COVID-19
FAQs

Your Hostplus insurance cover is provided by Metlife.  
If you have questions regarding your insurance cover and COVID-19 or the COVID-19 vaccine, please visit the Metlife Frequently Asked Questions page.

Your insurance may help if you can’t work due to injury or illness 

Hostplus offers and provides Income Protection (previously called Salary Continuance) insurance, which can protect your income if you temporarily can’t work due to illness or injury.

If you have Income Protection insurance, and you are temporarily unable to work due to contracting COVID-19 or another illness or injury, you may be eligible to claim a short-term regular payment to help meet your daily costs and expenses.

To learn more, or review your existing insurance arrangements, log in to Hostplus Member Online.

If you have existing Income Protection cover, you may be able to make a claim if, due to injury or illness, you are:

• unable to perform at least one Income Producing Duty of your occupation
• not working in any occupation, whether or not for reward and 
• under the regular care and following the advice of a medical practitioner.

You can submit a claim at any time. However, payments will only occur once you have been assessed by the insurer as meeting all eligibility criteria, including satisfying your waiting period.Please note, Income Protection insurance does not provide coverage against job loss (temporary or otherwise), redundancy or incidences of being ‘stood down’. However, if you are unemployed or have been stood down under the Fair Work Act and subsequently suffer an injury or illness, you may still be eligible to make an Income Protection claim if you meet the criteria outlined above.

To learn more, or review your existing insurance arrangements, login to Hostplus Member Online. If you are eligible to make a claim, please call us on 1300 467 875. Our dedicated claims team are here to help you through the process.

On joining Hostplus, eligible members receive a default level of Death and Total & Permanent Disability (TPD) insurance.

Death insurance protects your loved ones if you die and provides financial peace of mind during a difficult time. TPD insurance provides support in the event of an accident or illness which prevents you from ever returning to work.

We encourage all members to pay particular attention to the impact an early withdrawal may have on their insurance cover. Please note that where an account balance reaches $0 due to a full withdrawal of retirement savings, the member’s account will be closed and any insurance cover will cease.  

If Hostplus subsequently receive a contribution from a registered Hostplus employer after the member’s account has been closed, this may result in the creation of a new Hostplus account (and new member number) in the member's name. Under the Putting Members’ Interests First legislation, new memberships may not include the same insurance arrangements as your previous Hostplus account.

On and from 1 April 2020 super funds cannot provide automatic default insurance cover to any new members with balances less than $6,000 and/or under the age of 25, unless an exception (such as the 'dangerous occupations exception' or ‘employer-sponsor contribution exception’) applies or the fund receives an election from the member to receive default or tailored insurance cover.

Members who wish to opt-in to insurance cover, despite being under age 25 or with a balance below $6,000, can do so on their new account via Member Online. In some cases, this may be restricted cover.  For more information relating to restricted cover please refer to our Product Disclosure Statement.

Insurance cover may also cease on a member's account where there are insufficient funds to pay for premiums and/or where a contribution has not been received for 16 months or more. If your cover ceases on or after 1 April 2020, as a result of insufficient funds in your account or because it has been inactive for 16 consecutive months, and we receive a contribution or rollover for you at any time after your insurance ceases , your cover will recommence from the Recommencement Date at the default cover level. In some cases, this may be restricted cover.  For more information relating to restricted cover please refer to our PDS.

If as a result of you having made a successful Early Release application your account balance has been reduced to $0, your account will be closed, and you will also no longer be a member of Hostplus.

What happens once my account is closed?

Once we close your account any death, total and permanent disability or salary continuance insurance cover associated with your account will cease. For more information about impacts on your insurance please refer to “Consider your insurance cover”.

If your account is closed Hostplus will send you an Exit Statement in the post which outlines your final transactions and confirms the account closure. Additionally, you will no longer be able to access details of your closed account information via Member Online. 

What happens if a new account is created for me?

If we receive a superannuation contribution from a registered Hostplus employer on your behalf after your account has been closed, Hostplus set up a new account in your name and issue you with a new member number.

We will notify you about your new account and provide you with a Welcome Pack in the post. Your Welcome Pack will include details of your new account, including your new member number.

What do I do if I receive a Welcome Pack?

If you have received a Welcome Pack from Hostplus it means we have set up a new super account in your name.  Even if you were recently, or at any time in the past, a Hostplus member, you should review your Welcome Pack and consider a few key actions to make the most of your new account. Log in to Member Online or follow the links below for more information.

1. Consider your insurance cover requirements.
2. Consider your investment choices.
3. Nominate a beneficiary.

Can I, or my employer, who uses a different default super fund, still have my super contributions  made to Hostplus?

Yes. You can create a new account quickly and easily online. You’ll be given an opportunity to consider your insurance and investment options as part of the application process.Be sure to provide your new member number to your employer using our Fund Nomination Form.