Short Term Disability Insurance — Replace Your Paycheck for 3 to 12 Months
Short term disability insurance typically replaces 60–70% of your income when illness, injury, surgery, or pregnancy keeps you out of work. Benefits start after the policy’s elimination period, often 0 to 14 days. Premiums depend on your age, health, job and the benefit you choose. Compare individual STD policies from Assurity and Ameritas — free, licensed advisor.
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Last updated: October 28, 2026
What Is Short Term Disability Insurance?
Short term disability insurance is a private insurance policy that pays you a monthly benefit — typically 60 to 70% of your salary — when you’re unable to work due to illness, injury, surgery, pregnancy, or mental health conditions. Benefits usually last 3 to 12 months and begin after the policy’s elimination period.
Unlike Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), which is meant for long-lasting disabilities and approves only about 1 in 3 applicants at the initial medical decision (35.6% of initial decisions for 2022 applications, per SSA), short term disability covers the recovery window — the weeks or months you need to heal and return to work. It’s the income-side counterpart to your health insurance.
If your employer offers short term disability, you may already have basic coverage. But group plans often replace a set percentage of income only up to a monthly cap. Individual short term disability insurance — purchased on your own from carriers like Assurity or Ameritas — lets you stack additional benefits on top of any employer coverage, or build a complete plan if you’re self-employed or 1099.
Short Term Disability Insurance for Pregnancy & Maternity Leave
One of the most common reasons people buy STD coverage. Pays during the weeks you’re physically recovering from childbirth.
Short term disability for pregnancy covers the period when you’re physically unable to work after giving birth — typically 6 weeks for a vaginal delivery and 8 weeks for a C-section, sometimes longer for complications. It pays a monthly cash benefit (60–70% of your income) directly to you while you recover.
Critical timing rule: you must buy short term disability before you become pregnant. Many policies have a waiting period, often 9–12 months, before maternity claims are eligible, and pregnancy is considered a pre-existing condition once you’re already pregnant. Plan ahead.
Does short term disability cover maternity leave?
Yes — but only the medical recovery portion, not bonding time. STD pays during the weeks you’re physically unable to work. Bonding leave (additional weeks at home with a newborn) is typically covered by FMLA or paid family leave, not disability insurance. Some women combine both: STD pays 60–70% during the 6–8 week recovery, then unpaid FMLA covers any additional bonding time.
STD pregnancy claim timing
You file your claim near your due date with documentation from your OB-GYN. Benefits typically begin after a 7-day elimination period (for short-term disability with employers) or 0–14 days for individual policies. Your monthly benefit is paid directly to you, and it’s generally tax-free when you pay the premiums with after-tax dollars (IRS Publication 525). Coverage typically continues for 6–12 weeks postpartum, depending on your delivery and policy terms.
Short term disability replaces income; it doesn’t pay medical bills. Your health plan pays for prenatal care and delivery (see how health insurance covers pregnancy), and hospital indemnity insurance can add a fixed cash benefit for a covered hospital stay if the policy includes childbirth.
Short Term Disability for Mental Health
Does short term disability cover mental health? Often, yes. Many STD policies cover anxiety, depression, burnout, PTSD, and substance use disorder claims when a licensed mental health professional documents that the condition prevents you from working. Both Assurity and Ameritas include mental health coverage in their individual short term disability policies.
Mental health claims typically have the same elimination period and benefit duration as physical-illness claims, though some policies apply separate limits to mental-health claims. When comparing plans, ask your advisor whether the policy treats mental health on parity with physical illness or applies separate limits.
If your job is contributing to burnout or anxiety and you anticipate needing leave, having STD coverage in place before you need it matters. Pre-existing condition waiting periods apply to mental health the same way they apply to physical conditions.
Who Needs Short Term Disability Insurance?
Short Term Disability vs FMLA
People often confuse short term disability vs FMLA. They’re related but solve different problems — and most people need both.
| Feature | Short Term Disability | FMLA |
|---|---|---|
| What it provides | Income replacement (60–70%) | Job protection (unpaid leave) |
| Pays you money? | Yes — monthly benefit | No — unpaid time off |
| Maximum duration | 3 to 12 months | 12 workweeks in a 12-month period |
| Eligibility | Anyone approved for a policy | 12 months on the job, 1,250 hours in the past 12 months, and 50+ employees within 75 miles |
| Covers maternity? | Yes — 6–8 weeks recovery | Yes — unpaid leave for birth and bonding, within the 12 workweeks |
| Mental health? | Yes | Yes |
| Self-employed? | Yes — via individual policy | No — only employees qualify |
Most working professionals stack both. FMLA protects your job for up to 12 workweeks of unpaid leave at covered employers (private employers with 50 or more employees, plus public agencies and schools); STD pays you during that window. Source: U.S. Department of Labor, FMLA. If you’re self-employed or 1099, FMLA doesn’t apply to you at all — an individual short term disability policy is often your main income protection.
Short Term Disability Insurance Cost
Short term disability insurance cost depends mostly on your age, health, occupation and the benefit you choose. For example, a healthy 35-year-old earning $60,000/year might see quotes of roughly $30–$80/month for individual STD coverage; your rate depends on the factors below. The exact rate depends on:
- •Your age and health. Younger and healthier = lower premiums.
- •Your occupation. Office workers pay less than construction or trades.
- •Benefit amount. 60% replacement is cheaper than 70%.
- •Benefit period. 3-month policies are cheaper than 12-month policies.
- •Elimination period. Longer waiting before benefits start = lower monthly premium.
What is an elimination period?
The elimination period (also called the waiting period) is the gap between when you become disabled and when benefits start paying. A disability elimination period is best described as a deductible measured in days, not dollars. Common short term disability elimination periods are 0, 7, or 14 days. Longer elimination periods reduce your premium because you self-fund the first few days of recovery.
How Does Short Term Disability Work?
Short term disability works like this: you buy a policy that pays a set share of your income, usually 60% to 70%, if a covered illness, injury, surgery or childbirth keeps you from working. After a short waiting period (the elimination period, often 0 to 14 days), the insurer pays you a weekly or monthly benefit until you recover or the benefit period ends, usually after 3 to 12 months.
Example: say you earn $4,000 a month and your policy pays 60% with a 7-day elimination period. If surgery keeps you out of work for six weeks, your benefit is $2,400 a month, paid after the first 7 days and up to the policy’s monthly maximum. Payments stop when your doctor clears you to return to work or the benefit period ends.
Short Term Disability Insurance Not Through an Employer
Yes, you can buy short term disability insurance on your own. Private (individual) policies from carriers like Assurity and Ameritas are sold directly to you, so they work if you’re self-employed, a 1099 contractor, or your job doesn’t offer coverage. You apply with health, income and job questions, you own the policy, and it stays with you if you change jobs.
| Feature | Through an Employer | On Your Own (Individual) |
|---|---|---|
| Who pays | Your employer, or you through payroll | You |
| Approval | Often little or no health underwriting | Health, income and job questions |
| If you leave your job | Coverage usually ends | Policy stays with you |
| Taxes on benefits | Generally taxable if employer-paid or paid pre-tax | Generally tax-free if you pay with after-tax dollars |
| Self-employed or 1099? | No | Yes |
An individual policy can also sit on top of a group plan whose benefit stops at a monthly cap. If you work in California, Hawaii, New Jersey, New York or Rhode Island, your state also runs or requires a short-term disability program for most workers, and a private policy can add to it. Planning a pregnancy? Buy well before you conceive, because a pregnancy that starts before coverage is usually excluded.
Is Short Term Disability Insurance Worth It?
Short term disability insurance is often worth it if you couldn’t pay a few months of bills without your paycheck. It matters most for self-employed workers, people without paid sick leave, and anyone planning a pregnancy or surgery. It’s worth less if your employer plan already replaces most of your pay or you have several months of savings set aside.
A quick way to decide
Compare one year of premiums with what the policy would pay for a claim you could realistically have, such as 6 to 8 weeks of recovery after childbirth or surgery. Then check the fine print: the elimination period, the benefit period, the monthly maximum and any pre-existing condition limits. A policy with a long waiting period and a low cap may pay little for a short recovery.
Sources
IRS: Life insurance & disability insurance proceeds — disability benefits aren’t taxable when you pay the whole premium with after-tax dollars; benefits from employer-paid coverage are.
IRS Publication 525: Taxable and Nontaxable Income — how sickness and injury benefits, including disability insurance, are taxed.
U.S. Department of Labor: Family and Medical Leave Act — 12 workweeks of unpaid, job-protected leave; employer coverage and employee eligibility rules.
SSA: Annual Statistical Report on the SSDI Program, 2024 — initial-level allowance rates by application year.
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