Work injuries can happen to anyone, regardless of the industry or occupation.
Whether you work in construction, manufacturing, or even an office setting, accidents can occur that result in injuries and financial burdens.
That’s where work injury compensation insurance, also known as WICA, comes in, providing a safety net for employees and employers alike.
And if you don’t provide this, the fine is up to $10,000 or jail for up to 12 months, or both.
Ouch.
In this article, we will explore the best work injury insurance options available in Singapore, ensuring that you have the coverage you need in case the unexpected happens.
What is Work Injury Compensation Insurance?
Work Injury Compensation Insurance is a type of corporate insurance that covers employees who get work-related injuries or occupational diseases.
In Singapore, it is compulsory for ALL employers to provide this insurance for their employees as per the Work Injury Compensation Act (also known as WICA).
This type of insurance also gives legal protection to employers should employees decide to file potential lawsuits against them in regard to the workplace accident they were involved in.
Who is covered under Work Injury Compensation Insurance?
Any local or foreign employee who is under a contract of service or contract of apprenticeship, regardless of salary, age, or nationality.
It also covers the employers themselves.
Who is NOT covered under Work Injury Compensation Insurance?
These are the list of people not covered under Work Injury Compensation insurance:
- Independent contractors
- Domestic workers
- Uniformed personnel such as members of the
- Singapore Armed Forces (SAF)
- Singapore Police Force (SPF)
- Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF)
- Central Narcotics Bureau (CNB)
- Singapore Prison Service (SPS)
- Self-employed persons
What is covered under Work Injury Compensation Insurance?
The specific coverage details of work injury compensation insurance in Singapore can vary depending on the policy and the insurer.
However, the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) dictates that it needs to cover
- Medical expenses: It includes the cost of medical treatment and rehabilitation for the injured employee.
- Lost wages: The insurance may provide a portion of the employee’s salary or wages for the period they are unable to work due to the injury.
- Temporary/Permanent incapacity: In case the employee suffers from a temporary or permanent disability due to a work-related injury, the insurance may provide compensation for the loss of future earning capacity.
- Death benefits: If the work-related injury results in the death of the employee, the insurance may provide financial support to the dependents or beneficiaries.
- Other related costs: Some policies may cover additional expenses like transportation costs for medical visits or vocational training for re-employment.
According to WICA 2019, the extent of coverage for injured employees is as follows:
| Minimum Limit | Maximum Limit | |
| Death | $76,000 | $225,000 |
| Total Permanent Incapacity | $97,000 | $289,000 (This includes an additional 25% compensation paid to the employee with Total Permanent Incapacity to offset the cost of care to the injured employee) |
| Medical Expenses | Up to $45,000 or 1 year from the date of the accident, whichever comes first | |
| Medical Leave Wages | Applicable to employees on light duties (i.e. employees that are fit to work but work activities are limited due to work injury) | |
| For non-manual employees | Salary threshold of up to $2,600 | |
The minimums laid out by MOM change pretty often, so I’ve linked to the latest one here.
Please note that the exact coverage offered by each insurer may vary, so it’s essential to refer to the specific policy terms and conditions for more detailed information.
So now that you’re well-informed on what to look out for let’s dive into the best work injury compensation insurance in Singapore.
Best Work Injury Compensation (WICA) Insurance in Singapore
- Allianz Work Injury Compensation Insurance
- Chubb Work Guard
- Liberty Work Injury Compensation Insurance
- MSIG Workmen Injury Compensation Insurance
- NTUC Income Work Injury Compensation Insurance
- Singlife Work Injury Compensation Insurance
- Tokio Marine Work Injury Compensation Insurance
1. Allianz Work Injury Compensation Insurance
Coverage
Allianz’s WICA insurance offers coverage for workers in these aspects:
- Lump sum compensation for death/permanent incapacity
- Lump sum compensation for medical expenses resulting from death/permanent incapacity
- Medical leave wages
It also protects employers from potential lawsuits by workers who get injured while working.
Review
At a glance, Allianz’s Work Injury Compensation Insurance is pretty standard.
It covers all the basics for both employees and employers alike.
Although it is a basic policy, it is worth noting that Allianz Singapore is an excellent financial services provider and was assigned an “A+” rating from Standard & Poors (S&P) earlier in 2022.
However, although Allianz has been a highly reliable insurer for many years, there seems to be a lack of detailed information available online regarding their Work Injury Compensation Insurance.
And if you’re an employee that needs individual support, your only means are through a phone call and email correspondence.
Nevertheless, the Allianz Work Injury Compensation Insurance has been one of the most popular workmen’s compensation insurance in Singapore, favoured by many SMEs due to the reliability and popularity of the Allianz brand in the general insurance space.
2. Chubb Work Guard
Coverage
Chubb Work Guard offers coverage for workers in these aspects:
- Medical expenses of up to $300,000 ($75,000 more than MOM’s requirement)
- Outpatient leave of up to 30 days (2x higher than MOM’s requirement)
- Hospitalisation leave of up to 120 days (2x higher than MOM’s requirement)
- Medical expenses for non-occupational accidental death and permanent total disablement of up to $50,000
It also has a total claim limit of up to a whopping $15,000,000!
Other Benefits
Chubb Work Guard also comes with a few other notable benefits, such as:
- A 24-hour worldwide business travel
- 24-hour coverage for employees even when they’re not at work
- A non-contribution clause
- Social recreation activities
- Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM)
- Coverage for travelling and from work (includes meal breaks, excludes two-wheelers like motorbikes, etc.)
An additional Personal Accident rider can also be purchased, which covers:
- Replacement staff/recruitment costs
- Funeral expenses
- Continuous worldwide bed confinement
- Accidental HIV Infection benefit
- Terrorism benefits
- Workplace Trauma Benefit
Chubb Work Guard also goes to the extent of providing value-added services such as safety management consultations and healthcare management services.
Claims Process
The claim process for Chubb Work Guard is fairly simple, all it takes is 3 easy steps.
- Submit a work accident report to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM).
- Download their claim form.
- Submit the form with the supporting documents.
All straightforward claims will be finalised within 7 business days.
For claims by electronic funds transfer and cheque payment, they will be reimbursed within 5 and 7 business days, respectively.
Review
Overall, Chubb Work Guard is a comprehensive policy, surpassing the standard coverage of Work Injury Compensation insurance to quite an extent.
Amongst all the insurers that will be listed in this article, Chubb Work Guard also offers the highest total claim limit of $15,000,000.
Besides that, its other benefits and services can certainly be beneficial for both employees and employers – giving you basic coverage AND more.
It is one of the few insurers that offers an additional coverage option, as you can see from its Personal Accident rider.
According to information gathered from other online sources, Chubb also has an excellent reputation for customer service quality and an easy claim settlement process.
This is why we think Chubb’s Work Guard deserves a place in our list of the best workers’ compensation insurance.
3. Liberty Work Injury Compensation Insurance
Coverage
Liberty Work Injury Compensation insurance offers coverage for manual workers in these aspects:
- Death benefit of up to $225,000 (minimum $76,000)
- Total permanent incapacity limit of up to $289,000 (minimum $97,000)
- Medical expenses resulting from an accident of up to $45,000
As for non-manual workers, Liberty offers a salary threshold of up to $2,600.
The total claim limit is also up to $10,000,000.
Claims Process
The claim process for Liberty Work Injury Compensation Insurance is fairly simple, all it takes is 4 easy steps.
- Fill in the claim form and submit the relevant supporting documents.
- You will receive an acknowledgement indicating that the claim submission has been received.
- Liberty processes the claim upon receiving all original documents.
- You will then receive an email showing that payment will be processed to the mode of payment you selected.
Keep in mind that employees have up to 1 year from the date of the accident to submit a work injury claim to MOM.
Review
Just like most insurers, Liberty Insurance offers the basic coverage of Work Injury Compensation benefits.
One of the benefits of this policy from Liberty Insurance is its period of submission for the work injury, which is up to a year from the date of the accident.
This is longer than some insurers, who only offer up to 10 days.
In terms of company ratings, it was assigned an “A” rating from Standard & Poor’s (S&P).
This is considerably strong, although it falls slightly short of other insurers like Allianz, who achieved an “A+” rating.
However, they have a relatively comprehensive policy wording available on their website, which is easily available for download – which many other insurers don’t provide.
We like the transparency offered by Liberty and can be a prelude to what you can expect from the quality of service from them.
4. MSIG Workmen Injury Compensation Insurance
Coverage
MSIG Workmen Injury Compensation insurance offers:
- Compensation for injured employees, their lost earnings, medical leave, and medical expenses
- Lump sum coverage for death or permanent incapacity to the employee’s family
It also offers legal liability cover for employers including defence costs and expenses arising from workplace accidents.
Claims Process
This is how the claim process goes for MSIG:
- Notify the relevant parties (agent, Broker, MSIG, and MOM) within 10 days of the accident.
- Submit claim form along with the necessary documents.
Review
At a glance, MSIG Workmen Injury Compensation Insurance is pretty standard.
It covers all the basics for both employees and employers alike.
Although it is a basic policy, it is worth noting that MSIG is an excellent financial services provider and was assigned an “A+” rating from Standard & Poor’s (S&P).
However, despite their excellent rating, there seems to be a lack of detailed information on their Work Injury Compensation Insurance.
Also, the accident reporting period of 10 days is relatively short compared to other insurers.
Despite this, MSIG’s Workmen Injury Compensation Insurance is considered one of the best WICA insurance in Singapore due to its reliability and popularity in the business insurance space.
5. NTUC Income Work Injury Compensation Insurance
Coverage
NTUC Income Work Injury Compensation Insurance offers coverage for workers in these aspects:
- Accidental bodily injury
- Occupational disease/death arising out of and in the course of employment medical expenses of up to $30,000
It also offers coverage for employers for:
- Any medical assessment arranged by MOM
- Legal liability under common law for accidents at the workplace due to negligence as an employer
Claims Process
This is how the claim process goes for NTUC Income.
- Report the accident within 10 days of its occurrence to MOM.
- Download the claim form and scan copies of the required documents.
- Submit the claim form to [email protected]
Take note that all original medical bills/receipts will have to be kept for at least 6 months should they request for them during the claim settlement.
Most claims will also be settled within 14 working days after receiving all required documents.
Review
NTUC Income’s Work Injury Compensation Insurance is pretty standard.
But even though it is a basic policy, it is worth noting that NTUC Income is an excellent financial services provider and was assigned an “AA-” rating.
This is the best S&P rating amongst all the insurers listed in this article at the time of publishing.
Plus, it is one of the only insurers that offer additional coverage for any medical assessment arranged by MOM for the worker involved in the workplace accident.
Based on our experience in the personal insurance space, NTUC Income has always been the cheapest insurance plan due to its goal of making insurance affordable for the general population.
With this, we believe the NTUC Income Work Injury Compensation Insurance plan might potentially be the cheapest WICA insurance in Singapore.
Of course, the premiums you pay depend from company to company and you might find another insurer offering lower rates, but it’s worth checking out.
One thing I have to point out is that the accident reporting period of 10 days is relatively short compared to other insurers.
6. Singlife Work Injury Compensation Insurance
Singlife’s Work Injury Compensation Insurance forms part of the Maximum Core Cover for Singlife’s MyBusiness Insurance.
The other parts of the Maximum Core Cover also consist of coverage for accidental loss or damage to contents of up to $25,000 and public liability of up to $5,000,000.
There are also additional add-ons that companies can add on such as coverage for
- Business interruption due to property damage of up to $130,000
- Increased cost of working of up to $500 per day
- Fidelity guarantee for 25 employees
- Money in transit and premises of up to $10,000
- Plate glass of up to $50,000
Coverage
Specifically, Singlife’s Work Injury Compensation Insurance (Maximum Core Cover) offers coverage in terms of:
- Medical leave wages
- Medical expenses due to work-related accidents or illnesses
- Lump sum compensation
It also covers up to 25 manual and non-manual employees in the light industry, such as:
- Automobile parts & supplies (excluding tyres)
- Baby accessories
- Bakers
- Bathroom fixtures & accessories
- Bicycle repairers
- Car wash and polishing services
- Consumer electronics
- Dairy products
- Engineering
- Precision workshops
- Food processing & packaging, Equipment & Supplies
- Frozen food
- Hardware
- Machine tools
- Manufacturer of signage (excluding glass and installation works)
- Musical instruments
- Parts assembly factory
- Printed circuit boards
- Publisher of books/magazines
- Sports, gym equipment & supplies, fitness equipment
- Warehouse (excluding third party &/or bonded warehouse
Claim Process
The claims process for Singlife Work Injury Compensation Insurance goes like this:
- Register your account through their web portal “ClaimConnect”
- Submit your claim online with the required supporting documents
- Your claim will be reviewed within 10 – 14 days
Review
In this case, Singlife can be a great option for companies who need comprehensive work injury compensation insurance as it comes along with many other coverage benefits.
In terms of overall rating, Singlife is a reputable insurer, given that it was the first local insurer to be licensed by the MAS since 1970.
However, its S&P rating is only BBB+, which has the lowest rating amongst all the insurers listed in this list.
BBB+ falls between BBB and A and is still considered investment grade, or in this scenario, has the capacity to meet financial obligations but might be somewhat affected by economic conditions.
If you’re not familiar with Singlife, perhaps you might know Aviva – a renowned brand in the insurance space.
Singlife bought over Aviva’s operations in Singapore, so that should provide you with comfort if you’re worried about credit ratings.
The reason why we added Singlife to our best WICA insurance list is because of how comprehensive the policy is.
Singlife is also a tech-first insurer, and it’s worth noting that their portal “ClaimConnect” brings much convenience when it comes to making claims.
This is because Singlife’s ClaimConnect can help you and your employees find the nearest panel clinic, file your claims, and allow you to check your claim status anywhere.
7. Tokio Marine Work Injury Compensation Insurance
Coverage
Tokio Marine’s Work Injury Compensation Insurance offers coverage for all employees engaged under a contract of service or apprenticeship regardless of salary level in these aspects:
- Medical expenses
- Death or permanent incapacity
- Medical leave wages
It also has a total claim limit of $10,000,000.
Coverage Exclusions
These are a list of events that will not be covered by the policy, which are not limited to:
- War, civil war, and any act of terrorism
- Radioactive and nuclear energy risks
- Loss or damage caused by pollution/contamination
Claims Process
This is how the claim process goes for Tokio Marine.
- You will be required to report to MOM and Tokio Marine within 10 days of the accident.
- Complete a Work Injury Compensation claim form.
- Submit the supporting documents, if relevant.
- At times, they may appoint Adjusters to work through the work accident investigation.
Review
At a glance, Tokio Marine’s Workmen’s Injury Compensation Insurance is also pretty standard.
But even though it is a basic policy, Tokio Marine is an excellent financial services provider and was assigned an “A+” S&P rating.
They are also pretty detailed and transparent about how their premium can differ based on different conditions, such as the nature of business, the employee’s scope of work, the place of employment, the claim history and their underwriting requirements.
Transparency is something we believe to be critical in selecting any insurance policy – and Tokio Marine has been one of the most transparent so far on the list.
However, their accident reporting period of 10 days is relatively short compared to other insurers.
Conclusion
Having the best work injury compensation insurance in Singapore is essential for both employers and employees.
It provides financial protection and peace of mind in the event of work-related accidents or injuries.
By choosing the right insurance policy, businesses can ensure that their employees are adequately covered and receive the necessary medical treatment and compensation.
This not only benefits the employees but also helps to maintain a positive and safe work environment.
With the wide range of insurance providers available in Singapore, it is important to carefully compare and select the policy that best suits your business needs.
However, every company is different, and different insurers will provide different quotes based on this.
Thus, it’s critical for you to talk to multiple insurance companies to determine which plan offers the best value for every dollar you pay.
Thankfully, we partner with MAS-licensed financial advisors that will help you save time and money by providing you with a one-stop service – from getting quotes from multiple insurers to helping you make these claims.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What is WICA insurance in Singapore?
WICA insurance, or the Work Injury Compensation Act insurance, is a mandatory insurance scheme in Singapore that provides compensation to employees who sustain injuries or contract diseases in the course of their employment. It ensures that employees receive compensation for medical expenses, lost wages, and other related costs resulting from work-related injuries or illnesses.
Is it compulsory to buy WICA insurance?
Yes, it is compulsory for employers in Singapore to have WICA insurance coverage for all employees if:
- Employees are involved in manual work; and
- All other non-manual workers earning S$2,600 or less a month.
Who is covered under WICA?
All employees, regardless of their nationality, are covered under the Work Injury Compensation Act. This includes full-time and part-time employees, casual workers, foreign workers, and temporary staff.
How much does WICA cover?
WICA insurance covers various aspects of compensation for work-related injuries or diseases. This includes medical expenses, temporary or permanent disability compensation, rehabilitation costs, and death benefits. The specific coverage and compensation amount depend on the severity of the injury or illness and the provisions outlined in the Act.
What is the purpose of the WICA?
The primary purpose of the Work Injury Compensation Act is to provide a straightforward and expedited process for employees to receive compensation in the event of work-related injuries or illnesses. It ensures that employees are adequately compensated without resorting to lengthy legal battles, thereby promoting employee welfare and industrial harmony.
What does WICA not cover?
WICA does not cover injuries that occur outside the scope of employment, self-inflicted injuries, injuries resulting from willful misconduct or intoxication, and injuries during travel to and from work.
How much is WICA insurance?
The cost of WICA insurance can vary based on factors such as the nature of the business, the number of employees, the industry’s risk profile, and the insurer providing the coverage. Employers should reach out to insurance providers to get specific quotes based on their circumstances.
How to buy WICA Insurance?
To buy WICA insurance, employers can purchase from various insurance providers in Singapore. It’s advisable to compare quotes and coverage options from different insurers to find the best-suited policy for the business needs.
We partner with insurance brokers who can make this process easier for you. Submit your request here.
Where to buy WICA insurance online?
WICA insurance can be bought online from various insurance companies operating in Singapore. Many insurers offer online platforms where employers can conveniently obtain quotes and purchase policies.
We partner with insurance brokers who can make this process easier for you. Submit your request here.
What is the cheapest WICA insurance?
The cost of WICA insurance can vary among insurance providers, and the “cheapest” option may not always provide the most comprehensive coverage. Employers should consider both the cost and coverage when selecting an insurance policy, ensuring that it meets their business needs and legal requirements.
How to claim under WICA?
To make a claim under WICA, the injured employee or their representative must notify the employer immediately after the injury occurs. The employer is then required to report the incident to their insurer and the Ministry of Manpower (MOM). The insurer will assess the claim and provide compensation based on the Act’s provisions.
If you’ve purchased WICA insurance through our partners, let them know and they’ll assist you with this.
Do I need WICA for part-time employees?
Yes, you need WICA for part-time employees as they are also covered under the Work Injury Compensation Act, and employers are required to provide WICA insurance coverage for them. The Act does not distinguish between full-time and part-time employees when it comes to compensation for work-related injuries or illnesses.
Can I claim GST for WICA insurance?
The Inland Revenue Authority of Singapore (IRAS) issued a clarification in mid-2020 regarding the application of Goods and Services Tax (GST) on insurance premiums linked to the Work Injury Compensation Act (WICA). The clarification outlines the following points:
- GST on insurance premiums for work injury compensation insurance can only be claimed to the extent that it aligns with the employer’s responsibility to provide compensation as stipulated under the WICA.
- In cases where the purchase of work injury insurance is a voluntary choice and not mandated by the WICA, any GST incurred on the insurance premium is not eligible for claim.
