Best Long-Term Disability Insurance Companies

Get a Quote

Why We Chose It: Guardian is our winner for best overall long-term disability insurance. It uses the true “own occupation” definition of disability, plus has excellent customer service and financial ratings.

We chose Guardian Life as our overall top pick because it is a well-established provider with countrywide coverage. You can be assured of its financial stability with its A++ rating from AM Best and  AA+ rating from Standard & Poor’s. It is underwritten through the Berkshire Life Insurance Company of America.

Guardian offers short-term disability insurance and customizable long-term disability insurance policies, such as the Provider Choice plan. This flexible plan has various built-in features, like a hospice care benefit, occupational rehabilitation, and non-cancelable and guaranteed renewal. With other optional riders like catastrophic disability, cost of living adjustment, student loan, and retirement protection options, you can tailor a comprehensive plan to suit you.

You can choose benefit periods of two, five, or 10 years, or until the age of 65 or 70. Plans are guaranteed renewable until age 65 or 70 under certain policies and conditions. You must contact an agent to purchase.

Guardian uses the "own-occupation" definition of disability, meaning you can collect benefits if you can’t do any or all of your current job. This is in contrast to the "any-occupation" definition, meaning you are unable to work in any job, which is considerably more difficult to qualify under.

Exact quotes are not available on the website.

What sets Guardian above the competition is its range of included and optional riders that allow you to customize your long-term disability insurance.

Get a Quote

Why We Chose It: Northwestern Mutual earns our best for self-employed ranking because it offers coverage to gig workers and high earners, with customizable policies. It also has an excellent reputation, financial strength, and good customer service track-record.

A range of customization options makes Northwestern particularly useful for self-employed people. It has policies for part-time workers, home workers, and self-employed specialists in medical fields, which can be difficult to find with other carriers.

Northwestern Mutual is a popular and long-standing provider with an A++ rating from AM Best, and an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB), which, combined with flexibility, is why it's our No. 1 self-employed long-term disability insurance.

Although Northwestern’s website offers details of its short- and long-term disability and long-term care insurance, you’ll need to contact a local agent when you’re ready to buy a policy. You can find coverage across the United States. 

Northwestern has four definitions of total disability and also offers partial disability coverage for those who can only work part-time. Its policies typically cover illnesses and injuries that prevent you from working for 24 months. This could include cancer and chronic illnesses and injuries requiring multiple surgeries or a long recovery time.

Benefits kick-in after 180 days and pay until age 67. They are generally 65% of your salary, maxing out at $12,000 per month. Renewability depends on the policy and option chosen.

Get a Quote

Why We Chose It: Assurity is our best for high-risk occupations pick as it offers accessible rates for those in hazardous jobs like laborers, mechanics, and bus drivers.

Assurity policies embrace people working in a broad range of jobs, from office work to laborers, no matter if they are in risky occupations. This factor, along with affordable policy prices, made Assurity our top pick for high-risk occupations insurance.

When considering Assurity’s financial strength, note its rating of A- from AM Best: As the fourth-highest rating, this means it is not as stable as some of its competitors.

You can find quotes online with Assurity, but you’ll need an insurance agent if you want to then buy a policy. Policies are guaranteed renewable until age 67, with elimination periods of 30, 60, 90, 180, or 365 days.

Assurity offers a range of additional riders that provide flexibility. Riders include catastrophic disability, critical illness, and retroactive injury. There’s also a non-cancelable rider, which protects you from reduced benefits, canceled policies, or increased premiums. However, it’s only available during the first five years.

Assurity also caters to people with high salaries, as it maxes out at $20,000 in monthly benefits. However, it won’t cover some occupations like armed forces, athletes, and students. Curiously, it won’t cover self-employed artists, either.

People countrywide, except for the state of New York, can opt for Assurity long-term disability insurance with a range of policy riders.

Get a Quote

Why We Chose It: We chose Principal Financial Group as our ease of qualifications pick because it offers various disability insurance policies, including the Simplified DI program. People can qualify for up to $6,000 a month in long-term benefits quickly and easily with no medical exam.

Principal only requires employment of 20 hours a week to qualify for a policy. With its Simplified DI policy, there’s no medical exam. Instead, you’ll need to answer questions during a phone interview and it will approve or refuse coverage within a few days. 

Principal provides disability insurance policies across the United States with up to $20,000 in monthly benefits. However, if you use the simplified underwriting option this maxes out at $6,000. 

With Principal, you can select the level of protection that you prefer. Basic policies offering $700 to $800 in monthly benefits cost an average of $35 to $60 per month. If you choose more comprehensive coverage, this can cost upwards of $220, but you’ll receive payments of $2,500 each month, should you claim.

Policy details vary considerably with elimination periods from 30 to 365 days, and benefit periods of two or five years, or until ages 65, 67, or 70. Renewability also varies by policy.

Principal Financial Group began in 1879, making it one of the oldest and most successful providers in the United States. Its financial strength is rated A+ by AM Best and it has an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau (BBB).

Get a Quote

Why We Chose It: Our top budget pick is Breeze, offering low monthly premiums with adequate coverage.

Breeze makes the online process easy, with a website prompt to check your price. We found the lowest prices were around $30, offering benefits of $700 with a five-year benefit period and 90-day waiting period. 

If you’re under 50 with a policy worth less than $4,000 monthly, you don’t need a medical exam. Coverage maxes out at $20,000 per month. Elimination or waiting periods vary, and policies are renewable until age 65 or 67, providing you buy the policy before 62. 

People across the United States can buy a Breeze long-term disability policy, except for in New York state. You also can purchase supplemental options for critical illnesses, catastrophic disability, your own occupation, and others.

A Breeze policy won’t cover you for pre-existing conditions or some occupations, like authors, athletes, the armed forces, and students.

Breeze uses the Assurity Life Insurance Company to underwrite its policies. Assurity has an A- rating with AM Best and a Better Business Bureau A+ rating.