Best Short-Term Disability Insurance Companies

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Why we chose it: Aflac listed some of the greatest variety of policy terms and customization on its website, including short elimination periods and a high maximum monthly benefit.

Searching for individual short-term disability policies can seem challenging, as most companies don’t list the terms and conditions defining their policies; instead, they want you to contact their agents directly. Aflac instantly grabbed our attention for their policy transparency and more robust, customizable benefit offerings, which is why they took our top spot. 

Aflac offers guaranteed-issue policies, which means you do not have to participate in medical underwriting to secure a policy. Their plans are guaranteed renewable up to age 75. 

Aflac offers a wide variety of policies that range in monthly benefit, benefit period, and elimination periods. For example, they offer monthly benefit payments that range from $500 to $6,000 based on income requirements; this was one of the highest maximum benefit payments we reviewed. They also offer benefit periods that range from three up to 24 months with a partial disability benefit period of three months. 

Aflac also advertises 10 different elimination periods (the time a person must wait before their benefits begin), ranging from zero days for injury and seven for sickness to 180 days for injury and illness. They also offer a premium waiver for every month you are disabled, so they are paying you, rather than you paying them, during this time. 

As a company, Aflac has an AM Best financial strength credit rating of A+ (superior). Aflac's products are available nationwide, although they may not be available in all states, and available terms may vary by location.

Policy exclusions include pregnancy or childbirth in the first 10 months after you hold your policy (they will pay within certain limits after these 10 months), injuries related to elective/cosmetic procedures, mental or emotional disorders, or dental procedures not as a result of an injury.

Another drawback is that you will have to go through their online quote tool and share some personal information to obtain a quote. They advertise that some policies are offered at a cost that is “less than a movie ticket,” which they cite as about $8.00.

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Why we chose it: The company serves a niche market of high-income individuals who may need up to $50,000 a month to protect their income.

Individuals with higher compensations are traditionally underserved in the short-term disability market. However, if a person who makes six figures suddenly loses their income due to illness or injury, they may not be able to compensate. That’s where Petersen International Underwriters (PIU) comes in. The company offers short-term disability insurance and optional riders to help those with higher incomes. 

Their disability insurance plans are geared toward specific, higher-paying occupations including brokers, dentists, executives, golfers, lawyers, physicians, pilots, and even professional athletes. They do not advertise the costs for this coverage, but instead advise a person to contact their brokers for more information and personalized quotes. 

Some of PIU’s terms include benefit periods that range up to age 65. They also offer a premium waiver should a person become totally disabled after a 90-day period. While they do not specify how high their maximum monthly benefits would go, they did list monthly maximums of between $20,000 and $50,000 a month in the examples of how their products work. You can also add on riders, such as those for partial disability or cost of living adjustments that help you navigate inflation. 

PIU is a coverholder of Lloyd's which has an A.M. Best rating of A (excellent) for financial strength. They are licensed in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Canada, although they may not offer all policies in each state.

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Why we chose it: Mutual of Omaha’s short-term disability coverage is adequate for basic needs, and the ability to add policy riders for critical illness, hospital confinement, or return of benefits is a plus.

Mutual of Omaha offers immediate, portable short-term disability coverage to eligible subscribers. Their coverage is policy specific and you must go through an agent to receive a quote.

You can also add optional benefits for an extra premium. Examples include an accident hospital confinement benefit, and accidental medical expense benefit.

In addition to varying coverage periods, Mutual of Omaha also offers varying elimination periods. These include zero days for an accident/sickness or seven, 14, 30, 60, or 90 days.

You can obtain a quote for short-term disability coverage on Mutual of Omaha’s website where you’ll be asked to select what best describes your occupation and receive a quote estimate. For example, a “professional” employee who works in an office would pay $10 to $55 per month for a 10-year benefit period for coverage up to $1,000 per month after a 90-day elimination period. 

While you can get a general idea of how much a short-term disability policy will cost on Mutual of Omaha’s website, you must contact an agent (which can be accomplished online) to obtain a specific quote given your occupation, age, and desired coverage. Renewability is guaranteed through age 67, but the latest time you can apply for coverage is age 61. 

Most of Mutual of Omaha’s non-covered conditions are standard (self-inflicted injury, on-the-job injury, and injury while committing a crime).

Mutual of Omaha's products may not be available in all states and available terms may vary. AM Best rates Mutual of Omaha a Financial Strength Rating of A+ (superior).

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Why we chose it: Northwestern Mutual has crafted specific policies for self-employed individuals with a variety of income levels, including part-time employees, stay-at-home parents, and doctors.

Disability insurance can be especially tricky for the self-employed, as it is more difficult to determine a consistent payroll amount needed to cover expenses. That’s why it’s important to choose an insurance company with products geared toward the needs of the self-employed.

We found Northwestern Mutual fit the bill because they offer short-term disability insurance for self-employed individuals and disability overhead expense insurance that helps cover expenses to keep a business running. They also cover specific disabilities for physicians and dentists, many of whom may be self-employed. As a bonus, Northwestern Mutual has expanded its short-term disability coverage options to include policies for part-time employees and stay-at-home parents. 

In terms of company ratings, Northwestern Mutual has earned an A.M. Best rating of A++ (superior). Per their website, they also rank number one for disability insurance that pays out the highest rate of premiums to their subscribers. Their advisors operate in all 50 states, although policy availability may vary by state. 

Finding the right plan for you may pose a challenge, as the specifics need to be discussed with a Northwestern Mutual financial advisor. They will schedule a meeting with you to discuss available options given your occupation and goals for a disability policy. Northwestern Mutual then customizes the policy based on your financial needs. The policies are individualized for each person, making the selection process somewhat challenging. While there’s a lot of education on their website about why you may need a short-term disability policy, there aren’t many specifics about costs, elimination periods, and maximum benefits.

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Why we chose it: Offering up to a three-year benefit period, State Farm Insurance offers some of the longest coverage periods we reviewed.

State Farm offered some of the longest benefit periods we saw available for short-term disability insurance, as many companies only offer up to one year. While the maximum monthly benefit is policy dependent, the amounts can range from $300 to $3,000, depending on your income and occupation. Their advertised elimination periods include 30, 60, or 90 days and are based on the policy, but they do not list renewability periods on their website. 

State Farm’s exclusion list contains several common exclusions (such as injuries due to self-harm or engagement in illegal activities). However, they also list several notable exclusions, including normal pregnancy and childbirth and when an illness or injury results from cosmetic surgery. 

In terms of financial stability, State Farm has an A.M. Best rating of A++ (superior). They offer short-term disability insurance in all states except three: Massachusetts, New Jersey, and Rhode Island. 

While you can obtain quotes for some common State Farm products online (such as auto insurance), you’ll have to contact State Farm directly for a short-term disability quote and fill out a short application. Once you have secured the policy, you have the option to make claims over the Internet, via phone, or directly with an agent.

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Why we chose it: Breeze’s online quote tool and ability to customize the policy in less than 15 minutes makes selecting a short-term disability policy, well, a breeze.

True to its name, Breeze endeavors to make signing up for short-term disability insurance as easy as possible. They promise that in less than 15 minutes, you can apply online for affordable disability insurance. The process unfolds in three steps: You start by listing your occupation and age, select your desired coverage, and apply and choose the price that makes the most sense for you. 

For a 40-year-old woman in a professional field who does not smoke, Breeze quoted policy coverage of a $817 weekly benefit for about $47 per month. Suppose you enter your quote information in and don’t like their initial recommendations. In that case, you can customize changes, including adjusting the benefit period up to age 67 or varying the waiting period from 30 to 365 days. 

Breeze also offers the option to add the Family Care Rider, which pays up to $500 per week if you take family leave to care for a child, spouse, or parent. This includes maternity and paternity leave following birth of a newborn. If you are self-employed or a business owner, they also have policies specific to these fields. 

Breeze doesn’t offer its products in New York; instead, they offer them through their parent company, Assurity. A.M. Best ranks Assurity as an A- (Excellent) for their financial stability. If you're already pregnant, you can still qualify for disability insurance— but that doesn't mean your new policy will cover you during or after your pregnancy. Individual disability insurance policies typically require underwriting. The insurance company will consider pregnancy a pre-existing condition.

Provided there are no other underwriting issues, the insurer may issue a policy with an exclusion. If you are granted disability insurance coverage with an exclusion, the insurance company will insure you after adding language to your policy that states they will not cover certain body parts, conditions, or disabilities resulting from certain activities. In this case, that means the policy will exclude any disability related to your pregnancy.

Group disability policies, on the other hand, typically do not require underwriting. Therefore you can sign up for coverage even if you are already pregnant.