Personal cover · Group vs individual
Group vs Individual Personal Accident Cover: What Each One Does
Your company covers you, so do you still need your own accident policy? The honest answer is that the two solve different problems. Here is what each does, and where the company plan quietly leaves you exposed.
- Your company's group cover is arranged and usually paid by your employer, needs no medical check, and protects you at no cost.
- It ends the day you leave the job, and the sum may be modest.
- An individual policy stays with you and can be sized to your life, but you pay for it and may need a medical check.
- For most people the right answer is understanding both, not choosing one blindly.
The short version: both have a place. Your employer's group plan gives you immediate, no cost cover. An individual plan is one you own and control, sized to your life and portable between jobs. One covers you because of your job, the other covers you as a person.
The comparison at a glance
| What differs | Group PA (your employer's plan) | Individual PA (your own plan) |
|---|---|---|
| Who arranges it | Your employer, for the whole team | You, for yourself or family |
| Medical checks to join | Usually none, covered as a group | May apply, depends on age and health |
| What it pays on | Accidental death, disability, sometimes accident medical costs | The same events, terms vary by plan |
| When you leave the job | Cover ends with employment | Stays with you, you own it |
| Who files the claim | Often HR helps you file it | You file it yourself |
| Who pays | Usually the employer | You |
What your company plan gives you
The group plan's strength is access. You are covered from day one, no medical history is held against you, and your employer usually pays. For an accident, which does not care about age or health record, that immediate cover is genuinely valuable and hard to replicate on your own.
Where your company plan leaves you exposed
It protects the working version of you. It ends when you change jobs, it may not cover your family, and the sum insured is set for a whole team, not for your specific commitments. Between two jobs, or after you leave, that protection simply stops, often when you have less of a safety net.
This is the honest gap, worth saying out loud rather than discovering later.
When your own cover earns its place
An individual policy makes sense when you want cover that outlasts a job, a higher sum than the group provides, or protection that includes your family. It costs a premium and may need a medical check, but it is yours to keep. For many people the right answer is a solid group plan plus a modest individual top up.
A group plan protects your job's version of you, an individual plan protects you.
Common questions
If my company covers me, is my own policy a waste?
No. They overlap on the event and differ on permanence and control. Personal accident policies generally pay out independently, so holding both is not double dipping.
What happens to my accident cover when I resign?
Group cover typically ends with employment. An individual policy continues wherever you work.
Can I match my group cover with my own plan?
You can size an individual plan to sit alongside the group sum. What is right depends on your situation.
What happens when you talk to us
A 20-minute video call with a Growth Advisor — no obligation, and no quote pushed. It opens with a five-minute video from our founder on how the benefits stack works and why Ethika exists; the rest is your questions. You'll leave with an honest read on your current cover and claims experience, and a straight answer on whether we can genuinely help — even if you never become a client.
20 minutes with a Growth Advisor. No obligation.
A note on this page. Everything here is general information, not insurance, legal, financial or tax advice, and nothing is an offer. For advice about your situation, talk to us.