Short-Term Disability Calculator for Maternity Leave

Most short-term disability (STD) plans replace a set percentage of your base wage, commonly 50% to 70%, up to a weekly dollar cap, for the weeks a doctor certifies you as recovering. Insurers most often approve about 6 weeks for an uncomplicated vaginal birth and 8 weeks for a cesarean. So on a $60,000 salary with a 60% plan and no cap, that is roughly $692 a week for 6 weeks, about $4,150 total. Your own percentage, cap, and waiting period are in your certificate of coverage, which is why this tool works from your numbers rather than an assumed plan.

No. FMLA gives eligible workers up to 12 weeks of unpaid, job-protected leave; it protects your position but pays nothing (U.S. Department of Labor). Short-term disability is insurance that replaces part of your income while you are medically unable to work. State paid family and medical leave programs (in California, New York, New Jersey, and others) are a separate, state-run wage-replacement layer with their own formulas and caps. Many parents use FMLA for job protection and STD or a state program for the paycheck.

The elimination period (also called a waiting period) is the number of days at the start of a claim before benefits begin, and those days are unpaid by the plan. Maternity claims often have no elimination period for the birth itself, but some plans use 7 or 14 days. A 14-day wait on an 8-week leave means only 6 of those weeks are paid, which the calculator reflects in both the paid-weeks figure and the income gap.

It depends on who paid the premium. If your employer paid the STD premium, or you paid it with pre-tax dollars, the benefits are generally taxable income. If you paid the premium with after-tax dollars, the benefits are generally tax-free (IRS Publication 525). This tool estimates the gross benefit; check your pay setup, because tax treatment can meaningfully change the net amount you take home.

Usually not for this pregnancy. Most individual STD policies treat a current pregnancy as a pre-existing condition, so coverage bought after conception typically will not pay for that maternity leave. Employer group STD offered during open enrollment is the common route, and it is worth electing before you are expecting. Confirm the pre-existing-condition and eligibility terms in your specific plan.

No. The calculator runs entirely in your browser and stores nothing on our servers. There is no email box and no sign-up. Your inputs are only reflected in the page's web address so you can bookmark, share, or print your result; clear the link and they are gone.