Short answer: with the right policy - yes, you probably can. Most retail life policies let you add cover after major life events with no health questions and no medical. The usual limit is 25% of your original cover, capped at $200,000.
Had a baby? Bought a house? Got a pay rise? Your cover may not have kept up.
The industry term is Guaranteed Future Insurability. Catchy, we know. But it might be one of the most useful things in your policy that nobody mentions.
Where the paperwork pays off
Applying for retail cover isn't exactly fun. Health questions, maybe a blood test, possibly a form asking how often you go skydiving.
But there's a payoff. Because the insurer checked you once, properly, most will let you add some cover later without checking again – no medicals, no health questionnaires. All eight retail life products in our research include this as a built-in benefit.
And if your adviser has quietly drifted out of your life, there's a fair chance nobody told you.
What insurers call it.
Check your policy schedule or PDS for any of these:
- Guaranteed Future Insurability (TAL, AIA)
- Future Insurability (OnePath, Zurich)
- Future Increase Benefit (Encompass, NEOS)
- Life Events Increases (MetLife)
- Increases without further medical evidence (Acenda, formerly MLC)
Which life events count?
All eight policies in our research recognise having a child, getting married, a pay rise and a new or bigger mortgage. After that, it gets patchy.
Having or adopting a child (8 of 8)
More people relying on you.
Included: TAL, AIA, Encompass, OnePath, Acenda, MetLife, NEOS, Zurich
Getting married (8 of 8)
Shared bills, shared plans.
Included: TAL, AIA, Encompass, OnePath, Acenda, MetLife, NEOS, Zurich
A pay rise (8 of 8)
The threshold varies: 10% at some insurers, 15% at others, and a flat $10,000 at TAL (employees only).
Included: TAL, AIA, Encompass, OnePath, Acenda, MetLife, NEOS, Zurich
Buying a home or increasing your mortgage (8 of 8)
Usually your principal home. Zurich also counts an investment property loan.
Included: TAL, AIA, Encompass, OnePath, Acenda, MetLife, NEOS, Zurich
Divorce (7 of 8)
Included: TAL, AIA, Encompass, OnePath, Acenda, NEOS, Zurich
Not included: MetLife
Finishing a degree (7 of 8)
Included: TAL, AIA, Encompass, OnePath, Acenda, MetLife, NEOS
Not included: Zurich
Your child starting secondary school (6 of 8)
Included: TAL, AIA, Encompass, OnePath, Acenda, Zurich
Not included: MetLife, NEOS
Becoming a carer (6 of 8)
Included: TAL, AIA, OnePath, MetLife, NEOS, Zurich
Not included: Encompass, Acenda
Entering a de facto relationship (5 of 8)
Included: AIA, Encompass, MetLife, NEOS, Zurich
Not included: TAL, OnePath, Acenda
Death of a spouse (5 of 8)
Included: AIA, OnePath, MetLife, NEOS, Zurich
Not included: TAL, Encompass, Acenda
Your child starting primary school (3 of 8)
Included: TAL, MetLife, NEOS
Not included: AIA, Encompass, OnePath, Acenda, Zurich
Even when insurers count the same event, they don't count it the same way. The fine print matters rather a lot here.
Event eligibility depends on the insurer's policy terms, including policy version, age, timing and other conditions.
How much can you increase your cover by?
The standard limit is 25% of your original cover or $200,000, whichever is lower. Every insurer in our research uses it for most life events.
So, if you started with $500,000 of cover, the most you could add after the birth of a child is $125,000. Start with $1 million and you'd hit the $200,000 cap first.
Mortgages are the exception. Some insurers allow up to 50% for a new or bigger home loan, and one goes to $500,000. The increase usually can't be more than the loan itself.
There can be lifetime limits too. Some policies cap your total increases at your original cover amount, or at a fixed dollar figure.
It's a maximum, not an entitlement and it’s the insurer's rules decide what you actually get.
How the insurers compare
On paper they look much alike. The differences show up in the details.
Who's your insurer?
Swipe sideways to see more
| Insurer | Standard events | Mortgage event | Covers you can increase | Pay-rise trigger | Key conditions | PDS date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TAL Life Insurance - TPD - Critical Illness Standard | 25% / $200k | Lesser of 25%, the loan, $200k | Life, TPD, CI | Base salary up $10k (employees only) | Also counts a change in tax dependency | 12 Dec 2025 |
| AIA Life Cover Plan - TPD - Crisis Recovery | 25% / $200k | 50% / $200k, first mortgage on your home | Life, Life + TPD. Not Crisis Recovery | 15% | Widest event list, including de facto, death of a spouse and first anniversaries | 31 Aug 2026 |
| Encompass Life Cover - TPD - Critical Illness Cover | 25% / $200k | 50% / $200k | Life, TPD, CI | 10% | Until the anniversary after age 55 | 26 Sept 2025 |
| OnePath Life Cover - TPD - Trauma Comprehensive | 25% / $200k | Not split out in research | Life, TPD, Trauma | 15% | Under 55, policy started at 50 or under, no claim, original loading 50% or less, once per 12 months, $10k minimum | 28 Mar 2026 |
| Acenda Life Cover - TPD - Critical Illness Standard | 25% / $200k | 50% / $200k | Life, TPD, CI | 10% | Until the Review Date after age 55 | 11 Apr 2026 |
| MetLife Life Cover - TPD - Trauma | 25% / $200k | 50% / $500k | Life, TPD. Not Trauma | Yes | Apply within 30 days of the anniversary after the event. Lifetime cap: original cover or $1m. Divorce not included | 16 Nov 2025 |
| NEOS Life Cover - TPD - Critical Illness Cover | 25% / $200k | Capped at the loan | Life, TPD, CI | 15% | Within 30 days. Lifetime cap: original cover or $2m. Every 3rd anniversary, no event needed | 30 Sept 2026 |
| Zurich Protection Plus - TPD - Trauma | 25% / $200k | Capped at the loan, includes investment loans | Life, TPD, Trauma | 15% | Cover in force 12 months, event before the anniversary at 54, no claim or premium waiver, within 30 days, $10k minimum | 1 Nov 2025 |
Based on product research for each insurer's current PDS (dates shown per insurer). Figures are maximums. The amount available for a particular increase may be lower. Check the relevant PDS and your policy documents.
"No medical" life insurance is a different thing
Google "life insurance without medicals" and most of what you'll find is policies sold direct with few or no health questions. Fast? Yes. But the insurer still has to price in not knowing who you are, and many of these policies exclude pre-existing conditions. Convenient isn't the same as cheap. Or as good value.
A future insurability increase gets you the speed without that trade-off. The underwriting already happened. You did the hard bit years ago.
If you already hold a retail policy, it's worth checking what it lets you do before buying something new alongside it. Or replacing it, and losing the benefit altogether.
So what's the catch?
There isn't one. But there are rules and limits, though.
No medicals doesn't mean any amount, any time. Depending on your policy:
- You usually have to apply within 30 days of the event, or of the next policy anniversary.
- Age cut-offs apply, often around 54 or 55.
- Some insurers need the cover in place for 12 months first.
- You'll need proof of the event, like a birth certificate, marriage certificate, payslips or loan documents.
- Increases are often limited to one every 12 months, with a minimum of $10,000.
- A claim, or premiums being waived for illness, can rule you out.
And yes, more cover costs more.
No medicals doesn't mean no premium.
What if your health has changed?
This is where the benefit really earns its Keep. (Sorry, we couldn’t help ourselves.)
Because the insurer doesn't reassess your health, a condition that's developed since your policy started generally won't stop an eligible increase. That's the whole point. Apply for brand new cover instead and you'd face full underwriting again, with the risk of exclusions, loadings or a decline.
A few things can stop you, though. Some insurers won't allow an increase if you've claimed, are entitled to claim, or your premiums are being waived because of illness. OnePath also rules out policies that started with a medical loading over 50%. Exclusions already on your policy will generally apply to the extra cover too.
No life event? You may still have options
Not everyone has a baby on cue. Two features can lift your cover without one.
Indexation. Many retail policies increase your cover each year in line with inflation, with no health questions. Your premium rises with it, and you can usually decline an increase if you'd rather not take it.
Anniversary increases. A couple of insurers let you increase on certain policy anniversaries with no event at all. NEO allows one every third anniversary (25%, up to $200k).
How do you request an increase?
It won't happen automatically. You have to ask, and usually within 30 days.
- 1
Check your policy.
Look for one of the benefit names above in your policy schedule or PDS.
- 2
Check the event.
Confirm your circumstances qualify and that you're inside the time limit.
- 3
Request the increase.
Contact your insurer or whoever services your policy, and send the documents they ask for. If Keep services your policy, we'll lodge it for you.
- 4
Review the new premium.
The insurer confirms whether the increase is approved and what it costs.
While you've got your policy out of the drawer
If you no longer see an adviser, you may still be paying for one. Ongoing commission is built into most retail premiums, whether anyone's looking after your policy or not.
Transfer the servicing to Keep and we hand part of that commission back to you as cashback. No new policy. No new medicals. Obviously. And we can assist in navigating what possible for you!
Same policy. Same insurer. Same benefits, including this one. Part of the commission comes back to you.
Check your policy for cashbackFrequently Asked Questions
Can I increase my existing life insurance without medical tests?
Possibly, if your policy has a future insurability or life events benefit. It lets you increase cover after events like a birth, marriage, pay rise or new mortgage without new medical evidence. The usual limit is 25% of your original cover or $200,000, whichever is lower.
Can I increase life insurance after a diagnosis?
Often, yes. Future insurability increases don't reassess your health, so a new condition generally won't stop an eligible increase. But some insurers won't allow it if you've claimed, are entitled to claim, or have premiums waived because of illness. Existing exclusions still apply.
Is there a time limit?
Usually. Most insurers want the request within 30 days of the event or of the next policy anniversary. Age cut-offs, often around 54 or 55, also apply.
Can I increase my cover without a life event?
Sometimes. Indexation can raise your cover each year with inflation, and some policies allow increases on certain anniversaries with no event needed.
What documents will I need?
Proof of the event, such as a birth or marriage certificate, payslips showing the pay rise, or mortgage documents. Your insurer will confirm what it needs.
Does increasing my cover increase my premium?
Yes. More cover means a higher premium. How much depends on your insurer's pricing, your age and the amount added.
Can I increase life insurance through my super?
Many super funds have their own life events increase rules, separate from retail policies. Check your fund's insurance guide for the events and limits that apply.
Can I transfer my policy to Keep and keep this benefit?
If your policy is eligible, you can transfer its servicing to Keep without replacing it. Your policy, insurer and benefits stay the same, and Keep returns part of the ongoing commission as cashback.
Can I still increase my cover after transferring to Keep?
Yes. A servicing transfer doesn't change your policy, so you can still request an increase under its existing terms.