are eligible to claim income protection. Unlike WorkCover, this includes injuries or illnesses occurring outside of work, at any time of the day and anywhere in the world. Like WorkCover though, it won't cover you for voluntary redundancy, though some cover you if you lose your job.

When does cover end?

WorkCover and income protection have different lengths of coverage:

• Income protection. Your cover length will depend on your benefit period. This is the length of time that your monthly income protection payment will be paid to you upon a successful claim. In Australia, insurers typically offer the benefit period option of 2 or 5 years or until you reach the age of 65.
• WorkCover. The benefit period can vary massively with WorkCover. Some are capped at 130 weeks. If you do need to be off longer than this time, you will likely have to undergo a Work Capacity Assessment.

Can you claim WorkCover and income protection at the same time?

Yes, but it's likely that your insurance policy will offset your workers compensation payments. This is so that you don't end up earning more than 100% of your pre-disability salary.

If your benefit payment is reduced as a result of workers compensation payments, some insurers will refund you some of the premiums that you have previously paid.

In the unlikely event that you are injured at work, you should look at how much workers compensation will actually pay you and how long it will pay you for. Even if you are eligible for WorkCover, income protection usually comes with longer benefit periods and inclusions like specified injury benefits and flexible disability definitions.

FAQs

• Is WorkCover and workers compensation the same?

  Yes. WorkCover insurance (also known as workers compensation cover) is a form of protection that compensates employees if they become injured at work or become sick as a result of tasks carried out at their work. This payment can be used to cover an employee's:

  • Wages while they are unfit to work
  • Any medical expenses and rehabilitation

• Who pays for WorkCover?

  Your employer. Workers compensation is mandatory for Australian employers and pays benefits in the event of a workplace injury, accident or illness to an employee. Workers compensation schemes are managed at a state level.

• Can WorkCover claims be rejected?

  Yes, you will usually need to supply sufficient evidence that your work played a significant role in your injury, accident or illness. This could be an eyewitness account or medical evidence from a doctor or specialist.

• Are WorkCover payments taxed?

  WorkCover payments are treated like salary and are therefore taxable. This means you'll need to declare any workers compensation payments that you've received as part of your annual tax declaration to the Australian Tax Office (ATO).

• Can you claim WorkCover if you are a sole trader?

  No. A sole trader works for themselves. You only need WorkCover if you are a working director and have employees, then you'll need to take out workers compensation cover.

Written by

Gary Ross Hunter

Journalist

Gary Ross Hunter has over 6 years of expertise writing about insurance, including life, health, home, and car insurance. Having reviewed hundreds of product disclosure statements and published over 800 articles, he loves simplifying complex insurance topics for everyday readers. Gary has contributed to major outlets like Yahoo Finance, The Sydney Morning Herald, and news.com.au, and holds a Bachelor of Arts (Honours) in English Literature from the University of Glasgow, along with a Tier 2 General Advice certification, ensuring his work adheres to ASIC’s RG146 standards. See full bio

Gary Ross's expertise

Gary Ross has written 597 Finder guides across topics including:

• Health, home, life, car, pet and travel insurance
• Managing the cost of living