According to Investopedia's research, is the best disability insurance for self-employed people because of its high coverage limits and broad selection oꦚf riders. Disability insurance replaces your income if an illness or injury prevents you from working. It’s especially important for self-employed people to buy independently because they don’t have employer plans to rely on.
Investopedia researched 10 disability insurance providers and compared them on criteria including benefits, prices, and rider selection to pick the best ꧂disability insurance for self-employed people.
The Best Disability Insurance for Self-Employed People
- Best Overall: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: MassMutual
- Most Affordable: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: Thrivent
- Also Great for Affordability: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: State Farm
- Best for High Earners: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: The Standard
- Best for Short-Term Disability: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: Assurity
- Best for Customization: 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网: Ameritas
Best Overall : MassMutual
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MassMutual
- Maximum monthly benefit: $30,000
- Maximum benefit period: Up to age 70
- Minimum elimination period: 60 days
MassMutual has high maximum income 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:coverage limits, policies that can cover you up to age 70, and plenty of ways to tailor your policy to your needs. The insurer also offers a business overhead expense policy to cover rent, uti💞lities, and employee salaries if you become disabled.
High max percentage of income covered
Policies issued up to 💛age 64, wit༺h coverage up to 70
Good rider selection
No standalone short-term disability coverage
Waiting period for payouts is 60 days
MassMutual has several advantages for self-employed people. The company’s disability insurance polici♐es cover up🔯 to 80% of your income if you become disabled, and its Radius Choice policy offers coverage until you turn 70, which can give you peace of mind for the long term.
You can also customize your coverage with a wide selection of riders, including an 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:own-occupation rider, which💙 ensures you receive benefits if you can’t work ♊in your specific field; and a professional replacement expense rider, which covers the cost of hiring someone to perform your duties while you’re unable to work.
MassMutual also has two specific policies for 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:small business owners. Its business overhead expense policy reimburses you for expenses such as rent, utilities, and employee salaries while you’re disabled, ensuring your business keeps running. It also has a disability buy-sell policy that provides funds to buy out your share of a company if you become disabled, ideal if you have co-own༒ers.
If you’re married, you and your spouse can save 10% on prem𝓡iums if you each buy policies from MassMutual.
There are a few downsides. MassMutual only offers 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:🐟short-term disability insurance coverage as a rider, not a standalone policy, and the shortest elimination period before benefits begin is 60 days, which means you’ll need to wait longer before receiv🐻ing payments while covering expenses out of pocket. Competitors like Principal and State Farm offer shorter 30-day elimination periods.
Most Affordable : Thrivent
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Thrivent
- Maximum monthly benefit: $18,000
- Maximum benefit period: Up to age 67
- Minimum elimination period: 30 days
Thrivent is a great choice if you want budget-f꧒riendly disability insurance and you meet the eligibility requirements. However, Thrivent is a tax-exempt organization similar to a nonprofit, and it only writes policies for Christians or spouses of Christians.
Low premium quotes
30-day elimination period available
Membership is 💙only open to Christians or spouses of Christians
Max percentage of income covered is 70%
One of the lowest maximum monthly benefits
Thrivent stands out as the most affordable option for disability insurance. We collected 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:long-te🔯rm disability insurance quotes for a 40-year-old dentist making $100,000 for coverage up to age 67, and T🅘hrivent’s monthly 𝔉premiums were the lowest: $164 for a man and $206 for a woman.
It offers the flexibility of a 30-day 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:elimination period and a standalone short-term disability policy.
An elimination period is the length of time between the beginning of an injury or illness and the point when you can receive benefit payments from an insurer. It is ဣsometimes called a “waiting” or “qualifying” period.
In addition, many oไf Thrivent’s disability policies pay dividends to policyholders, starting on the fifth anniversary of the 𒈔policy, which policyholders can claim as cash, put toward their policy’s cash value, or use to reduce their premiums.
But there areꩲ some limits to consider. Membership in Thrivent is only available to Christians or their families, which may restrict access for many people. The organization’s disability insurance caps maximum income coverage at 70%, lower than that of MassMutual and State Farm, which cover up to 80% of your income. The maximum monthly benefit is $18,000—the lowest of the 10 companies we reviewed—which might not be enough for high earners. Also, you must apply by age 🔜60, an earlier age limit than that of many competitors.
Also Great for Affordability : State Farm
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State Farm
- Maximum monthly benefit: $20,000
- Maximum benefit period: To age 67
- Minimum elimination period: 30 days
If you’re not eligible for Thrivent membership, State Farm is another solid choice for affordable disability coverage, and it has a higher maximum income replacement rate.
Second-lowest premiums Investopedia re🍸search found
Replaces up to 80% of income
Benefits can pay out after 30-day waiting period
Low maꦗximum monthly b🀅enefit compared to competitors
Limited rider selection
State Farm offers competitive rates𝕴 for disability insurance. In fact, its prices for a male 40-year-old dentist were slightly lower than Thrivent’s (though its prices for women were over $100 higher per month). Another plus is that it covers up to 80% of your income, which is tied for the best in Investopedia’s study. The 30-day elimination period option means you can start receiving benefits sooner.
But State Farm has some drawbacks. The maximum monthly benefit is $20,000, which is lower than the max benefits for most of the other insurance companies we researched. Other competitors can pay out $30,000 per month or higher. And State Farm has a limited rider selection compared to other insurers.
Best for High Earners : The Standard
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The Standard Life Insurance Company
- Maximum monthly benefit: $35,000
- Maximum benefit period: Up to age 67
- Minimum elimination period: 60 days
If you’re a high-earning self-employed professional looking 🤪for the most income protection availa🔴ble, The Standard is a top choice because of its high maximum monthly benefit.
$35,000 maximum monthly benefit
Applicants up to 64 can apply
Waiting period for benefits is 60 days
No online quotes
The Standard is a great option for high-earning self-employed peopꦬle because it offers the highest maximum monthly benefit ($35,000) among the insurers Investopedia reviewed. This makes the insurer a strong choice if you need to replace a large income. The Standard’s disability insurance also has a maximum issue age of 64, tied for the highest in our study.
You get exclusive perks with The Standard. The company’s Platinum Advantage policy includes a family care benefit that replaces some of your lost income if you have to take time away from work to care for a family member with a serious health condition. The Standard also sells a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:business overhead policy that reimburses business owners if they become disabled, covering expenses like mortgage payments, employee wages, and utilities. For peo🎃ple who co-own their businesses, The Standard’s Business Equity Protector policy provides funding for your partners to buy your share of the business if you become disabled.
Some downsides: The Standard doesn’t offer standalone short-term disability coverage. The shortest elimination period on its long-term policies is 60 days, meaning you’ll need to cover expenses out of pocket for two months before benefits kick in.
Best for Short-Term Disability : Assurity
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Assurity Life Insurance
- Maximum monthly benefit: $20,000
- Maximum benefit period: Up to age 67
- Minimum elimination period: 30 days
Assurity is a good choice for self-employed workers who need short-term disability coverage. The insurer’s short-term policies have a high average maximum benefi🍌t of $5,000.
Short-term policy avai꧂lable with high maximum benefit
30-day elimination period available
Low long-term disability premiums
Competitors have more riders
Poor maximum monthly benefit comp๊ared to compe꧑titors
State Farm has lower short-term premiums
Assurity’s short-term disability policies offer a relatively high average maximum benefit of $5,000 a month. The company’s prices are also competitive: A 40-year-old dentist earning $100,000 can expect to pay $66 per month if they’re a man and $87 if they’re a woman. By contౠrast, competitor State Farm’s short-term premiums are lower ($43 and $77) but have a lower average maximum benefit of $2,985.
Assurity policies may provide other helpful features for 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:self-employed people. For the first two years of a claim, you can still get benefits if you can work in a different field, provided that your disability prevents you from working in your usual field. That gives you time to adjust to a potential ca๊reer change.
Assurity includes a business owner income enhancement on its Century+ disability policy, which increases your benefit amount by recalculating your net income to include an additional 20% (in essence making up for the portion of your income withheld for taxes). Assurity also sells a business overhead expense policy that covers costs like utilities, employee salaries, and rent if you become disabled.
The tradeoff is that Assurity’s monthly maximum benefit is $20,000, which may not be enough for some high earners. And it doesn’t offer riders that replace contributions to your 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:retirement account or pay off student loans.
Best for Customization : Ameritas
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Ameritas
- Maximum monthly benefit: $20,000
- Maximum benefit period: Up to age 67
- Minimum elimination period: 30 days
Ameritas offers highly customizable disability insurance coverage with plenty of rider and elimi𝔉nation period options.
Large selection of riders
Multiple elimination period🍨 optionꦯs, including 30-day
Applicants up to age 64 accepted
Only covers up to 66% of income
Poor moꦆnthly maximum benefit compared to൩ competitors
No online quotes
Ameritas is a great choice for self-employed people who need more customization options in their disability insurance. The insurer offers a large selection of riders, including a 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:future increase option tha🌊t lets you increase your coverage without a m⭕edical exam, and a cost-of-living adjustment rider that boosts your benefit payments to offset inflation. The future increase option may be especially important for self-employed people whose income and expenses may fluctuate over time.
You can also choose from five elimination periods, including a 30-day option, which helps you get benefits faster. Additionally, Ameritas has a one-year 澳洲幸运5官方开奖结果体彩网:guaranteed renewable policy if you need short-term coverage.
Ameritas has some limitations. The company’s maximum income coverage is 66%, tied for the worst rate in Investopedia’s review. By contrast, MassMutual and State Farm plans can cover up to 80% of your income. And the insurer’s policies have a maximum monthly benefit that may not be enough for the highest earners.
Why You Should Trust Us
Investopedia reviews are based on thorough, unbiased research and analysis conducted by our team of experts. We compiled this list of the best disability insurance companies for self-employed people by gathering data on 10 providers. We considered factors like coverage maximums, riders, and premiums, allowing us to provide an objective evaluation. Investopedia was founded in 1999 and has been reviewing disability insurance companies since 2020.
How We Chos𒆙e tওhe Best Disability Insurance Companies for Self-Employed People
Investopedia’s list of the best disability insurance companies is based on extensive research of 10 providers. To be considered for this list, insurance companies had to me♒et Investopedia’s standards for transparency and financial strength. We gathered 190 data points across 19 criteria between Jan 3, 2025 and Jan 23, 2025. We collected the𝔍 data from company websites, media representatives, AM Best, and customer service calls.
Then, staff editors and research analysts created a quant🐓itative model that scores each company on nine major categories. We weighted the categories as follows:
- Maximum benefit period: 20%
- Maximum monthly benefit: 18%
- Percentage of income covered: 15%
- Riders: 14%
- Minimum elimination period: 10%
- Quotes: 10%
- Policy types: 8%
- Financial strength: 3%
- Maximum issue age: 2%
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