TL;DR
- No employer means nobody arranges cover for you. Personal accident (PA) insurance is usually the first plan freelancers look at.
- A PA plan pays a lump sum for accidental death or permanent disability. It also pays medical bills after an accident and a daily cash benefit in hospital. Illness is left out unless the plan names it.
- PA cover is priced on what you do. A delivery rider and a designer working from home will see different prices.
- Work trips overseas need travel cover. Read the rules on belongings left unattended.
- Private hire is listed as not covered under car insurance. Check your car policy before you use the car for work.
I just went freelance. What am I actually missing without an employer?
Mostly the cover you never had to think about. When you work for a company, HR often handles group insurance in the background. When you work for yourself, nobody does that for you. If you slip on the MRT stairs on the way to a client and break your wrist, the bill is yours. So are the days you cannot work.
What you are missing depends on what you already hold. Some people still have a plan bought years ago, or cover through a family policy. Pull out what you have first, then see where the gaps are.
Do I need personal accident insurance if I work from home?
That depends on how you would cope with a bill and a gap in work, not on where you sit. Accidents happen at home too. A wet bathroom floor or a kitchen knife can put you out for a while. PA plans cover accidents at work, at home and abroad, so the location matters less than you might think.
What it depends on: your savings, whether anyone relies on your income, and what other cover you already have.
What does personal accident insurance pay, and what does it leave out?
The short answer is accidents, not illness. Here is what a PA plan covers:
- A lump sum for accidental death or permanent disability
- Medical bills after an accident, including TCM and physiotherapy
- A daily cash benefit while you are in hospital
- On some plans, infectious diseases such as dengue and HFMD
And what it does not cover:
- Illness that was not caused by an accident, unless the plan names it
- Self-inflicted injury
- Injury while under the influence of alcohol or drugs
- War, terrorism and nuclear risks
The dengue and HFMD point is worth a look here, given how often both come up in Singapore. Only some plans include them, so check the plan before you assume. Benefit amounts differ between plans too. The PA comparison page sets them side by side.
Will anything replace my income if I get hurt and cannot work?
Partly, and only in specific ways. This is the bit freelancers worry about most, so let us be clear about what PA does.
The lump sum for permanent disability can help if an accident means you can never do the same work again. The daily cash benefit helps for each day you are warded. If you recover at home without a hospital stay, check whether the plan pays anything for that time. Plans differ, and the wording is what counts.
What it depends on: how long you could go without income, and how much your work relies on your body. A photographer with a broken wrist loses more work than a writer with a sprained ankle.
Does my job change the price of personal accident cover?
Yes. PA cover is priced on what you do. Desk work is usually treated differently from outdoor work, and outdoor work differently from manual work. The reason is simple: some jobs carry more risk of injury than others.
You can see how this plays out on the prices pages:
- Office jobs
- Outdoor jobs
- Manual jobs
- Delivery riders
- Private hire and taxi drivers
- Hawker and F&B workers
- Electricians
Describe your job accurately when you get a quote. If you do two kinds of work, say a desk job by day and deliveries at night, mention both. A job described wrongly can cause trouble at claim time.
I travel for client work. Does travel insurance cover business trips?
Travel insurance covers you as a traveller. Whether a work trip counts depends on the plan wording, so check it. Here is what travel cover generally includes:
- Medical treatment and hospital stays overseas
- Emergency evacuation and repatriation
- Trip cancellation and shortening for covered reasons
- Lost or damaged baggage and belongings
- Travel delays and missed connections
For freelancers, the exclusions matter just as much. Belongings left unattended in a public place are not covered. That laptop on a cafe table while you queue for coffee is a real risk. Medical conditions you had before buying are excluded unless declared and accepted. Travel to places the Ministry of Foreign Affairs advises against is excluded too.
What it depends on: how often you fly and where. If you are in and out of the region often, an annual plan may be worth comparing. See annual Asia prices or the main travel comparison.
Can I use my own car for deliveries or private hire?
Private hire is listed as something car insurance does not cover. Comprehensive car insurance covers damage to your car from accidents, fire and theft. It also covers injury to other people and damage to their property. It includes windscreen repair, PA cover for the driver and 24-hour roadside assistance.
The exclusions are where gig work bites. Private hire, racing and rallies are left out. So are drivers not named on the policy, outside its terms. If you lend the car to a friend for a delivery shift, that matters.
What it depends on: how you use the car. Ferrying passengers for a fee sits under private hire. For deliveries, ask the insurer directly how your use fits the policy terms. Get the answer in writing. You can compare plans on the car insurance page.
Who handles a claim when there is no HR to help?
You do. That sounds daunting, but it is mostly about keeping paperwork. Keep medical reports, receipts and hospital bills from the start. For a trip overseas, keep boarding passes and any police reports for lost items.
Each insurer runs its own claims process, and the steps differ. Our Claims page explains how to reach each insurer and what they usually ask for.
What to do next
- Get a PA quote on the personal accident page, with your job described as it really is.
- Before your next work trip, compare single-trip and annual plans on the travel page.
- If your car does any work, read your current policy terms, then compare on the car page.