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A pet insurance waiting period is the time after your policy starts during which you cannot claim for certain conditions. In current Australian policies it is commonly none to 2 days for accidental injuries, 14 to 30 days for illness, and 6 months for cruciate ligament conditions. Anything that shows signs during a waiting period is usually treated as pre-existing, not just delayed.
That last point is why waiting periods matter more than they appear to. A dog that starts limping in week three is not simply waiting for cover to begin; the condition may be excluded for the life of that policy.
By Better Rate Mate Editorial Team · Last reviewed
The table below is read directly from each product's Product Disclosure Statement. It is a snapshot to show the range, not a ranking.
| Product (PDS date) | Accidental injury | Illness | Cruciate ligament | Other notable periods |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| RSPCA Pet Insurance (30 June 2025) | None, for listed accidental injuries | 30 days | 6 months, can be waived after a vet exam | Routine care: none |
| Bupa Pet Insurance (18 April 2024) | None, for listed accidental injuries | 30 days | 6 months, can be waived | Major dental: 6 months |
| Budget Direct Pet Insurance (22 July 2024) | 2 days | 30 days | 6 months | Tick paralysis 30 days; snake bite 2 days |
| Buddy, Everyday and Pet Insurance Australia (2025–26 PDSs) | 2 days | 30 days | 6 months | Behavioural conditions: 30 days |
| Knose (15 November 2024) | 1 day | 14 days | 6 months | 6 months for listed orthopaedic and hereditary conditions, including hip and elbow dysplasia, IVDD and patellar luxation |
| Fetch (PDS v1.1) | 2 days | 30 days | 90 days | 90 days also for hip and elbow dysplasia, patellar luxation, BOAS, IVDD and FLUTD |
Waiting periods stop people buying cover once a pet is already unwell, which would push up premiums for everyone else. The long cruciate and orthopaedic periods reflect that these conditions can develop gradually before a sudden rupture or diagnosis. Moneysmart advises checking the PDS for the specific waiting periods that apply to different treatments.
For accidents, yes. The RSPCA and Bupa PDSs have no waiting period for accidental injuries on their listed set, and routine care benefits often have none. For illness, every accident and illness PDS we reviewed has one, from 14 days (Knose) to 30 days (most others).
Be careful with products advertised as immediate cover. They usually mean accidents only. An injury not on an insurer's listed set of accidental injuries may be assessed under the illness section, with the illness waiting period.
Some waiting periods can be shortened or removed. Ask the insurer before you buy, and get any waiver in writing.
Moneysmart warns that anything previously claimed for will be considered pre-existing by a new insurer. Switching also restarts waiting periods unless the new insurer agrees otherwise, so a pet that develops a problem in the new policy's first month may be caught twice: excluded by the new insurer, and no longer covered by the old one. If you do switch, keep the old policy running until the new one's waiting periods have passed where you can.
In current Australian PDSs, commonly no waiting period to 2 days for listed accidental injuries, 14 to 30 days for illness, and 6 months for cruciate ligament conditions. Routine care benefits often have no waiting period.
For accidental injuries on the insurer's listed set, sometimes: the RSPCA and Bupa PDSs have no accident waiting period. Illness claims always have a waiting period in the policies we reviewed.
Among the PDSs we reviewed, Knose had the shortest illness waiting period at 14 days, and Fetch the shortest cruciate period at 90 days. Terms change when PDSs are re-issued, so check the current document.
Some insurers waive the cruciate waiting period after a vet examination, and some reduce waiting periods if you switch from another policy without a gap. Ask the insurer and get it in writing.
