Household worker insurance

If you hire someone to help in or around your home – like a cleaner, babysitter, in-home carer, gardener or any other worker – they may be considered a household worker. If they’re injured while working for you, you could be responsible for their medical costs and weekly wages while they recover. Our Household Workers’ Insurance protects you from these unexpected costs.

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Requirement to insure

If you employ a household worker, you’re required to have a Household Workers’ Insurance policy to cover them.

You can apply at any time. It only takes 5 minutes.

Apply now

Household worker cover is different in Queensland

In some states and territories, household worker insurance is included in home and contents insurance. In Queensland, home insurance usually only covers visitors, not people you hire to work in or around your home.

You can only buy Queensland household workers’ insurance through us.

What happens if you don’t have a policy

If a household worker is injured and you don’t have insurance, penalties may apply.

We can recover from you:

the entire cost of the claim, and
up to 50% of the claim cost as a penalty.

Period of insurance

All household worker policies run for the same insurance period.

The current period is until 31 December 2026.

Policy cost

A household workers’ policy costs $60 for up to a two-year term.

If you take out a policy with less than 12 months left in the insurance period, the cost is pro-rated to $30.

If your worker needs to make a claim, it won’t raise your premium.

Renewing your policy

You’ll receive a Premium Notice 4 to 6 weeks before the renewal date.

To renew, simply pay your premium before the due date.

Automatic cancellation

If you don’t renew by 31 December of the renewal period, your policy will be automatically cancelled.

We can't refund your premium if you cancel before the end of the policy period.

Who counts as a household worker

A household worker is someone you employ to work:

inside your private home
on the grounds of your home
in connection with your home (including a private holiday home you don’t rent out).

This may include:

cleaners
in-home carers
nannies
babysitters
support workers
house sitters
tradespeople like gardeners, plumbers or electricians
handypersons
contractors who work as individual sole traders, even if they have an Australian Business Number (ABN).

If you’re a renter

The home you’re renting counts as your private home.

You can learn more in our Household Workers’ Policy Guide (PDF, 0.47 MB).

If you’re not sure whether someone you hire is a household worker, get in touch. We’re here to help.

Who isn’t covered by this policy?

Visitors

Visitors to your home aren’t covered under a household workers’ policy.

They’re usually covered by the public liability section of your home and contents insurance.

Workers and tenants at rental or investment properties

A household workers’ policy won’t cover:

workers hired to perform work on a rental or investment property
tenants injured in or around the property you rent out.

If you rent out any part of your home – even if you still live there – you’ll need an Accident Insurance Policy instead.

Tenants can take out their own household workers’ policy for people they hire to work at the property they rent.

Workers connected with a home business

A household workers’ policy doesn’t cover anyone who works wholly or partly for your business.

This includes businesses you run from your home, such as:

a photography studio
a farm
a counselling practice
an architectural business.

If you have a rental or investment property, this also counts as a home business.

Areas of your home used for business purposes aren’t considered part of your private dwelling.

If you already hold an Accident Insurance Policy for your business, workers connected with your home business are normally covered under that policy.

Workers hired by someone else

You don’t need a household workers’ policy when:

a property agent or landlord hires someone to work at your property (such as a cleaner).

You do need a policy when:

you hire a worker directly, even if an agent or landlord gave you their details.

If you employ someone at a property you rent, you are responsible for the insurance – not your landlord.

Employees who work for a company

You don’t need household workers’ insurance if you hire a tradesperson who:

works for a company, or
has their own company.

In these cases, they should already be covered by an accident insurance policy.

If you hire a tradesperson who is a sole trader, they may be considered your household worker. It’s best to check if they have their own insurance policy.

If you’re not sure, a household workers’ policy can give you peace of mind.

Injuries we cover

Your policy may cover work-related injuries or illnesses that happen to household workers:

in the workplace or connected to the workplace (your home)
on a work break
while travelling between the workplace and their home.

Claims are handled the same way as any other workers’ compensation claim.

Learn more:

Examples of when household workers’ insurance applies

A household worker doesn’t have to be in your home at the time of an injury. They may be covered if the injury happens while doing work connected to your residence.

Example 1

Your nanny is injured while taking your children to school. This would be covered.

Example 2

You own a yacht used only for recreation. It’s moored at a local marina. You hire an individual sole-trader cleaner to maintain it. That work is connected to your private residence, so they would be covered under a household workers’ insurance policy.

Take out your policy now