Claims Manager

Claims Managers lead a team or process responsible for evaluating, approving, or disputing claims made against an insurance policy or compensation scheme. The work involves reviewing evidence, applying policy terms, negotiating settlements, and making sure decisions are fair, consistent, and defensible. Claims Managers also set internal procedures, manage staff, and liaise with legal teams, assessors, and external service providers.

A typical day could include reviewing a queue of active claims, meeting with assessors or legal counsel on complex cases, and approving or escalating settlement offers. There may be performance reporting to senior leadership, coaching conversations with team members, and correspondence with claimants or their representatives. Compliance checks and file audits are common, particularly in regulated environments. The pace varies: some days are driven by deadlines on high-value disputes, others by routine process management.

A diploma or bachelor degree is the typical entry-level qualification for this role (JSA Occupation Profile). Relevant fields include insurance, business, law, finance, or risk management. Practical experience in claims handling or insurance operations is often valued as much as formal study. For those considering a career change, prior experience in legal services, banking, health administration, or government compliance could provide a credible foundation. Course options may be available through yourcareer.gov.au or via free TAFE initiatives at dewr.gov.au/skills-reform/free-tafe.

The hardest part of this role is making high-stakes decisions under pressure, often with incomplete information and competing interests on all sides. Claimants may be distressed or adversarial, legal exposure can be significant, and internal targets around cost and turnaround time do not always align with what a fair outcome requires. Career changers moving into this role from outside insurance may find the regulatory complexity and industry-specific terminology a steep learning curve. Building credibility with underwriters, legal teams, and senior leadership takes time, and the role carries real accountability when decisions are challenged or escalated.

Published for ANZSCO unit group 5996, the wider group this job sits in, not for this job on its own.

This is the median for full-time employees who are not managers and are paid at the adult rate, before tax and salary sacrifice. It is a guide to what the work pays, not a wage rate.

Source: ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

See full salary breakdown by state

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• Attention to Detailcore
• Claims Processingcore
• Complaint Handlingcore
• Confidentiality and Privacy Compliancecore
• Eligibility Assessmentcore
• Escalation Managementcore
• Policy and Procedure Adherencecore
• Record Managementcore
• Regulatory and Legislative Awarenesscore
• Report Writingcore
• Risk Identificationcore
• Stakeholder Communicationcore
• icare Claims Management Portal
• Microsoft Office Suite Proficiency
• Problem Solving
• Process Improvement Identification
• Quality Assurance Monitoring
• Team Collaboration
• Workflow Prioritisation
• Written Communication

• ABS OSCA 2024, occupation definition and task statements
• ABS Survey of Employee Earnings and Hours, May 2025, customised report.

Role data is drawn from official Australian Government sources, and each figure names where it comes from. Where a role is not in the ABS classification, the page shows no government figures for it. Data may not reflect every local variation.

Where our numbers come from.

Last updated: 30 October 2026