7 Reasons You Need Disability Insurance (But Didn’t Know It)

You may have different insurance policies to cover different parts of your life. Perhaps you have car insurance, home insurance, or life insurance to protect yourself and your family.

But what about disability insurance? It may not be an option you've considered before, but it could be something you want to add to your insurance portfolio.

If any of these things describe you, you might be a good candidate for disability insurance.

Disability insurance is coverage that helps you pay for different aspects of your life by replacing a portion of your income if you become disabled due to an accident or illness during your working years.

A disability insurance policy can give you financial protection if you're unable to work for an extended time period or if you are no longer able to work. In those cases, your policy will provide a benefit that can help pay for everyday costs and one-time expenses.

You receive fixed monthly benefits under a disability insurance policy. This money can be used to cover anything you need, and you'll continue to receive payments while you are temporarily or permanently out of work.

Your disability insurance policy's benefit could help cover things like credit card bills, car payments, or your mortgage. You also may have other bills and expenses that your insurance can help pay for.

Different types of people with different issues may make it more important to get insurance.

It's a good idea to review your budget, savings, and other financial investments to see if you may be one of these types who need insurance.

You may be the sole provider for a family if your spouse is a stay-at-home parent or you're the only one taking care of elderly parents or family members.

Consider disability insurance if you have someone in your life who depends on your income to make sure bills are paid and purchases can be covered.

Parents with young children should consider disability insurance in case they can no longer work either temporarily or permanently.

You'll want to consider everyday expenses like food or school supplies as well as other expenses like tuition. Disability insurance could also be important if you're responsible for child support payments that will need to be covered.

It can be harder to get back to work after a debilitating illness or injury if you have a physically demanding job rather than work in an office job behind a desk. 

So, you'll want to factor in how much physical work your job requires and what you'll be limited to if you're disabled for a period of time.

It's important to consider any potential worker's compensation you may receive if you're injured on your job, but other injuries and illnesses may not be covered if they happen outside your employment.

If you're self-employed, you don't have paid vacation days that you can take if you're injured or sick. You also might have professional expenses in addition to personal expenses that need to be covered even if you can't work.

If this is your situation, you may want to find a disability policy that can cover all the bills — both for your business and your home life — while you're unable to work.

Your job may include specialized skills that can't be done if you're disabled for the short or long term. An insurance policy called "own occupation" can cover you even if you can do other work but not your specialty.

You may have debt that you have to pay on a monthly basis, such as a mortgage, car payment, or student loan.

It can be difficult to pay off your debt while you're disabled or unable to work. Your disability insurance will kick in to cover the costs so you don't fall behind and get into more debt.

Some employers offer disability coverage as part of their benefits package, which may also include health insurance and a 401(k) match.

Group disability insurance generally covers up to 50% or 60% of lost wages for individual employees. You can also purchase individual disability insurance if your employer doesn't offer it, you're not interested in your company's policy, or you want additional coverage. 

Costs for individual and group plans vary. It's also important to note that you may be taxed on your benefits.

Disability insurance could be a good option to prepare yourself financially, depending on how you plan to pay for expenses if you become disabled. But it's important to weigh the costs with the potential benefits.

You'll also want to shop around to get the best plan, like you would shop for car insurance, homeowners insurance, or life insurance to make sure you get the best coverage within the limits of your budget.