Short-Term vs. Long-Term Disability

Short-term disability and long-term disability insurance both replace part of your income when you cannot work due to illness or injury, but they cover different stretches of time. Short-term disability typically begins quickly and lasts weeks to a few months, bridging the early period after a disabling event. Long-term disability begins later and can continue for years or until retirement age for a qualifying disability. Many employers offer both so the two can work in sequence. This page compares how they fit together.

At a glance

Short-Term vs. Long-Term Disability — At a glance
	Short-Term Disability (STD) STD	Long-Term Disability (LTD) LTD
When benefits typically start	After a short waiting period of days	After a longer elimination period of weeks to months
How long benefits last	Usually a few weeks up to several months	Often several years, sometimes to retirement age
Typical income replaced	Commonly around 40 to 70 percent of pay	Commonly around 40 to 60 percent of pay
Role in a claim timeline	Covers the early phase of a disability	Continues after short-term benefits are exhausted
Common source	Frequently employer-provided or state programs	Frequently employer plans or individual policies

How short-term and long-term disability differ

The primary difference is timing and duration. Short-term disability is built to respond soon after a disabling event, often after a waiting period measured in days, and it pays for a limited stretch such as several weeks to a few months. Long-term disability is built for extended absences, starting only after a longer elimination period and continuing for years or, for a qualifying disability, potentially to retirement age.

The two are often designed to dovetail, with long-term benefits picking up around the time short-term benefits run out. Because they cover different phases, the elimination period on a long-term policy is frequently set to roughly match the maximum duration of the short-term benefit, reducing the chance of a gap. Each coverage has its own definition of disability, which can differ between the two.

Where to find it in your policy

Policy schedule or benefit summary

Review the policy schedule or benefit summary to confirm the waiting or elimination period, the benefit percentage, and the maximum benefit duration for each coverage.

Definitions page

Read the definitions page to see how each policy defines disability and how the elimination period is measured, since these terms decide when benefits begin and end.

Riders and endorsements

Check any riders or endorsements and any offset provisions, which explain how benefits coordinate with other income sources such as state disability or other plans.

What it looks like on a real claim

Example 1 — A six-week recovery

An employee needs about six weeks off to recover from surgery, with a 7-day short-term waiting period and a 90-day long-term elimination period.

Short-Term Disability (STD)

Begins after the 7-day wait and covers the six-week recovery

Long-Term Disability (LTD)

Does not begin, because the 90-day elimination period is not met

Example 2 — A two-year disability

An employee is disabled for about two years, with short-term benefits capped at 90 days and long-term benefits available after 90 days.

Short-Term Disability (STD)

Pays for the first 90 days, then ends at its maximum

Long-Term Disability (LTD)

Begins after day 90 and continues for the remainder of the qualifying disability

The bottom line

Short-term and long-term disability coverage address different phases of the same problem. Short-term responds quickly but briefly, while long-term responds later but can last for years, and the two are commonly structured so long-term begins as short-term ends.

When reviewing your own coverage, compare the waiting or elimination periods, benefit percentages, and maximum durations side by side, and read each definition of disability. Because plan terms and coordination rules vary, the specific language in your documents governs how the two coverages work together.

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