Written by Henry Smith · Reviewed by Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver — licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931) · Last updated 2026-10-20

Life insurance for electricians in New Zealand

Electricians can apply for life insurance in New Zealand like any other worker, and we found no insurer that publishes a loading for the trade. The bigger effect of your job is usually on income protection, TPD and trauma cover, where insurers publish occupation classes. Quick Life asks no job question, but excludes deaths in a "dangerous job or risky pastime" at claim time.

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Life cover See your price Ages 18–65 · $50k–$300k Funeral cover See your price Ages 40–75 · $3k–$30k

Want more than $300k or have questions? Talk to an adviser

Life cover: Conditions you already have aren't covered for the first 2 years (premiums refunded instead). Suicide isn't covered for the first 2 years, and a few conditions can be excluded permanently.

Funeral cover: Only accidental death is covered for the first 2 years. Total premiums can add up to more than the cover, and it may not meet the whole cost of a funeral.

Insurer: Momentum Life Limited. Financial strength rating B (Fair) from AM Best, affirmed 11 February 2026; B ratings sit in AM Best's 'vulnerable' range. The rating scale is available for inspection at every Momentum Life office in New Zealand. What this means

Already have cover? Keep it. New cover won't pay for a condition you already have in its first 2 years.

Opens Momentum Life's online application; its guidance only covers eligibility. QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner. Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy. General information, not advice.

In short

Life cover pays a lump sum on death. Income protection, TPD and trauma are different covers with different definitions, and that is where published occupation classes apply.
No NZ insurer we read publishes electrician-specific terms, so this page prints no job loading and does not say electricians pay standard rates.
Quick Life (ages 18 to 65, $50,000 to $300,000) does not name electrical work in its dangerous-job examples; Momentum decides at claim time.
A dated Premium Index table below shows what life, trauma and TPD cost at standard rates, before any job rating.

Three covers, three different jobs

Electricians often hear one answer to "what does my trade do to my premium?" that mixes up several covers. They behave differently.

Life cover pays a lump sum when the insured person dies. Age, health and smoking drive the price; no job table is published for it that we could find.
Income protection pays a monthly benefit towards replacement income when you cannot work. Fidelity describes it as a monthly benefit towards replacement income when unable to work, and its guide gives income protection and TPD occupation classes.
TPD pays a lump sum if you are "totally and permanently disabled" and "unlikely to ever work again", in Fidelity's words (Fidelity Life underwriting guide). Definitions vary between insurers, and whether the test is your own job or any job matters a great deal; read the definition in the policy. Our TPD guide and income protection and TPD compared explain it.

Chubb Life's occupation table is headed "Income Cover, Complete Disablement Cover, Trauma Cover with TPD, Mortgage Repayment Cover and Premium Cover". It defines Class 3 as "Qualified tradespersons and skilled technicians in non-hazardous industries involved in light manual work" and Class 4 as skilled or semi-skilled manual workers and machinery operators "not exposed to high risk accidents or health hazards" (Chubb Life Essential Underwriting Guide, May 2025). It does not name electricians, and an applicant it cannot place gets "individual consideration". So we cannot tell you which class an electrician receives, and it may differ between a residential installer and an industrial worker. Fidelity says its classifications sit in an adviser system, and offers pre-assessments of "occupational" risk. For how classes work, see insurance occupation classes in NZ.

What each cover costs before a job rating

The table shows the Premium Index range for a man, non-smoker, at standard rates: indicative monthly cost from insurers' published rate cards as at 8 September 2026, as a range across the insurers that priced each row, stepped premiums, occupation class 1, with no loadings or exclusions. Class 1 is the professional class, so any job rating for trauma or TPD is not in the table. Your own premium depends on underwriting.

Age	Life $500,000	Trauma $100,000	TPD $250,000, any occupation
40	$40 to $50	$35 to $50	$20 to $25
50	$90 to $120	$110 to $130	$50 to $80
60	$300 to $375	$300 to $375	$275 to $375

The index priced TPD on an "any occupation" basis; no insurer priced TPD at 65. Income protection is not shown, because we withdrew those rows on 9 September 2026. See the Premium Index method and life insurance quotes. Momentum's Quick Life sits in the index at $250,000 only, so it is not in the $500,000 column.

The table shows how cost climbs with age; what a job rating adds is not in the index.

Where electrical work might matter to an insurer

An underwriter wants to know what you actually do. Common questions for any tradie include whether you work at height or in confined spaces, on live equipment, as an employee or contractor, and whether you hold other jobs. In its occupation section, which is written for income and disability style covers, Chubb notes that when an applicant has more than one occupation, the rating will usually be based on the more hazardous one (Chubb). Insurers do not publish how they split domestic, commercial and industrial electrical work, so describing your duties in detail is the sensible step. A licensed adviser can ask for a pre-assessment before you apply.

Trades have shared issues, so see life insurance for tradespeople, life insurance for scaffolders and income protection for tradies.

Quick Life and the dangerous-job clause

Quick Life is Momentum's guaranteed acceptance life cover, issued by Momentum Life Limited. It asks no health or job questions at application. Its wording says no benefit is paid if the life insured dies due to "being involved in a dangerous job or risky pastime", defined as "Any high-risk job or activity, such as" handling explosives or weapons, working 40m underwater, driving or riding faster than 130km/h, professional sport and active armed-services duty (Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording, November 2025). Electrical work is not listed, and "such as" means the list is open. We cannot say how Momentum would treat a death at work.

Also in the first 2 years, pre-existing conditions and suicide are excluded, and premiums are refunded when death is from a pre-existing condition and no claim is paid. See the Quick Life guide. The buttons on this page open Momentum's online quote. The trade-off against underwritten cover is real: a healthy person can usually get more cover for less through an adviser, while Quick Life suits people who would be declined elsewhere or want cover in place without questions.

Use the guaranteed acceptance eligibility checker to test age and residency rules.

How to apply

List your electrical work: residential, commercial or industrial, heights, confined spaces, live work, and any second job.
Decide which covers you need: a lump sum on death, replacement income, or both.
Ask a licensed adviser to compare insurers and request pre-assessments.
Answer every question. Insurers can reduce a payout or avoid a policy for non-disclosure (IFSO). From 15 November 2027 (not yet in force), the Contracts of Insurance Act 2024 moves to a duty of reasonable care.
Re-check cover if you move from domestic to industrial work.

Frequently asked questions

Do electricians pay more for life insurance?

We found no published loading for electricians. Cost is driven mainly by age, health and smoking. The job has more effect on income protection, trauma and TPD, where insurers publish occupation classes.

Is electrical work excluded from Quick Life?

It is not named in the wording's examples. The clause covers a "dangerous job or risky pastime" and Momentum applies it at claim time.

What is the difference between life cover and TPD?

Life cover pays on death. TPD pays a lump sum if you are totally and permanently disabled under the policy's definition.

Can I get cover if I work at height?

You can apply. Terms are the insurer's decision; describe the work fully.

About this page

Advice is provided by Craig Smith Business Services Limited, trading as Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver, a licensed Financial Advice Provider (FSP712931). QuoteHub is a Momentum Life partner, and Smiths Insurance & KiwiSaver may receive a commission if you buy through our link; see how we are paid. Momentum Life Limited has an A.M. Best financial strength rating of B (Fair), affirmed 11 February 2026 (financial strength page). This is general information, not advice. See the guaranteed acceptance hub for the product rules.

References

Chubb Life: Essential Underwriting Guide (May 2025), retrieved 20 October 2026
Fidelity Life: Underwriting guide (October 2025), retrieved 20 October 2026
Momentum Life: Quick Life Insurance Policy Wording (November 2025), retrieved 17 October 2026
Momentum Life: Financial strength, retrieved 20 October 2026
IFSO: Non-disclosure case, retrieved 20 October 2026
Contracts of Insurance Act 2024, retrieved 20 October 2026