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    Total and Permanent Disablement

    Total and Permanent Disablement cover (or TPD), pays you a lump sum if you become disabled or are too sick to ever work again. It can help you pay for rehabilitation, any debts you have and future cost of living

    Who is eligible?

    The TPD eligibility information below is general and differ slightly in certain AMP Super plans. Please check your insurance guide or welcome letter found in My AMP for the details specific to your account.

    • Generally, TPD is available to members aged between 16 and the date their cover stops (depending on their plan).
    • It’s also generally only available with life insurance and can’t be higher than the life insurance cover amount.  
    • Typically, a TPD definition has multiple parts to it. Most people who claim will be based on their employment status to determine the part of the definition that will apply to their claim.
      • Generally, prior to 1 December 2021, if you were working under 10 or 15 hours per week (depending on your product), your claim fell under a more restrictive activities of daily living (ADL) definition. For claim events after 1 December 2021 (or another date we’ve advised you), this will no longer be the case.
      • This means you’ll be considered employed if you worked at any time in the 16 months before your disability. Here, the standard any occupation definition will generally apply to your claim.
      • Unemployed will mean that you didn’t work at any time in the 16 months or more before your disability. In this case, your claim will be assessed based on your ability to perform basic activities associated with work, (or another part of your plan’s TPD definition based on the insurer’s assessment).
    • TPD cover generally has a waiting period. You may be required to have sought care and be following a treatment plan from a doctor during the waiting period.

    To find out more, check out your insurance guide or welcome letter saved in My AMP.

    How TPD is worked out and paid

    If you have TPD cover and become totally and permanently disabled while insured, you may receive a lump sum payment. The insurer will assess your illness or injury depending on your employment status at the time you became injured. 

    If you’re totally and permanently disabled and permanently unable to work, you can access both your:

    • TPD payout once the fund receives it, and
    • any other applicable super benefits you have in your account.

    The amount of tax you will pay depends on which benefits you’re withdrawing. TPD insurance benefits are tax-free but other super benefits will be taxed (the tax rate will depend on things like whether you’ve reached your preservation age, how you are accessing your funds, your taxable and non-taxable components and the amount of tax already paid by your fund).

    How your claim is paid

    • If you’re eligible to receive a payout, you’ll get it as either a lump sum or an income stream via your super account.
    • If this happens, your TPD benefit will generally be invested for you through your super account in Super Cash, a low risk cash option.
    • our superannuation account balance will remain in your current superannuation investment option.

    A few other things to be aware of:

    Tax implications: Accessing your TPD benefit can have important tax implications and may impact your future social security benefits, so it may be a good idea to talk to a financial adviser for help considering your personal circumstances before making a decision.

    Waiting periods: Most policies have a waiting period before a payment is made. For most AMP Super insurance policies, it’s usually three months continuous absence from work, but this can vary depending on your insurer and product. Some illnesses and injuries don’t require a waiting period. For example, a heart attack, major head injury, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis, dementia, Parkinson’s, paralysis, permanent blindness, or loss of speech or hearing. You can find out the waiting periods and exemptions in your insurance guide.

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    Example of a TPD insurance payment

    Mark’s 19 years old and worked in a book shop for eight hours a week, until he hit his head in a car accident and now suffers recurring head and neck pain.

    Although he can still live independently and do everyday activities such as feeding and dressing himself, he has trouble concentrating. Mark has been doing rehabilitation but will never be able to perform key parts of his job (or another job) again, such as re-stocking shelves, and standing for long periods. He also must make some changes to his home to allow for his injury.

    Mark’s claim is successful because the insurer determines that he’s unlikely to be able to work again and a lump sum benefit is paid into his super account.

    This example is illustrative only and it not intended to reflect or advise on the prospects of success of any similar claim. Careful consideration should be given to relevant personal circumstances and applicable factual circumstances when considering the prospects of success of a claim.

     

     

    Frequently asked questions about TPD

    When your super fund receives your TPD benefit from the insurer, the money becomes an unrestricted non preserved component in your super account. This means you can access the money before you reach preservation age. You can also choose to leave your payout in the accumulation phase of your super account.

    If you held your insurance continuously since before 1 July 2014 and if available in your plan, your claim may be assessed under an own occupation definition. If this is the case, then you’ll need to meet another condition of release to access your TPD claim benefit from super.

    Most AMP Super plans only offer TPD with life insurance, and the amount of cover can’t be higher than the life insurance cover amount. Although some super plans do offer TPD without life insurance. Check your plan summary and insurance guide for more information. You can also call us on 131 267.

    Insurance eligibility under super laws

    On top of the eligibility criteria for each of the different insurances, there are also super laws around eligibility for insurance inside super. 

    Generally, under super laws, you may not be eligible for insurance if any of the following applies to you: 

    • you are aged under 25
    • since opening the account, your balance hasn't reached $6,000
    • your account hasn't received a contribution or rollover for 16 months.

    Unless…

    • you tell us you'd like default insurance Or,
    • your employer funds the full cost of insurance and notifies us of this.

    Please check your insurance guide for more information around eligibility rules and how they may affect you. 

     

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    What you need to know

    Products in the AMP Super Fund and the Wealth Personal Superannuation and Pension Fund are issued by N.M. Superannuation Proprietary Limited (N.M. Super) ABN 31 008 428 322 (trustee), which is part of the AMP group.

    This information is provided by AWM Services Pty Ltd ABN 15 139 353 496, AFSL No. 366121 (AWM Services) and is general in nature only. It hasn’t taken your financial or personal circumstances into account. It’s important to consider your personal circumstances and read the relevant product disclosure statement or terms and conditions available from AMP at amp.com.au or by calling 131 267, before deciding what’s right for you.

    The super health check help, at no extra cost, is provided by AWM Services and is general advice only. It does not consider your personal circumstances. Taxation issues are complex. You should seek professional advice before deciding to act on any information on this webpage.

    You can read our Financial Services Guide online for information about our services, including the fees and other benefits that AMP companies and their representatives may receive in relation to products and services provided to you. You can also ask us for a hardcopy. All information on this website is subject to change without notice. AWM Services is a part of the AMP group and can be contacted on 131 267 or askamp@amp.com.au.

    The information is current as at August 2021.