What is a work rating?
A work rating classifies the usual activities of your job into one of three ratings: Blue Collar, White Collar or Professional. Your work rating is one of the factors that determines how much you pay for your insurance cover.
Insurance cover with a Blue Collar work rating is the most expensive.
You have two different work ratings
As a member of AustralianSuper Select, you have both an individual work rating and a category work rating2. These work ratings are used to calculate the cost of your cover.
Individual work rating
Your individual work rating is Blue Collar unless you’re eligible to change to White Collar or Professional and your application is approved by the Insurer. Our default work rating is Blue Collar because all Australians are welcome to join AustralianSuper and our membership demographic is wide.
Category work rating
Your category work rating2 is unique to your AustralianSuper Select employer and only applies while you’re their employee. You can’t change your category work rating because it’s arranged by your employer.
The work rating we use to calculate the cost of your cover
If your category and individual work ratings are different, we’ll apply the work rating that’s less expensive to calculate the cost of your cover. This is your applied work rating.
For example, if you have a Blue Collar individual work rating and a White Collar category work rating, the cost of your cover will be based on your category work rating (White Collar). This is because a White Collar work rating is less expensive than a Blue Collar work rating.
See the work rating descriptions below for more details about each work rating. If the usual activities of your job match the descriptions for White Collar or Professional you may be eligible to pay less for your cover if you apply, and are accepted, for one of these work ratings.
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Why you should check your individual work rating
It’s important to check your individual work rating for two reasons:
While you’re with your AustralianSuper Select employer, if the individual work rating that applies to you is less expensive than your category work rating2, your cover will be less expensive.
If you leave your AustralianSuper Select employer and keep your super and insurance cover with us, we’ll use your individual work rating to calculate the cost of your cover. Your category work rating will no longer apply, meaning the cost of your insurance cover will be based on your age, level of cover and your individual work rating.
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Changing your individual work rating
If you’re eligible to change your individual work rating, apply by completing the Change your individual work rating form
If your application for a White Collar or Professional individual work rating is accepted by the Insurer, we’ll confirm your new individual work rating and your weekly costs in writing.
Your work rating will be checked by the Insurer if you make a claim. If they decide you weren’t eligible for the work rating you applied for, you may have to pay the difference in insurance costs and your individual work rating may change.
Work rating descriptions
Read the details for each work rating, or use the Work Rating Tool, to work out which one is right for you – and whether you could pay less for your insurance cover.
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Blue Collar
(most expensive)
Blue Collar is our default individual work rating. You’ll keep this work rating unless you apply for and are accepted to change your individual work rating to White Collar or Professional.
A Blue Collar individual work rating is suitable if:
- you spend less than 80% of your main job doing clerical or administrative activities in an office-based environment; and/or
- you’re exposed to unusual workplace hazards (some examples of unusual work hazards include working underground, working underwater, working at heights or working in the air).
Your category work rating will be Blue Collar if that’s what your AustralianSuper Select employer has arranged. It will apply to you while you’re employed by your AustralianSuper Select employer.
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White Collar
(less expensive)
You can apply for a White Collar individual work rating if:
- you spend more than 80% of your main job doing clerical or administrative activities in an office-based environment, or
- you’re a professional using your university qualification in a job that has no unusual work hazards (some examples of unusual work hazards include working underground, working underwater, working at heights or working in the air).
Your category work rating will be White Collar if that’s what your AustralianSuper Select employer has arranged. It will apply to you while you’re employed by your AustralianSuper Select employer.
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Professional
(least expensive)
You can apply for a Professional individual work rating if:
- you spend more than 80% of your main job doing clerical or administrative activities in an office-based environment, or
- you’re a professional using your university qualification in a job that has no unusual work hazards (some examples of unusual work hazards include working underground, working underwater, working at heights or working in the air)
AND
you’re earning $100,000 or more a year (pro rata for part time)3
AND
you have a university qualification or you have a management role in your company.
Your category work rating will be Professional if that’s what your AustralianSuper Select employer has arranged. It will apply to you while you’re employed by your AustralianSuper Select employer.
- AustralianSuper insurance is provided by TAL Life Limited (the Insurer), ABN 70 050 109 450, AFSL 237848.
- If you’re a Clough employee in AustralianSuper Select, only an individual work rating applies to your cover.
- Income earned from your regular job(s), excluding Superannuation Guarantee (SG) contributions. If you work part time, think about the income you would earn from working full time. For example, if you work part time four days a week and earn $96,000, your full-time income would be $120,000.
How to check and change your work rating
If you’re a member and not sure what your individual, category and applied work ratings are, log into your account and go to Insurance or call us on 1300 667 387.
If you’re eligible to change your work rating, there are two ways to apply:
- log into your account and go to Insurance, then Manage insurance, or
- complete this Change your individual work rating form.
If your application is accepted by the Insurer, we’ll confirm your new individual work rating and the new cost of your cover in writing.
Your individual work rating will be checked by the Insurer if you make a claim, and if they decide you weren’t eligible for the work rating you applied for, you may have to pay the difference in insurance costs and your work rating may change.