Why do they ask your occupation when appliying for insurance?

Question

Does it really matter? Or is it for marketing purposes?

I'm thinking mostly about car insurance

Answer 1

yes it matters. Some jobs are more dangerous than others. A stuntman is gonna pay more for insurance than an office clerk!

I dont understand the reason behind it, but when my gf changed job from a IT professional to a chef her insurance went up!

Answer 2

Different occupations are inherently riskier. Now, it depends on the type of insurance you are applying for. For example, if you are trying to get life insurance they want to know if you are a cop cuz you have a much greater chance of becoming dead during work than if you are an accountant. If you are talking about car insurance you are probably more likely to get tickets if you are a stock broker versus being a libriarian. Now, that does not mean that ALL librarians drive the speed limit, but the insurance companies pool all of this information together to come up with a profile of a "typical" individual with certain characteristics and then they set their rates for the coverage accordingly.

Answer 3

Well, your occupation has a risk assigned to it when it comes to insurance. The more risky your occupation the higher risk you are to insurance. Some insurance companies do not accept customers who are a high risk as it'll increase the premiums for the remaining customers and thereby reduce their competitiveness.

Others will just whack up your premiums, so that's why it's important. If you're not a stunt man, parachutist, pilot etc then you're fine!

Answer 4

Different occupation have different risk factors and exposure. As for acr insuarnce, they charge according to occupation perhaps they have a statistic that certain occupation class of driver gave more claim experience thus charge higher premium.

It is not necessary the way we view the occupational hazard through our ordinary way but more depend on the statistical data the insurance collected.

Answer 5

It is a useful piece of info for an agent to have. However, I can think of some instances where it is vital. For example if you say you do not use your car in business or delivery, but your occupation is pizza delivery - an agent will question you further to determine if you are eligible for the policy. Also, you may not consider that you use your car in business, but if your occupation is real estate agent or insurance agent or copier sales or something like that, an agent can determine the correct use of your car.

Answer 6

Worst occupation to bump price up is pub landlord, your car is likely to be parked in a pub car park most of the time and all the risks of people damaging it are much more likely to happen. Best occupation (ie cheapest for insurance) is customer service which is nice and non descript and you are likely to be boring and park securely at work and home.

Answer 7

Your occupation matters for different reasons. Insurers don't want to insure too many people in different demographics. Also, some jobs are less risky than others. They also do a reference check.

Answer 8

They ask your occupation to make sure you are rated correctly. For example if you used your vehicle to deliver mail then a different rate would apply because of the increased risk and exposure. Another example would be a vehicle used mainly on a farm but at times is driven on the public highways, a different rate would also apply, it's usually a cheaper rate due to the limited risk and exposure.

Does this help?

Answer 9

I suggest that you visit this web site where you can compare rates from different companies: http://PROTECTIONQUOTES.NET/index.html?src=2YAertbqKR84

RE :Why do they ask your occupation when appliying for insurance?
Does it really matter? Or is it for marketing purposes?
Update: I'm thinking mostly about car insurance
Follow 27 answers

Answer 10

It matters: it's a big part of how much they're going to risk by insuring you. But it's hard to know their logic sometimes. For example - writers have to pay huge premiums, apparently, because they go to book launches, drink too much cheap wine and then attempt to drive home. Same for actors and premieres. Journalists are a bit risky too (all that screeching after slebs, I suppose). But could an accountant be too careful and drive too slowly??