The bills don't pause when your paycheck does.
If you can't work for a stretch, mortgage, utilities, and groceries keep showing up. Disability income coverage is what fills the gap.
During a typical mortgage term, a working homeowner is more likely to miss income to a disability than to death — and yet most protection planning focuses only on life coverage. Employer short-term disability, when it exists at all, usually replaces far less income than people assume, for far less time.
What actually shapes a DI policy.
Three settings drive most of the price and most of what the coverage actually does.
Elimination period
How long you have to be out of work before benefits start. Common choices: 30, 60, 90, or 180 days. Longer waiting periods mean lower premiums — but you need cash to bridge the gap.
Benefit period
How long benefits keep paying while you're disabled. Short-term policies pay for 3, 6, 12, or 24 months. Long-term policies can pay to a set age (often 65 or 67).
Own-occupation vs. any-occupation
Own-occupation pays if you can't do your specific job. Any-occupation only pays if you can't do any job you're reasonably qualified for — a much higher bar and a cheaper policy.
What DI does not cover
Disability income coverage is not workers' comp (which is limited to work-related injuries and administered separately). It's not unemployment insurance. And it doesn't pay a benefit for reduced income — most policies require you to be genuinely unable to perform work as defined in the contract.
See what a DI policy actually costs at your income.
Rates depend on your occupation class, age, and health. We'll compare carriers and give you the number in plain language.