How to plan for unexpected illness and injury

Get the help you need

Getting help can be tough, and that’s ok. Before you begin, you may want to get emotional and practical support so you feel ready to work through your to-dos.

Get important paperwork done

Sorting out important paperwork now will give you and your family more time together if you’re faced with an illness or injury.

If you’re currently living with a chronic illness or serious injury, start working through the checklist as soon as you're able.

This checklist will help you:

• understand the payments you may be entitled to
• get help covering medical costs
• learn more about managing expenses
• make medical plans
• organise legal aspects
• put plans in place for your personal wishes.

Financial matters checklist

Understanding types of payments

It can take time to process applications for payments, so try to submit the relevant forms as soon as possible.

• Government payments – Learn about your options for government financial support, opens in new window if you're living with an illness, injury or disability.
  
• Paid leave from work – Find out what sick and/or carer’s leave you're entitled to, opens in new window.
  
• Super insurance – Check your policy or ask your super fund if your super includes automatic cover for Total Permanent Disability (TPD) insurance and/or income protection. Find out if or how you can make a claim for some insurance money if you have an injury or illness that affects your ability to work.
  
• Income protection – If you have illness, injury or income protection insurance, you may be able to apply to claim it, opens in new window.
• Early superannuation access – Find out if you're eligible to access some of your super early, opens in new window.
• Home modification subsidies – To help fund necessary modifications to your home such as wheelchair ramps and bathroom hand rails. Find out which subsidies you can get, opens in new window.
  
• Natural disaster and crisis support – If you've been injured and unable to work, find out if we can help.

Get help managing expenses

• Loan repayment break – Find out if you’re eligible for a few months off paying your loan.
  
• Financial hardship – NAB Assist helped approximately 19,000 people through financial hardship in 2017. If you’re struggling to keep up with repayments, call 1800 701 599 to discuss how we can help, or find out more about financial hardship assistance.
  
• Concessions - Find out if you’re eligible for government concessions or a health care card in your state, opens in new window.
• Paying bills – Talk to your utility companies about bill payments if you’re having difficulty meeting them; they may be able to offer you financial hardship assistance.
  
• Reducing bills – Get tips for reducing your energy bills, opens in new window.
  
• Unexpected expenses - Try NAB Now Pay Later to help you deal with sudden costs you’re not prepared for. 
  
• Consolidating debts – If you have multiple credit card, loan and/or store card debts, use our debt consolidation loan calculator. This calculator will give you an estimate of how your repayments could change if you consolidate your debts into one personal loan.

Get help covering medical costs

• Health insurance – If you have private health insurance, ask your provider how much of the gap you may be able to claim back. The gap is the difference between the medical expense and what Medicare covers.
  
• Home loan redraw – Learn more about redrawing money from your home loan to help pay your medical costs.
  
• Loan – If you’re considering a personal loan to help cover medical costs, use our personal loan calculator to estimate your repayments, before applying online.
  
• Credit card – Learn how to choose the right credit card for your needs, and find out how to avoid credit card interest.
  
• Illness, injury and life insurance – Learn about the different types of insurance and what the benefits are.

Medical plans

Decision making assistance

It might be a good idea to learn how to make important medical decisions:

• with your health professionals
• about tests and treatments (principles for better communication).

Future healthcare preferences

Have a think about your preferences for future care.

• Learn about advance care planning, opens in new window (what you want to happen if you're no longer able to voice or make medical decisions).
  
• Confirm your preferences by completing the advance care plan forms, opens in new window relevant to your state.

Legal aspects

The loss of a loved one

If you’ve recently lost a loved one, talk to us. We’re here to help make things easier, and can guide you through what to do next and the process of finalising an estate.

Your estate planning

It pays to have your bases covered. Completing your estate planning is an important part of planning for the future.

Take some time to think about directions for the following.

• Medical care – Find out how to appoint someone else to make medical decisions for you if you’re unable.
  
• Financial management – Find out how to appoint someone else to manage your finances for you if you’re unable.
  
• Assets and money – How you want everything divided up and distributed after your death, including your super (you can tell your super fund now who your beneficiaries will be).
  
• Children’s care – Clearly state who will be the guardian of your children.

What happens if you pass away without a will?

If there's no will, your assets may not be divided up the way you want—and if you don’t have any living relatives, everything could end up going to the Government.

• Learn what happens to the assets of 'intestate' Australians, opens in new window (deceased without a will).
  
• Find out more about writing your will., opens in new window

Personal wishes

Decide what you want to do regarding your personal wishes for:

• funeral arrangements – convey these to your loved ones and put financial plans in place, opens in new window
• organ donation – if you would like to become an official organ donor, register online, opens in new window and tell your family your wishes.

We're ready to help

Not sure what to do next?

• Find out how to get the support you’ll need.
  
• Find out what a carer needs to consider and do.
• How to set up financial safety nets for illness and injury.

Glossary

Super

Super is a regular payment made into a super fund by an employee towards a future pension. For most people, your employer must pay an amount equal to 9.5% of your salary into your super fund account. Your super savings can be self-managed, or controlled by the superannuation fund of your choice.

Total permanent disability insurance

Financial protection you pay for now so that if you suffer from a total permanent disability, you may be able to claim the agreed financial compensation from your insurance provider, as agreed in your policy.

Income protection insurance

Financial protection, opens in new window you pay for now so that if you’re unable to work for the reasons agreed in your policy, you may be able to claim the agreed financial compensation from your insurance provider.

NAB Assist

If you’re a NAB customer, and you're struggling to keep on top of your repayments for your loan or credit cards, you can call 1800 701 599 to discuss how NAB may be able to assist. Learn more about NAB Assist.

Debt consolidation

A way to consolidate debts if you have more than one (for example a car loan, credit card debt or store card debt) into one NAB personal debt consolidation loan.