Short-Term Disability and Pregnancy

Part of the Learning Center · included with every paid plan

Short-term disability insurance is the most common source of paid income during the weeks after childbirth, yet fewer than half of US workers have access to it. For the families who do, the benefit replaces a portion of wages during the period a provider certifies the birth parent as unable to work. That period has a defined start, a defined end, and a set of filing steps that determine whether the money arrives on time or arrives late. This guide explains how STD policies treat pregnancy, what the benefit windows look like, how to file, and what happens when the disability period ends and bonding leave begins.

What this guide covers

· The landscape: who has coverage and who does not
· How STD policies treat childbirth
· Benefit windows by delivery type
· Employer group plans vs. individual policies
· The five state TDI programs
· Filing mechanics
· Tax treatment of STD benefits
· The STD-to-bonding-leave handoff
· Where the plan comes in

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Sources this guide is verified against

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employee Benefits in the United States, March 2025: https://www.bls.gov/ebs/publications/employee-benefits-in-the-united-states-march-2025.htm
U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Facts About Pregnancy Discrimination: https://www.eeoc.gov/fact-sheet/facts-about-pregnancy-discrimination
U.S. Department of Labor, Family and Medical Leave Act: https://www.dol.gov/general/topic/benefits-leave/fmla
Electronic Code of Federal Regulations, 29 CFR 825.207, Substitution of paid leave: https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-C/part-825/subpart-B/section-825.207
Social Security Administration, Temporary Disability Insurance Program Description: https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/statcomps/supplement/2016/tempdisability.html
California Employment Development Department, Disability Insurance Benefit Payment Amounts: https://edd.ca.gov/en/disability/Calculating_DI_Benefit_Payment_Amounts/
California Employment Development Department, Contribution Rates and Benefit Amounts: https://edd.ca.gov/en/disability/Contribution_Rates_and_Benefit_Amounts/
New Jersey Department of Labor, 2026 Benefit Rates Announcement: https://www.nj.gov/labor/lwdhome/press/2025/20251229_newbenefitrates2026.shtml
New Jersey Division of Temporary Disability and Family Leave Insurance, When You're Pregnant or Just Had a Baby: https://www.nj.gov/labor/myleavebenefits/worker/maternity/
New York Disability Benefits Law, Short-Term Disability Benefits: https://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/new-york-short-term-disability-benefits-sdi.html
Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training, Temporary Disability Insurance: https://dlt.ri.gov/individuals/temporary-disability-caregiver-insurance
Hawaii Department of Labor, About Temporary Disability Insurance: https://labor.hawaii.gov/dcd/home/about-tdi/
IRS, Publication 525, Taxable and Nontaxable Income: https://www.irs.gov/publications/p525

Every figure checked against official sources; last reviewed August 2026. Mothers Plan provides information and organization, not legal, tax, financial, or medical advice.