FAQs
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Payments
If you pay your premium by instalments and an instalment is overdue we will let you know, and we can cancel your policy
If your payment hasn’t gone through it may be because your credit/debit card details are incorrect in our system. To check them, you’ll need to log into GIO Online Services. From there, you’ll see ‘My policy list’ displayed, from which you can select the policy you want to update/check your details for.
Select ‘Update my policy’, then ‘Change payment Details’. Here you’ll see your current details, and have the option to change them, if necessary.
If this isn’t the reason for your payment failing to go through, please contact us as soon as possible so that we can help you rectify the issue.
Quotes
To help you calculate the replacement value of your home and contents, use our Building Calculator and our Contents Calculator.
Contents are household items that you own or are responsible for and use primarily for domestic purposes. That doesn’t include items permanently attached to your home or insured address.
Common contents refer to unfixed items that are contained within the common areas of your building.
General
Safety net home protection – included in GIO Classic Extras and GIO Platinum home covers – provides a further percentage of the home sum insured toward the cost of repairing or rebuilding your home if the costs exceed your sum insured.
Yes, you can take out a GIO Home and Contents insurance policy for your holiday home, provided that the home has not and will not been unoccupied for more than 60 days at the time you take out the policy (Note: a period of unoccupancy starts when the home or unit becomes unoccupied and comes to an end when you, or someone nominated by you, has occupied the home or unit for at least 2 consecutive nights).
If you are renovating your home or unit, we will not cover any loss or damage to, or caused by, connected with or arising from those building extensions, alterations or renovations (other than the cover available under ‘Legal Liability’) including:
- damage caused by cracking, collapse, subsidence caused fully or partially by the construction work;
- damage caused by storm, flood or water entering the home through openings in the walls or roof or other parts of the home under construction, whether or not they are temporarily covered at the time of the damage;
- damage caused by storm or flood to any part of the home that is not fully built or is undergoing extensions, alterations or renovations;
- theft or damage by someone who enters or leaves through an unlockable part of the home that is under construction;
- damage caused by a malicious act or vandalism to unfinished parts of the home.
Our Home and Contents Insurance policies do not cover new buildings during construction.
Please contact us if you’re commencing building works or renovations at your home, including demolition.
No, GIO Home and Contents Insurance does not cover loss or damage caused by insects, vermin, or rodents – including termites.
If your insured belongings are damaged or lost during transit within Australia, while they’re in commercial storage, or if they’ve been temporarily removed from your property for up 180 days, you’ll be covered.
We provide cover for carpets under GIO Contents Insurance, but not GIO Home Building Insurance.
Home Insurance provides cover for your home, garages, carports, outbuildings, inground pools, driveways, gates and fences, along with any permanently attached fixtures like solar panels, walls, ceilings, and floors that are tiled, wooden or concrete for loss or damage caused by a range of insured events at your insured address.
Whereas, Contents Insurance is for the loss or damage to the contents in your home caused by insured events. Contents are household items that you own or are responsible for (if in a unit) and use primarily for domestic purposes. These include things like furniture, furnishings, clothing, unfixed electrical goods, and appliances, window coverings as well as carpet and rugs
Ultimately, the level of cover you choose, and with who, is up to you. Comparing Home and Contents Insurance should be based on what you need cover for, like home, contents, personal valuables or landlord insurance. To compare Home and Contents Insurance, you can:
- Check what cover is automatically included in each policy you’re considering;
- Review any optional/additional covers available;
- Get a quote for the policy or policies you’re looking at;
- and Compare the quote and what it includes against other quotes you may have received.
No. While coverage is included for damage caused by animals - with some limitations and exclusions, as outlined in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) - that coverage does not extend to damage caused by animals you own or for which you are responsible.
Updating Home/Contents Policy
GIO customers can easily update their policy details and some optional covers by logging into GIO Online Services. From there, you’ll see a list of your policies; simply select the policy you want to update and then choose the ‘Update my policy’ tab.
You’ll see various options to choose from for what you can update. Note that not all changes can be made online. If you’re unable to update online, please chat to us or call us on 13 10 10.
View a video explanation of how to update your policy online.
You can update your address and contact details easily by logging into GIO Online Services. From there, you’ll see a list of your policies under the heading ‘My policy list’. Select the policy you want to update your address/contact details for, click on ‘Update my policy’ tab, then edit the relevant field.
View a video explanation of how to update your details online.
Renew/Cancel
I'm sorry you're thinking of cancelling! You can cancel your car (excluding CTP or MAI), home or landlord insurance via the GIO virtual assistant. It's easy to get started, cancel your policy.
For all other policies, find help and support on our contact and help hub about cancelling.
If you do cancel, you may qualify for a refund of the unexpired portion of the premium less any non-refundable government charges. Minimum refunds apply. Contact us to learn more about policy cancellation refunds.
GIO Home Assist
GIO Home Assist is a 24-hour emergency assistance service that provides you with selected trade services in the event of a home emergency. It is not a general maintenance or preventative service (e.g. it does not cover painting, replacing light bulbs or tap washers) or a disaster response service.
If you need to lodge a claim you can do this online, through the GIO app or by calling us 24/7 on 13 14 46.
Terms, conditions, limitations and exclusions apply. Please refer to the GIO Home Assist Terms and Conditions for more details.
A home emergency is a sudden and unforeseen incident that occurs to your home (but not your contents) and that requires the urgent attention of a tradesperson.
Some geographical limitations apply to availability of cover. That is, there are certain areas of Australia in which GIO Home Assist is not currently available. If you take out a quote online and the Home Assist optional cover is not available to select, it is unavailable at your location.
In the event of a home emergency, GIO Home Assist will be able to dispatch a plumber, an electrician, a locksmith, and/or a carpenter.
No. Only a qualified GIO Home Assist Tradesperson can be used.
You are entitled to receive three emergency call-outs during the period of insurance. Additionally, if it is determined that two tradespersons are required to attend to your single home emergency, then two emergency call-outs will be deducted from your entitlement.
No, a GIO Home Assist call-out is not identified as a claim under your policy. Therefore, there is no excess payable for GIO Home Assist.
GIO Home Assist can be contacted 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Our support team will be able to assess the emergency. Assistance will be provided as quickly as possible, but during certain hours there may be limited availability. The response time will depend on a variety of factors including severity, location, and the level of demand.
Excess-free Glass cover
This optional cover will apply in addition to the additional cover ‘Accidental breakage of glass’ which is included in the Home cover only and offers repair or replacement following accidental breakage of:
- fixed glass in windows, doors, skylights and shower screens in your home
- mirrors fixed to your home.
When you have this option and the claim is only for the accidental breakage of the glass mentioned above, we cover the cost to replace it without you having to pay an excess.
Refer to the PDS for more information.
We will also cover the frame of any window, door or shower screen, but only if necessary to enable the glass to be replaced.
Refer to the PDS for more information
No, chips and scratches (and any breakage that does not extend through the entire thickness of the damaged item) are excluded.
Refer to the PDS for more information
Cover for accidental breakage of glass is automatically included under your policy. However, when you make a claim, you will need to pay the applicable excess. When you have optional Excess-Free Glass cover on your policy, and the breakage relates to the type of fixed glass listed under this optional cover (see question 1 and the PDS), you do not pay an excess when you make a claim.
Refer to the PDS for more information
No. Accidental breakage of glass in or of any contents is excluded under Excess-Free glass cover. It is only available with Home cover.
Refer to the PDS for more information
If you take out the Excess-Free Glass optional cover, it will appear on your Certificate of Insurance. You will need to pay extra for this optional cover.
Refer to the PDS for more information
Making a claim can be done online, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
No. You can only claim under Excess-free glass cover when the only damage is the accidental breakage of glass listed in the optional cover. You will need to lodge a claim for storm damage, in relation to both the roof and windows. You will need to pay any excess that applies to your policy.
You can take out the Excess-Free Glass cover as part of your Building Insurance. If you have this optional cover and a window in your home is accidentally broken (and that’s the only damage), you can claim under this option and no excess applies. Refer to the PDS for the type of fixed glass that is covered.
Remember you can only claim for the window if there was no damage before you added on the optional cover.
Refer to the PDS for more information
Liability Insurance
What is the difference between Public Liability and Products Liability insurance cover?
All GIO Business Insurance products have a combined Public and Products Liability cover. Both Public and Products Liability provide coverage for third party injury or property damage that you might cause. The difference is that Public Liability relates to injury or property damage whilst you’re on the job, and Products Liability relates to injury or damage caused by any products you distribute, supply or manufacture.
How much Public & Products Liability cover do I need?
Each business is different, and as such has different needs when it comes to insurance. However, in making the decision you may want to take into account the following factors:
- The contracts you work on. Some contracts will stipulate the minimum amount of cover required. If your business is within a shopping centre, you may find that the contract stipulates a minimum of $20m cover is required
- The conditions of your licence (if applicable). As an example, electrical contractors are required to hold a minimum of $5 million public liability cover in order to obtain their licence in some states.
GIO can offer limits of $5m, $10m, and $20m cover, which can be purchased online or via our Australian-based Call Centre on 1800 036 837.
What isn't covered by Public and Products Liability Insurance?
There are a few scenarios not covered by Public and Products Liability Insurance, including:
- Injury to any employees you might have (this can be covered via Workers Compensation Insurance),
- Civil legal liability incurred as a result of your professional advice (this can be covered via Professional Indemnity),
- Pollution,
- Asbestos, and
- Product recall.
Please refer to the Product Disclosure Statement for the full list of exclusions not covered by our Public and Products Liability insurance.
Professional Indemnity
What is the difference between Public Liability and Professional Indemnity? Do I need both?
Public Liability and Professional Indemnity cover different types of risks.
Public Liability covers your legal liability to pay compensation for injury or damage to property caused to a third party in connection to your business. For example, if a customer slips and trips while on your business premises.
Professional Indemnity, on the other hand, protects against the risks associated with providing advice or recommendations to clients. For example, a customer could sue you for damages if it's alleged that your advice has caused a loss.
If your business has customers visiting your premises and you also provide advice or recommendations to those customers, then Public Liability and Professional Indemnity Insurance may both be beneficial to you.
Portable and Valuable Items
What does Portable and Valuable Items Insurance cover?
Portable and Valuable Items Insurance covers the accidental loss or damage of portable and valuable items. This can include items like mobile phones, laptop computers and tools of trade that you usually carry around with you during the course of your business operations. Cover is limited to $2,500 per item, unless the item has been specified for a higher value.
Loss or damage caused by theft without forced entry from your vehicle or building is an optional cover, which you can purchase by contacting us.
General Questions
Is Workers Compensation insurance covered under my GIO Business Insurance policy?
No, Workers Compensation is a different insurance product to Business Insurance and is compulsory in Australia for most businesses that employ staff.
Legislative requirements vary between each state and territory. For more information or to get a quote, please see the Workers Compensation Insurance page.
Does GIO Business Insurance cover my business’ premises against flood?
Flood cover is automatically included (as part of your premium) as part of the property damage section of your business insurance cover for policies with a start date on or after 7 December 2023. However, we do not insure for flood in the first 72 hours of commencing a new policy or adding/modifying (including increasing any insured amount) of the property damage cover. For more information on your flood coverage and other exclusions, please refer to the PDS and SPDS.
Actions or movements of the sea and storm surge are not covered. Other exclusions apply. Check out the PDS for details.
Note: Cover for flood is optional for policies commenced or renewed prior to 7 December 2023. For more information, refer to the relevant PDS or contact us.
Why might I need hospitality insurance?
If you run a hospitality business, like a café or restaurant, Hospitality Insurance may help cover costs for which you’re liable in the event of injury or property damage connected with your business. For example, if someone slips in your store or something you sell causes illness, providing your claim falls within the policy terms and your claim is accepted, it can help with these costs.
How do I add an interested party to my car insurance policy?
Generally tied to motor insurance policies, an interested party is someone who may be financially concerned with your policy, but doesn’t have any authority over it. This could include your car financier or lender. In the case that your vehicle is written off in an accident, we’ll then know who to pay off in the event of any outstanding loans.
Interested parties can be added easily to your car and motor insurance policy via GIO Online Services.
- Log into GIO Online Services and select the car or motor insurance policy you’d like to add an interested party to
- Click ‘Update policy’
- Select ‘Car finance’ and fill in their details from there
You might be looking for information on ‘authorised contacts’, who have full authority over your personal insurance policy. You can find that here.
Is my Business Insurance expense tax deductible?
You will need to seek independent tax advice relating to your individual situation, however according to the ATO, ‘you can generally claim a deduction for most operating expenses in the same income year you incur them. Insurance premiums, including accident or disability, fire, burglary, professional indemnity, public risk, motor vehicle, loss of profits insurance, or workers’ compensation’ are included in the definition of operating expenses.
What is the difference between employees and subcontractors?
An employee works for and is part of your business. An employee is generally:
- paid a wage
- has set hours of work
- entitled to paid holiday leave and sick leave
- entitled to superannuation guarantee charge (SGC), and
- covered by Workers Compensation Insurance.
A contractor/subcontractor operates their own business (they will generally have their own ABN) and is not entitled to any of the above benefits from the business that has entered into an agreement to contract their services.
Contractors are required to purchase their own insurance prior to work being carried out, to cover themselves from liability risks or personal injury. Businesses that hire contractors should ensure that they have their own insurance policies covering them if they are injured on site, as well as if they cause property damage or bodily injury to a third party while working in connection with your business.
Claims
How do I make a claim?
You can visit the GIO claims page for more information.
If you prefer, you can also call us at 13 14 46, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week to speak to one of our dedicated claims staff. Please note that no quotes are required before you call us. We will advise you on the claim process and what you need to do next during the call.
You can also email us at lodgeclaim@gio.com.au with your policy number and a short description of the claim.
How does the claims process work?
1. Event (Loss occurred)
When making a claim, please provide as much detail as possible to help us understand how we can best support you.
Online lodgement is the most efficient way to make a claim.
- Receive a claim number within minutes1
- Average non-event response time is 5 business hours2
- Track the progress of your claim online with regular status updates3
- A digital copy of your claim will be sent to your nominated email address
2. Review
We take it from here, assessing your claim to confirm it is covered by your policy.
From here your claim may result in:
3. Repairs
We arrange repairers, builders or assessors, as required. Our suppliers will contact you within 48 hours of our appointment – subject to change during event periods – and if you’re happy with their assessment, repairs can commence. The time it takes to finalise repairs will depend on the event, availability of our repairers and materials.
4. Settlement
If repairs aren’t applicable, or you want to arrange your own, we may cash settle the claim. The settlement amount is based on our repairer’s best quote, which has been carefully reviewed to ensure you’re receiving a fair and reasonable settlement.
Disclaimers
- Instant claim number is available for all Commercial Property and Specialty (Business Insurance) claims. Home, Motor and Commercial Motor claims don't receive an instant claim number but can still be lodged online.
- Information is current as at 20/12/2022. Response times may increase during major events such as natural disasters.
- Status updates are available via the emailed link received upon lodgement for Commercial Property and Speciality claims only.
What do I need before making a claim?
Make a claim as soon as it’s safe to do so. The more information you provide at lodgement, the better support we can offer to achieve the best possible outcome. Please have handy:
- your policy number
- details of the event - date and time of loss, description of the event, loss location
- list and photos of damage item/s
- personal details of any third parties (if applicable)
- invoices or quotes - if you’ve obtained a quote or have carried out emergency repairs
- lease agreements (if applicable)
- police reports (if applicable)
What’s a make safe?
A "make safe" is an urgent temporary repair carried out to secure the property and prevent further damage. For example, if there's a leak in the roof, a repairer will attend and may put up a temporary patch or tarp to stop further water damage. A permanent solution will follow as the claim progresses.
To have a make safe completed, contact your Claims Officer to appoint a repairer. If calling outside standard business hours, contact our after-hours team on 13 10 10, who can arrange a make safe after lodging your claim.
What if I disagree with the claim decision. What can I do?
If you experience a problem, aren't satisfied with our products, services or a decision we've made, let us know so we can help.
If we're not able to resolve your complaint, or you remain dissatisfied with our response, our Internal Customer Relations team can review of your concerns. We’ll also give you details to access the services of the Australian Financial Complaints Authority (AFCA).
AFCA provides free, fair and independent financial services complaint resolution to consumers.
What is an excess, how is it calculated and when do I pay it?
An excess is your contribution towards the cost of a claim and is a requisite policy condition. Effectively, the excess is the amount you self-insure. Your cover starts once insured loss or damage exceeds the excess. The excess will depend on the circumstances of the claim.
Some Additional Benefits and Optional Covers have their own excess, in addition to any other excess that may apply. When multiple excesses apply, you might have to pay more than one excess.
The amount and details of each applicable excess is shown on your Policy Schedule. Information on how and when an excess applies can also be found in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
When you make a claim, and depending on the claim type, you can pay any appliable excesses in one of the following ways:
- All claim types - you pay directly to us.
- Repairs authorised - in some instances, and before repairs commence, you pay the appointed repairer or supplier.
- Cash settlement - the excess is deducted from the claim settlement amount.
Why do I have to pay an excess if I’m not at fault?
An excess is your contribution to the cost of a claim. It is the amount you self-insure. If you make a claim, one or more excesses will apply, unless your PDS/Policy says otherwise. The description of those excesses and the circumstances in which they're applied are shown in the relevant Policy Section of your PDS and Policy Wording, or in your Policy Schedule.
Information on how and when an excess applies can also be found in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS).
How do I know if my claim will be covered?
Each claim is reviewed and assessed based on both the circumstances, and policy terms, conditions and exclusions. Your Claims Officer will review your Policy Schedule and any relevant supporting information to determine if your claim is covered.
What is an ITCE% and why is it deducted?
You must tell us about the Input Tax Credits (ITC) you're entitled to for your premium and claim, every time you make a claim. If you're unsure, please confirm with your accountant. When we calculate a payment to you for your claim, we may reduce it by any ITC you are, or would be, entitled to receive.
If you don't tell us of your entitlement, or the information you give us is incorrect, we won't cover you for any resulting fines, penalties or tax liability incurred.
Will my claim affect my premium?
Can I claim for a reduction in turnover?
Each claim is reviewed and assessed by your Claims Officer based on both the circumstances and policy response. How we respond is determined by your level of cover.
Please refer to your Policy Schedule.
Does business interruption cover wages?
Business interruption insurance can help your business to keep running if your insured property is lost or damaged after an event such as fire, etc. For most business owners, there are ongoing expenses that you need to pay even if you’re not generating any business revenue – like staff wages, supplier invoices, rent or loan repayments, etc.
When you make a claim, we assess your true business losses, taking into account the above-mentioned.
Why do we say, ‘how we respond is determined by your level of cover’?
As each customer’s chosen policy covers, options and amounts of cover differ, this makes it difficult to offer a blanket response for all questions. All the information you need is in your Policy Schedule or in the PDS. Please read and review them carefully when you establish or renew your policy. If you need further help understanding your policy or cover, please contact us.
What accessibility options are available to me?
Our services offer customisable communication options including using your preferred communication method and choosing someone to speak on your behalf.
Our claims staff can also contact services such as the National Relay Service and The Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS). During your first phone call or email, please let us know which service you need and we'll connect with them during all communications.
These services are available 24/7.
Does GIO offer support for customers experiencing emotional, mental or financial vulnerability?
Everyone experiences vulnerability at some stage of their life and we understand making a claim can be stressful. Where you’re comfortable, we encourage you to talk to us about anything that might be relevant to your claim. With this context, we’re better able to provide the support you need as we handle your claim.
We’ll do our best to meet your accessibility and communication needs and where appropriate, and with your consent, connect you with support services.
For crisis support, please contact 000 Emergency Services or Lifeline on 13 11 14.
Learn more about our extra help and support.
If I disclose something personal about my situation, can anyone else see that information?
If you choose to disclose information about your circumstances, we’ll always ask for your consent to keep that information on your policy. We ask this to ensure future claims across any GIO policy you have will have consistent information and context for any additional support that where possible, we are able to provide. If you don’t consent to the capture of that information, we won’t record anything you’ve shared.
We know circumstances can change, so you can ask for this information to be removed at any time. This means our Claims Officer may be unaware of your circumstances, which may mean repeating important information to them.
I’ve been impacted by a weather event. How does this affect my claim?
Due to the number of claims we receive during an event, claim review times often increase. To review your claim as soon as possible, we have dedicated event teams. We appreciate your patience during these times and encourage you to prioritise your safety before lodging a claim.
Receiving a COVID-19 vaccination approved for use by the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) in Australia will not affect the cover under your existing insurance policy. GIO Life insurance policies do not include exclusions or limitations related to COVID-19 including vaccine related side-effects. If you were to experience sickness or injury after receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, a claim can still be lodged for a benefit under your policy and your claim will be assessed and is subject to the terms and conditions of your policy. This includes doctors, nurses, health professionals, police and people working in quarantine hotels and services.
GIO Income Protection Insurance policies provide a benefit if you suffer an illness or injury and you are unable to work, in line with policy terms and conditions. Therefore, if your employer mandates that you are required to be vaccinated for COVID-19 and you are restricted from working as a result of choosing not to be vaccinated, you will not be entitled to make a claim against your policy for being unable to work if you are not suffering an illness or injury that is preventing you from working in your usual occupation or performing your usual daily activities.
Payments
We make it easy to pay for your insurance with a number of different payment methods available. Depending on the type of cover you have you can make a secure online payment with your credit/debit card, pay through GIO Online Services, pay by BPAY, mail, over phone, or in person at an Australia Post store or at a GIO agency.
With GIO you can pay your insurance premium annually or monthly. It costs more to pay in monthly instalments than annually. When you renew your policy, you can choose to change your payment frequency from annually to monthly. If you would like to change from monthly to annual payments, you can also do that at renewal online or at any time by calling us on 13 10 10.
No, GIO does not charge any fees for credit card payments.
My Account/Policy
If your personal insurance policy has already been added to your GIO Online Services account, you can see if it’s active by selecting ‘View policy’. If you haven’t added your policy into your account, you’ll need to do so by clicking ‘Add policy’ and entering your policy details.
Please call 13 10 10 if you’re unable to add your policy to your account or if you don’t have your policy details.
Your policy number can be found on the Certificate of Insurance that you received when you purchased your policy. We can also help you find your policy number with just a few of your details.
You can update your address, along with other contact details and preferences, by logging into GIO Online Services.
You can view and manage your policy online, by logging in GIO Online Services. You’ll need to register if you haven’t already.
You can find all of GIO’s policy documents here.
You can obtain a copy by logging into GIO Online Services.
A Certificate of Insurance provides information about your insurance policy and is sent to you when you purchase your policy (as well as at renewal).
Certain documents for eligible policies, such as your Certificate of Insurance, can be requested online and sent to your email address. If you would like to request a copy, you can do so through GIO Online Services.
After logging in, navigate to the ‘Insured Policies List’ and find the policy you would like to obtain your Certificate of Insurance for. Click on the ‘Get documents’ tab to see an option to have your Certificate of Insurance sent to you.
It will automatically default to the email address we have listed for you; however, you can easily change this field to send your certificate to an alternative email address.
Learn more with this instructional video about how to request documents online.
View video showing how to request your certificate of insurance online.
Renew/Cancel Policy
You can use Visa, MasterCard or American Express to renew your policy online. For some policies, you can also use BPAY. For more information, visit our payments page.
It won't happen without us notifying you. We send renewal notices at least 14 days before your current policy expires, showing how much you need to pay and when the payment is due.
You can view the details of your latest renewal in your paid renewal document, which you can obtain through GIO Online Services.
I'm sorry you're thinking of cancelling! You can cancel your car (excluding CTP or MAI), home or landlord insurance via the GIO virtual assistant. It's easy to get started, cancel your policy.
For all other policies, find help and support on our contact and help hub about cancelling.
If you do cancel, you may qualify for a refund of the unexpired portion of the premium less any non-refundable government charges. Minimum refunds apply. Contact us to learn more about policy cancellation refunds.
Quotes
Yes, we reward our seniors aged 60 or over who hold a valid State Government Seniors Card with a discount on GIO Home and Contents Insurance.
This discount is only available on Home and Contents Insurance for the customer’s principal place of residence. It does not apply to holiday homes or landlord properties, as well as some optional covers.
This discount is not available to holders of a Business Seniors Card, Career Senior Card or Commonwealth Seniors Health Card.
For further information on the seniors discount please contact GIO.
We’re committed to ensuring our products and services reflect the diversity of our community.
We’re reviewing our systems as they currently only request Male and Female. If you don’t identify as Male or Female and you would like to obtain an online quote and/or policy, please select the gender you are most comfortable with to proceed, and record the quote or policy number.
If you would like for us to acknowledge your correct gender and ensure you are included in future system changes, please call us on 13 10 10 with the quote or policy number, or just call us direct for a quote.
Please note we are only able to acknowledge non-binary gender for: Car Insurance, Motorcycle Insurance, Caravan Insurance, Boat Insurance, Home & Contents Insurance, Landlord Insurance, Renters Insurance, Strata Insurance.
Other General Enquiries
What happens if I am being investigated on an insurance claim?
We are entitled to investigate your claim, to make sure your claim is genuine and falls within the scope of the policy. You will be asked to prove that you have suffered loss covered by your policy. This includes establishing that the loss occurred in circumstances consistent with the other known and confirmed evidence, and that your version of events is credible. We base this on your responsibilities to provide relevant information to assess your claim under General Insurance Code of Practice.
What relevant information will help my claim investigation?
When investigating a claim, you will typically be asked for:
- financial records including bank statements, credit card statements, loan statements, lines of credit and mortgage documents;
- information relating to the insured property, such as proof of registration and service records in a motor vehicle claim;
- telephone records; and
- criminal history or driving history where you were required to disclose this information when you purchased the policy
No, Business Insurance is a different insurance product to Workers Compensation and provides various covers including motor vehicle, public liability or property damage for your stock, contents and buildings.
For more information on the types of Business Insurance covers or to get a quote, please visit Business Insurance.
A duty to take reasonable care not to make a misrepresentation applies to Consumer Insurance Contracts. To meet this duty, it is important that you answer questions truthfully and accurately.
If you experience a problem, are not satisfied with our products or services or a decision we have made, please visit our Customer Relations & Complaints page to access more information.
GIO does not offer cover notes (a form of temporary insurance covering the period between signing up for a policy and making the first premium payment).
After you begin a policy you can contact us to return the policy within 21 days from the start date of your policy. This is called the cooling off period. As long as you have not made a claim during this period, we will refund in full the money you paid for your policy (including GST if applicable), but you will not have any cover under the policy.
Alternatively, you can cancel your policy at any time while you are insured. When you do this, unless we tell you otherwise, you will have cover up until the date and time of cancellation.
If you do cancel, you may qualify for a refund of the unexpired portion of the premium less any non-refundable government charges. Minimum refunds apply.
For more information see ‘What happens with cancellations’ in the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS)
An excess is the amount you pay towards the cost of your claim for each incident covered by your policy. A standard excess applies to all claims unless stated otherwise in the PDS.
A No Claim Bonus (NCB) is a discount off your comprehensive premium rewarded for your good claims history. On each renewal, your discount will increase providing you haven’t had any claims on your policy that affect your NCB when we calculate your renewal premium. If you are eligible, your NCB will keep increasing until you reach the maximum discount level. Your NCB is shown on your certificate of insurance.
The NCB is available for comprehensive boat, caravan and trailer, and motorcycle policies. Discount does not apply to optional ‘Contents’ and ‘Annexe’ covers. Taxes and charges are not discounted. For more information please refer to the Additional Information Guide (AIG) for Boat, Caravan and Trailer, or Motorcycle Insurance.
A No Claim Discount/Rating 1 for Life applies to some policies purchased before 3 September 2013. If it applies to any car covered by your policy, it will be shown on your certificate of insurance.
GIO Online Services shows claims information for Home and Contents, Landlord, Car, Motorcycle, Boat and Caravan Insurance, allowing you to track claims for those policies.
Emergency Services Levy
GIO customers may find their total premium is higher than last year due to an increase in the Emergency Services Levy (ESL). This levy is also charged by other insurers in NSW. The money contributed by insurers is used to meet our funding obligations to the NSW State Government to fund vital NSW emergency services. This includes Fire and Rescue NSW, the NSW Rural Fire Services and the NSW State Emergency Services whereby the NSW State Government has increased the fund required to cover these services.
Your quote, new business or renewal schedule will display the amount of ESL you are required to pay.
If you have any questions about how this might impact the cost of your insurance, please contact us.
For more information on the ESL you can:
