Do general insurers need to comply with General Insurance Code of Practice (ICA)?
A computed answer from the Rules Mate applicability engine, with the exact condition, the outcome for every structure and size, and the primary source.
Short answer: Only if
Only if you are an Insurance Council member or distribute for one. Being in this industry makes the obligation worth checking (Industry: General insurers), but the trigger is a fact the industry alone does not settle.
The obligation in brief
Comply with General Insurance Code of Practice (ICA). The Insurance Council of Australia's General Insurance Code of Practice 2020 binds member insurers on commitments around buying, claims, complaints, vulnerability + financial hardship. Monitored by the Code Governance Committee with public reporting.
Trigger: ICA membership.
Why general insurers get a different answer
Rules Mate runs its applicability engine across 9 business structures and 6 size bands for each of the 35 industries it maps. For 34 of those industries the answer for "Comply with General Insurance Code of Practice (ICA)" is no. General insurers is one of the 1 where the answer is different: only if.
The deciding fact for general insurers: Industry: General insurers; applies only if you are an Insurance Council member or distribute for one.
About the industry: General insurance providers regulated by APRA.
Compare a professional services (general) business with 6–19 employees structured as a Pty Ltd company: the obligation does not apply (Requires industry: General insurers and APRA regulation).
Answer by business structure and size
Each cell is the engine's outcome for a business in general insurers with that structure and size, assuming it sells to consumers and small businesses and holds customer contact details. "Check" means the obligation turns on a fact the industry does not settle.
| Structure | No employees | 1–5 employees | 6–19 employees | 20–99 employees | 100–499 employees | 500+ employees |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sole trader | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Partnership | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Trust | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Pty Ltd company | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Public company | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Not-for-profit (unregistered) | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Registered charity | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Super fund | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
| Foreign company | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check | Check |
What the obligation requires
- When due
- Continuous; CGC monitoring.
- Evidence to keep
- Code subscriber; complaint data; vulnerability + hardship records.
- Maximum penalty
- Code-based; reputational + AFCA reliance on Code in determinations
- Regulator
- ASIC and AFCA
- Jurisdiction
- Commonwealth (national)
Other obligations where general insurers differ from the norm
Questions
- Do general insurers need to comply with General Insurance Code of Practice (ICA)?
- Only if you are an Insurance Council member or distribute for one. Being in this industry makes the obligation worth checking (Industry: General insurers), but the trigger is a fact the industry alone does not settle.
- Is the answer the same for every industry?
- No. For 34 of the 35 industries Rules Mate maps, the answer is no. General insurers is one of 1 industries with a different answer.
Related
Sources
Computed by the Rules Mate applicability engine from the published obligation corpus; facts last checked 3 October 2026. Rules Mate is not a law firm and this is general information, not legal advice. Confirm your position with the regulator source or a qualified adviser before acting.