How Can an Electrician Make an AFCA Small-Business Insurance Complaint?

Figures checked 1 October 2026. According to AFCA’s small-business complaints guidance, an electrician can lodge an eligible small-business insurance complaint through its online form, optionally create an account to manage the complaint throughout the AFCA process, and have AFCA refer it to the financial firm for direct resolution; AFCA launched the online portal on Monday 17 June 2024. AFCA’s service is free to access, and its general small-business definition is an organisation with fewer than 100 employees.

This article provides general information, not financial or legal advice. Check AFCA’s current small-business page and the policy’s Product Disclosure Statement before lodging, because the business structure, employee count and insurance product type can affect whether AFCA can consider the complaint.

Can an electrician’s business use AFCA?

AFCA’s general small-business threshold is fewer than 100 employees, but the employee count is not the only issue.

If you are unsure whether the complaint is within scope, AFCA recommends submitting the information anyway so it can review the matter and discuss it with you.

Special financial status can also affect the complaint. AFCA generally considers a complaint from a business under external administration, or from a bankrupt individual, only when the insolvency practitioner consents. That consent requirement does not apply to a superannuation complaint involving a bankrupt fund member’s benefit that has not vested in the member’s trustee in bankruptcy. Superannuation complaints can only be made by individuals.

Does AFCA cover every electrician insurance policy?

Not every insurance product or type of cover falls within AFCA’s jurisdiction. AFCA says its general-insurance jurisdiction is limited by product type.

Licensed financial services providers in Australia must belong to AFCA and participate in its process. AFCA’s online search tool can confirm whether a financial firm is a member.

AFCA can consider a complaint about:

• an insurance broker’s conduct in following instructions or arranging a policy; or
• an insurer’s decision or conduct concerning an eligible small-business insurance product.

The cover types AFCA says it may consider complaints about include:

• computer and electronic breakdown;
• fire or accidental damage;
• glass, including shop fronts;
• general property, including business or work tools;
• loss of profits or business interruption; and
• medical indemnity.

AFCA says it cannot consider cover in relation to:

• Contractors All Risks;
• Fidelity Guarantee;
• Legal Liability, including Public Liability and Products Liability;
• Professional Indemnity; or
• Industrial Special Risks.

Industrial Special Risks policies are written for a particular industry or segment of an industry. AFCA says it cannot consider Industrial Special Risks insurance cover but may consider certain cover within an Industrial Special Risks policy.

An exclusion for a particular type of cover does not necessarily mean AFCA has no jurisdiction over the policy. The cover being complained about and the product’s wording both need to be checked against AFCA’s current eligibility rules.

How do I create an account and lodge the complaint?

The online route is straightforward:

• Go to AFCA’s small-business complaint page and use its online complaint form.
• Choose whether to create an account. Account creation is optional, but an account allows you to manage the complaint throughout the AFCA process.
• Have the policy PDS and relevant correspondence available so you can identify the policy, cover and decision being disputed.
• Lodge the complaint and keep a copy of the information submitted.
• AFCA will refer the complaint to the financial firm. The firm will then review it and attempt to resolve it directly with you within its set timeframe.

Creating an account does not prevent AFCA from referring the complaint for direct resolution. It simply gives you an ongoing way to manage the complaint through the portal.

What if I cannot use the online portal?

AFCA accepts complaints through several channels.

If you need more support completing the complaint, AFCA says third-party agencies are available.

What happens after the financial firm receives the complaint?

AFCA’s process moves through several possible stages:

• Referral: AFCA refers the lodged complaint to the financial firm.
• Direct resolution: AFCA asks the firm to review the complaint and attempt to resolve it directly with you. The firm must follow a set timeframe, although the cited guidance does not state a universal day count.
• Further consideration: If the firm does not resolve the complaint within its timeframe, AFCA progresses it for further consideration.
• Settlement: If direct resolution fails, AFCA works with the parties to try to achieve a settlement through methods such as negotiation and conciliation.
• Preliminary assessment: If settlement cannot be achieved, AFCA may provide you and the financial firm with a preliminary assessment of the complaint’s merits.
• Determination: If you reject AFCA’s preliminary assessment, AFCA will make a determination. Any determination made by AFCA is binding on the financial firm.

The process offers routes for settlement and decision-making, but AFCA’s free service does not promise a particular result.

What can an AFCA determination include?

AFCA says its outcomes can include compensation for:

• direct financial loss;
• indirect financial loss; and
• non-financial loss.

Monetary caps apply to outcomes relating to non-superannuation complaints. The cited AFCA guidance confirms this but does not state an insurance-specific cap amount, so check the current AFCA page before relying on a maximum amount.

A separate AFCA eligibility exclusion applies to small-business credit facilities. AFCA cannot consider a complaint about a small-business credit facility exceeding $6.3 million when the complaint is lodged on or after 1 January 2024. This exclusion applies whether the complainant is the borrower or a guarantor.

A credit facility may include a loan, lease, line of credit, guarantee, other debt instrument, or a combination approved under the same contract or at the same time. For complaints lodged before 1 January 2024, the relevant version of AFCA’s Rules must be checked for the corresponding jurisdictional limit.

The $6.3 million facility exclusion is not an insurance-policy or claim limit.

What if AFCA cannot consider the complaint?

If a lodged complaint does not meet the requirements of AFCA’s Rules and AFCA cannot resolve it, AFCA directs the complainant to other sources of help. AFCA also says third-party agencies are available for people who need more support.

Sources

• Small Businesses with a financial complaint | AFCA

FAQ

Do I have to create an account before making a complaint?

No. Account creation is optional. You can complain through another accepted channel, while an account lets you manage the complaint throughout the AFCA process.

Does AFCA charge a fee?

AFCA’s service is free to access, and its listed complaint telephone line, 1800 931 678, is a free call. The cited guidance does not state whether third-party support agencies charge fees.

Can I complain about public liability or professional indemnity cover?

AFCA says it cannot consider cover in relation to Legal Liability, including Public Liability and Products Liability, or Professional Indemnity. Other cover within the same policy may have a different treatment, so check the PDS and AFCA’s current eligibility rules.

What happens if the financial firm will not resolve the complaint?

AFCA will progress the complaint for further consideration if the firm does not resolve it within its timeframe. AFCA may then seek a settlement or provide a preliminary assessment. If you reject that assessment, AFCA will make a determination.

Is an AFCA determination binding?

Yes. Any determination made by AFCA is binding on the financial firm.