Default cover and insurer
BT was a major Australian retail super provider, formerly owned by Westpac. BT operated multiple products including BT Super for Life, BT Lifetime Super, BT Business Super, and various corporate plans. Default cover varied substantially between products.
Insurance arrangements have varied over time and across products. TAL Life Limited has been a common insurer for BT retail products in recent years; older products and corporate plans sometimes used different insurers.
BT super to Mercer transfer
In 2023, BT's personal and corporate super businesses were sold to Mercer Australia, with most BT members transitioned to Mercer Super. Practical implications:
- Stopped work before the transfer — the BT policy in force at that date governs your claim. Cover, definitions, and insurer are what they were under BT.
- Stopped work after the transfer — Mercer Super's current arrangements apply. See our Mercer Super TPD claim guide.
- Lodgement — typically through Mercer's claim channels even for legacy BT claims, as Mercer now administers the records.
- Cover preservation — most members had cover preserved at transfer; some had terms varied. Original transfer correspondence sets out the change.
The TPD definition that applies to you
Standard BT retail super TPD typically used "Any Occupation" definitions; voluntary cover sometimes included "Own Occupation" for professional occupations. Corporate BT plans had varying terms.
The exact wording in the Insurance Booklet for your specific BT product on the date you stopped work governs.
How to claim
- Identify whether you stopped work before or after the BT-to-Mercer transfer
- Lodge through the current administrator (typically Mercer for transferred members)
- Receive and complete the claim pack — note that the applicable policy may be the legacy BT policy
- The relevant insurer assesses against the policy definition that applied at your date of disablement
- The current trustee reviews and decides
- Approved claims pay out subject to condition of release
If your claim is declined
Common reasons BT super TPD claims are declined:
- Pre-existing condition exclusions or non-disclosure findings on voluntary cover
- Insurer's view that you can perform alternative work under "Any Occupation"
- Disputes about whether cover was in force at the relevant date (particularly across the BT-to-Mercer transition)
- Disputed application of underwriting loadings or exclusions
Internal dispute resolution then AFCA. See our guide to rejected TPD claims.
BT-specific tips
- Pin down the date you stopped work. This determines whether the legacy BT policy or current Mercer policy applies.
- Retrieve the historical Insurance Booklet. The terms of cover at your stop-work date are what matter, not today's terms.
- Multi-fund check. BT members commonly held additional super at other funds. Check MyGov before lodging.
- Corporate BT members — superior default cover compared to retail BT was common; confirm which plan applied.