Skip to main content

Making an insurance claim

When to access your plan and use your insurance

Page reading time: 5 minutes

When something goes wrong that is covered by your insurance policy, you can decide whether to make a claim.

It won’t always be worthwhile to make a claim, even for something that is covered by your insurance – there are a few things to weigh up.

Check you’re covered for the thing that happened

When something goes wrong, check your Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and insurance policy terms and conditions to see if you have cover to claim. Some things that might make it hard to get your claim approved can include:

There is no shame in getting help with your insurance claim. If you think your insurer has made a wrong decision, if you're not sure if your claim meets the rules, or you're worried about the questions you might be asked – it’s a good idea to get legal advice.
You can talk to the Insurance Law Service on 1300 663 464.

You can always contact your insurer when something goes wrong to understand more about the types of things your policy covers and decide whether to make a claim. If your insurer tells you that you can’t claim or your claim is rejected, and you think the decision is unfair, you could get legal advice to learn more about your options.

Decide whether to make a claim

The thing that goes wrong might be covered under your policy, but you might decide that it’s not worthwhile to make a claim.

You might not claim if:

You might want to claim if:

Making a claim can affect your insurance

Making a claim can increase how much you pay for insurance in the future. Your insurer might increase the cost of your premium when it’s time to renew. If you get a quote from another insurer, they will ask you if you’ve made any recent claims.

For some cover, you can’t claim on the same thing again in the near future. For example, some insurance policies won’t cover you for a stolen car if you have had a claim paid out for a stolen car in the last year.

Marg scratches her car

Marg scratches her car pulling out of the driveway. She has comprehensive insurance, so she calls her insurer to talk about the damage and whether or not to make a claim. After sending photos, the insurer says repairs will probably cost $400. Marg’s excess for making a claim is $650 – which is more than the repairs. She decides to organise repairs herself and pay out of her own pocket, rather than making a claim, because that’s cheaper and she feels confident she can organise them herself.

How to claim on your home or car insurance

To make a claim for insurance, you’ll need to contact your insurance company.

For car insurance, follow the steps on claiming on your car insurance.

For home insurance claims see how to make a home insurance claim.

Get help if you need it

Insurance can be tricky and there are things that can go wrong. There is no shame in getting help if you’re having trouble.

Common problems with insurance claims can include:

If your insurer wants to ‘cash settle’ the claim, this means they want to give you money so you can arrange the repairs. You might not want to do this if you think repairs will cost more than the amount offered to you, or if you don’t think you can manage arranging and overseeing the repairs yourself.

Making a claim can be a stressful time and you can get help at any time. If you need help, try to reach out as soon as you can. You can get help from any of these organisations.

Financial Rights Legal Centre’s Insurance Law Service

For free and independent legal advice about your insurance coverage or for support with a claim, call the Insurance Law Service on 1300 663 464.

Mob Strong Debt Help

A free, confidential and independent financial counselling and legal service for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, they can help you talk to your insurer and work through your options. You can call the free Mob Strong Debt Help line on 1800 808 488.

National Debt Helpline

The National Debt Helpline can give you free help from financial counsellors if you need more guidance on your options, or support with talking to your insurer. Call the free National Debt Helpline on 1800 007 007.