Short-Term Disability for Maternity Leave: What Expecting Moms Need to Know
Quick Answer: Short-term disability for maternity leave provides wage replacement, typically 40% to 100% of your salary, for 6 to 8 weeks after you give birth. It's one of only four ways new moms can get paid during parental leave in the U.S., and understanding how to navigate your policy before your due date can make the difference between maximizing your paid time off and leaving money on the table.
If you're trying to piece together your maternity leave pay, short-term disability insurance is probably part of the puzzle. But understanding how disability insurance benefits actually work feels about as clear as reading your insurance company's fine print at 2 a.m. while dealing with pregnancy insomnia. This blog post only discusses short-term disability; we actually have a more comprehensive article, Disability 101, that you can read here.
Here's what you need to know to make short-term disability coverage work for you—not against you in 2025.
What Is Short-Term Disability for Maternity Leave?
Short-term disability (STD) is an insurance benefit that replaces a portion of your income when you're unable to work due to a medical condition, and yes, pregnancy and childbirth qualify. Unlike paid family leave benefits, which are designed for bonding time, short-term disability covers the physical recovery period after giving birth.
Most short-term disability insurance policies provide coverage for:
6 weeks for vaginal delivery
8 weeks for cesarean section (C-section)
This recovery period begins the day you give birth and covers the time when you're physically healing from delivery. If you experience postpartum complications, like a C-section infection, severe postpartum depression, or other medical conditions, you may qualify for extended coverage beyond the standard 6 or 8 weeks, sometimes up to 12 weeks or more depending on your policy.
How Short-Term Disability Coverage Works for Pregnancy in 2025-2026
There are two types of short-term disability for maternity leave: employer-sponsored plans through private insurance companies, and state disability insurance programs available in California, New Jersey and New York.
Employer-Sponsored Short-Term Disability
With employer-sponsored coverage, your employer may pay the full premium, or you might contribute through payroll deductions, which matters more than you think when it comes to taxes (more on that later).
Here's the critical piece most expecting moms miss: You typically can't enroll in short-term disability insurance once you're already pregnant. Pregnancy is considered a pre existing condition by most policies, which means you need to be covered before you conceive. If you're planning to get pregnant, enrolling during your company's open enrollment period is essential.
State Disability Insurance Programs (2025-2026 Rates)
If you live in one of the five states with state disability insurance, you have access to these programs in addition to (or instead of) employer-sponsored coverage. Here are the most current rates:
California State Disability Insurance:
Benefit amount: 70-90% wage replacement (increased from 60-70% in 2024)
90% for workers earning less than approximately $63,000 annually
70% for workers earning more
Maximum weekly benefit: $1,765 in 2026 (up from $1,681 in 2025)
Duration: Up to 52 weeks for medical conditions
New Jersey Temporary Disability Insurance:
Benefit amount: 85% of average weekly salary
Maximum weekly benefit: $1,199 in 2026 (up from $1,081 in 2025)
Duration: Up to 26 weeks
New York Disability Benefits Law (2025):
Benefit amount: 50% of average weekly wage
Maximum weekly benefit: $170
Duration: Up to 26 weeks
Note: 2026 rates for New York have not yet been announced. New York typically announce their annual rate adjustments in late fall or early winter.
The rest of this article focuses primarily on employer-sponsored short-term disability, but many of these principles apply to state programs as well.
8 Critical Questions to Answer Before Your Due Date
Before your baby arrives, make sure you have clear answers to these essential questions about your short-term disability coverage:
Are you eligible? Check in with your HR or insurance provider to make sure you're covered. If not, find out if you can still enroll or if you have any options.
How many weeks are you covered for? Most plans offer 6 weeks for a vaginal delivery and 8 for a C-section, but this can vary.
How much will you get paid? STD usually provides between 40% and 100% of your income. Find out exactly what your policy offers.
Does your plan have a cap? Many policies have a weekly or monthly max, so even if your policy offers 60, 80, or 100% of your salary, you may hit the max well before that.
How do you file a claim? Find out what paperwork is required and when you can submit it. Get this squared away before your baby arrives. The last thing you want is to be calling HR from your hospital bed like Laura did!
Is there a waiting period? Most policies don't kick in right away, so check how long it'll take before your first payment shows up. A one-week waiting period is most common, but we've seen two- and even four-week waiting periods.
How long can you receive benefits? It's usually 6 or 8 weeks depending on your delivery type, but if you have postpartum complications, you might qualify for a disability extension up to 12, 18, or 20 weeks or more and continue to get paid, as long as you have a certification from your doctor.
What about taxes? Make sure you talk to a tax advisor, but as a general guideline: if your employer pays the STD premium, your benefits are probably taxable. If you pay your monthly premium, they're usually not. And if you're splitting the premium between you and your employer, you only have to pay taxes on a portion of it.
Understanding Your Benefit Amount and Payment Structure
When you apply for short-term disability, the benefit amount you receive from employer-sponsored plans typically ranges from 40% to 100% of your pre-disability wages. But here's where it gets tricky: many policies have a weekly or monthly maximum cap.
Example: Your policy might offer 60% wage replacement, but if you earn $100,000 annually and your policy caps at $1,000 per week, you'll receive less than 60% of your actual income.
What Affects Your Benefit Amount:
Your salary before disability
Your policy's replacement percentage (40%, 60%, 80%, or 100%)
Weekly or monthly benefit caps
Your employer's contribution to premiums (affects taxation)
Elimination period or waiting period (typically 1 week, but sometimes 2-4 weeks)
Important: Most short-term disability policies don't coordinate with state disability insurance if you have both. However, you may be able to transition from short-term disability to paid family leave benefits after your recovery period ends, giving you additional weeks of paid bonding time at 60-90% wage replacement depending on your state.
The Typical Timeline: From Due Date to Return
Your short-term disability coverage for maternity leave usually follows this pattern:
Before your due date: Some policies allow you to start short-term disability if you have pregnancy complications that prevent you from working (like bed rest orders or hyperemesis gravidarum)
Day of delivery: Your maternity leave clock officially starts
Elimination period: Most policies have a waiting period (typically 1 week) before payments begin
Weeks 1-6 (or 1-8): Standard benefit period weeks after you give birth for uncomplicated births
Extended coverage: Additional time if certified by your doctor for postpartum complications
How to File a Claim for Short-Term Disability
The last thing you want to be doing from your hospital bed is tracking down claim forms and calling HR representatives. Filing your short-term disability claim before your due date, or at least knowing exactly what's required, saves massive headaches later.
Steps to file a claim:
Contact HR or your insurance company 30-60 days before your due date
Gather required documentation: Claim forms, medical certification from your doctor, proof of delivery
Submit your claim according to your policy's timeline (some require filing before delivery, others allow post-delivery submission)
Follow up on claim status to ensure timely processing
Provide additional documentation if you're seeking an extension for complications
Pro tip: Get copies of all forms ahead of time and have your healthcare provider's office information ready. Some policies require your doctor to complete portions of the claim, which can delay processing if you wait until after delivery.
The Waiting Period (Elimination Period) Explained
Most short-term disability policies include an elimination period, the number of days you must be disabled before your benefits kick in. For maternity leave, this typically ranges from 7 to 14 days, though we've seen waiting periods as long as 30 days.
Why this matters: If your policy has a 1-week elimination period and provides 6 weeks of coverage for vaginal delivery, you'll only receive 5 weeks of paid benefits. That first week is unpaid unless you use vacation or sick time.
Some employers offer "salary continuation" during the elimination period, effectively covering that gap. Check your employee handbook or ask HR directly whether you'll be paid during the waiting period.
Coverage for Medical Conditions and Postpartum Complications
One of the most underutilized aspects of short-term disability coverage is the ability to extend benefits for postpartum complications. If you experience medical conditions that prevent you from returning to work after the standard 6-8 week recovery period weeks after you give birth, you may qualify for additional weeks of paid disability, sometimes up to 12 weeks or more, depending on your policy.
Conditions that may qualify for extended coverage:
Complicated C-section recovery
Postpartum depression or anxiety requiring treatment
Postpartum preeclampsia
Infections or surgical complications
Carpal tunnel syndrome
Severe anemia requiring treatment
Any condition where you're unable to work due to medical necessity
The key is documentation: you'll need medical certification from your healthcare provider stating you're unable to work due to your condition and estimating how long your recovery will take.
How Short-Term Disability Coordinates with Other Leave Benefits
Navigating short-term disability alongside other benefits like the Family and Medical Leave Act FMLA and paid family leave can feel like solving a Rubik's cube blindfolded.
Here's the basic framework:
FMLA provides up to 12 weeks of job-protected, unpaid leave (if you work for a covered employer with 50+ employees and you've worked 1,250 hours in the past year)
Short-term disability runs concurrently with FMLA and provides wage replacement during your physical recovery
Paid family leave (in states that offer it) typically begins after your STD coverage ends, providing additional paid bonding time
Example timeline:
Weeks 0-6: Short-term disability (60% pay) + FMLA (job protection)
Weeks 7-14: Paid Family Leave (70-90% pay in CA, depending on income) + remaining FMLA
Weeks 15+: Unpaid leave or accrued vacation time
Understanding how these benefits stack can help you create a comprehensive leave plan that maximizes both your time off and your income. In California specifically, the 2025 changes mean lower-income workers can now receive up to 90% wage replacement during both their disability and bonding periods—a significant improvement from previous years.
Are Short-Term Disability Benefits Taxable?
The taxation of your short-term disability benefits depends entirely on who pays the premium:
If your employer pays 100% of the premium: Your benefits are taxable as income
If you pay 100% of the premium: Your benefits are tax-free
If you split the premium with your employer: Only the portion attributable to your employer's contribution is taxable
This is why it sometimes makes sense to pay your own STD premiums if given the option—the tax-free benefits can result in higher take-home pay during your leave.
Note: State disability insurance benefits (like California SDI) are generally not subject to federal income tax when you've paid the premiums through payroll deductions. However, state tax treatment may vary.
Always consult with a tax advisor about your specific situation, but understanding this general rule can help you plan your leave finances more accurately.
What If You Don't Have Short-Term Disability Coverage?
If you don't have employer-sponsored short-term disability and don't live in one of the five states with state disability insurance programs, you have limited options for replacing your income during maternity leave:
Employer-paid maternity leave (if your company offers it)
Accrued sick time and vacation
Unpaid FMLA leave (with job protection only)
Individual disability insurance (but pregnancy is typically excluded as a pre existing condition if purchased after conception)
This is why planning ahead is crucial. If you're considering pregnancy and your employer offers short-term disability insurance, enroll during the next open enrollment period, even if it seems far off. That coverage could be worth thousands of dollars when your baby arrives.
Don't Navigate This Alone
Short-term disability for maternity leave is just one piece of a complex parental leave puzzle. Between state disability insurance, paid family leave benefits, FMLA protections, and employer-specific policies, figuring out your optimal leave strategy takes time and expertise that most expecting parents simply don't have.
If you're feeling overwhelmed by the paperwork, confused about your benefit amount, or worried you might be leaving paid time on the table, you're not alone, and you don't have to figure it out yourself.
At Hello Bundle, we help expecting parents across the U.S. create customized parental leave plans that maximize both time off and pay. Whether you need help understanding how to file a claim, coordinating multiple benefits, or creating a week-by-week leave timeline, we'll handle the details so you can focus on preparing for your baby.
Book a free consultation call to see how we can help you navigate your specific situation. No confusing insurance jargon, no judgment about what you don't know—just straightforward guidance from people who actually understand how this stuff works.
Ready to stop stressing about your maternity leave and start feeling confident about your plan? Book your free call and let's figure this out together.
About Hello Bundle
Hello, Bundle helps new and expecting parents navigate parental leave so they can take the maximum amount of paid parental leave possible when they welcome a child into their family. We provide daily parental leave tips and tricks on TikTok and Instagram, and offer personalized support across the U.S. through consulting calls, custom parental leave calendars, and PDF parental leave guides. Get support in your state here.
