The best disability insurance companies to help replace your income if you become ill or injured
Best for customer satisfaction

Guardian® Disability Insurance Learn More Cost The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

App available Yes

Policy highlights Guardian® is a reputable insurance company that has a variety of disability insurance options. Benefit period options range from two years to age 70. A number of riders are also available to customize your policy. Pros Highly rated for financial strength

Very low NAIC complaint index

Quotes available online Cons Policies must be purchased through a specialist Learn More View More

Who's this for? Guardian offers strong disability insurance options for those seeking a company with a long history of protecting clients' financial lives and few customer complaints. Standout benefits: Guardian is highly rated for financial strength, which means that it's likely to be able to meet its ongoing financial commitments. It also has a very low complaint index from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. [ Jump to more details ]

Best for comparison shopping

Breeze Disability Insurance Learn More Cost The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

App available No

Policy highlights Online insurance broker Breeze allows customers to compare rates from several top disability insurance companies with one simple form. Pros Allows you to compare policies from several top companies

May be able to complete the process entirely virtually Cons Not available in New York state Learn More View More

Who's this for? Breeze is ideal for those wanting to comparison shop without having to contact an agent. The online broker allows shoppers to fill out a form for a quote and get prices within 24 hours. Standout benefits: Breeze works with several top insurers, including Guardian, Mass Mutual, The Standard, Assurity and Principal. [ Jump to more details ]

Best for no medical exam

Assurity Disability Insurance Learn More Cost The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

App available No

Policy highlights Assurity's disability insurance offers many built-in benefits, including a waiver of premium and coverage for home modifications in the event of a total disability, and things like occupational rehabilitation to help you get back to work. Assurity also offers a variety of riders that can help you fit your policy to your needs. Pros 10 riders available to customize your policy

Medical exams and income verification not required for benefit amounts up to $6,000 for qualifying applicants between ages 18 to 55. Cons Quotes not available online Learn More View More

Who's this for? People in a wide range of occupations can find coverage with Assurity. And, for those purchasing coverage with benefit amounts below $6,000 per month, you may be able to secure it without a medical exam. Standout benefits: People who want to buy a policy without the hassle can find excellent coverage from Assurity. [ Jump to more details ]

Best for families

The Standard Disability Insurance Learn More Cost The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

App available No

Policy highlights The Standard offers coverage that can protect your income if you're faced with a disability. In addition to features like guaranteed renewability, rehabilitation benefits and optional student loan coverage, The Standard's disability insurance offers a family care benefit to help you take care of a child, spouse or parent with a serious illness or injury. Pros Several flexible riders can cover things like student loan payments Cons Quotes not available online Learn More View More

Who's this for? The Standard is great for families seeking strong coverage with a good track record for customer service. Standout benefits: This company's policies have several built-in benefits, including a family care benefit that can help those who need to decrease their hours (and therefore their pay) to care for an injured or ill loved one. [ Jump to more details ]

Best for customization

Mutual of Omaha Mutual Income Solutions Learn More Cost The best way to estimate your costs is to request a quote

App available No

Policy highlights Mutual of Omaha's disability insurance offers a wide range of options, from the type of policy you choose to your choice of two no-cost benefits and nine riders. Pros Variety of options to tailor your policy to your needs Cons Quotes not available online Learn More View More

Who's this for? Mutual of Omaha's disability insurance policies offer many options for benefit periods, maximum monthly benefits and elimination periods so you can choose — and pay — for what you need. Standout benefits: Policies include built-in benefits like coverage for recurrent disabilities to waive your elimination period if you face a recurring disability in six months, and coverage for rehabilitation services while receiving benefits. An optional automatic increase benefit can also boost your monthly benefit by 4% each year to help you keep pace with inflation. [ Jump to more details ]

More on our top disability insurance companies

Guardian

Guardian has been in the insurance business for over 160 years and has a strong record of financial strength and a low customer complaint history. The company has also been one of our top picks for term life insurance policies, so it could be a good option for those wanting to keep all of their policies in one place. Benefit periods 2, 5 or 10 years, or to age 65 or 70 Maximum monthly benefits Not stated Elimination periods 90 or 180 days A.M. Best financial strength rating A++ NAIC Complaint index 0.00, very low [ Return to summary ]

Breeze

As a new and innovative insurance technology company founded in 2019, Breeze offers the convenience of buying a disability insurance policy and comparison shopping with one simple online application. Benefit periods Not available Maximum monthly benefits Not available Elimination periods Not available A.M. Best financial strength rating Varies by insurer NAIC Complaint index Varies by insurer [ Return to summary ]

Assurity

Assurity is a mutual insurance company that has been in the life insurance business for more than a century. While it offers life insurance and annuities among a few other lines of insurance, it's a Certified B Corporation. Benefit periods Not available Maximum monthly benefits From $500 to $20,000, depending on occupation class and income Elimination periods Not available A.M. Best financial strength rating A- NAIC Complaint index 0.64, below average [ Return to summary ]

The Standard

The Standard started as the Oregon Life Insurance Company in 1906, and has been insuring customers since. Benefit periods Not available Maximum monthly benefits Not available Elimination periods Not available A.M. Best financial strength rating A NAIC Complaint index 0.31, low [ Return to summary ]

Mutual of Omaha

Mutual of Omaha has been offering insurance policies for over 100 years. In addition to being one of our top picks for disability insurance, it's also been chosen as one of our top life insurance companies. Benefit periods 6 months, one year, two years, five years, or 10 years, or to ages 65, 67 or 70 Maximum monthly benefits $300 to $20,000 Elimination periods 30, 60, 90, 180, 365 or 730 days A.M. Best financial strength rating A+ NAIC Complaint index 0.62, below average [ Return to summary ]

FAQs Is it worth having disability insurance? If your family depends on your ability to earn a living, having disability insurance can ensure that you'll be able to continue working towards your goals and maintain your lifestyle if you're disabled during your working years. How much is disability insurance? Long-term disability insurance typically costs between 1% and 3% of your income. So, a person earning $100,000 per year, for example, would spend about $83 to $250 per month for disability coverage. The benefit amount, period, and elimination period can influence the cost of your coverage, as can your age, health status and specific occupation. How much disability insurance do I need? The amount of disability insurance you need depends on your monthly income, and how much other coverage you may have through work. You may also want to consider the amount of savings you have. For a general idea of what you'll need, start by adding up your monthly bills. Then, add up how much income you'd continue to receive if you were disabled, such as benefits from workplace disability coverage or investment income. Subtract your monthly bills from the money you'd continue to receive, and that figure is the amount you'd need to receive each month in disability insurance benefits.

Bottom line

Disability insurance can keep you afloat financially if you're unable to work due to an illness or injury. It generally costs between 1% and 3% of your annual income, but can be well worth it.

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Why trust CNBC Select?

At CNBC Select, our mission is to provide our readers with high-quality service journalism and comprehensive consumer advice so they can make informed decisions with their money. Every insurance review is based on rigorous reporting by our team of expert writers and editors with extensive knowledge of insurance products. To research the best disability insurance companies, we compiled dozens of data points on several top disability insurance companies. While CNBC Select earns a commission from affiliate partners on many offers and links, we create all our content without input from our commercial team or any outside third parties, and we pride ourselves on our journalistic standards and ethics. See our methodology for more information on how we choose the best disability insurance companies.

Our methodology

To determine the best disability insurance companies, CNBC Select analyzed several top disability insurance companies and compared them based on policies available, and the available choices of benefit periods, maximum limits and elimination periods. When narrowing down the best disability insurance companies, we also considered the number of riders available, standout and unique features, and standard features included in the coverage. We researched each company's financial strength rating, or a measure of the company's likelihood of being able to meet its ongoing financial obligations, from A.M. Best, and the complaint index from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners. From there, we sorted our recommendations by the best for customer satisfaction, best for comparison shopping, best for no medical exams, best for families, and best for customization. Note that the premiums and policy structures advertised for disability insurance companies are subject to fluctuate in accordance with the company's policies. Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated that Guardian Life offers short-term disability insurance to individuals. Catch up on CNBC Select's in-depth coverage of credit cards, banking and money, and follow us on TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Twitter to stay up to date.

Editorial Note: Opinions, analyses, reviews or recommendations expressed in this article are those of the Select editorial staff’s alone, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any third party.