How Much Short Term Disability Insurance Do I Need? 
Short Term disability Insurance pays a percentage of your salary if you become temporarily disabled , meaning that you are not able to work for a short period of time due to a sickness or injury -LRB- excluding on-the-job-injuries , which are covered by workers compensation insurance -RRB- . A typical short-term disability insurance policy provides you with 40 to 65 percent of your pre-disability base salary , according to the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education . The National Association of Insurance Commissioners estimates that these benefits generally last between three to six months . Most short-term disability insurance policies have a `` cap '' , meaning you receive a maximum benefit amount per month . Short-term disability insurance policies also have a limit on the amount of times that you can receive benefits-up to two years , according to the Insurance Information Institute . . 