Resident disability insurance quotes
One request returns a side-by-side comparison from Guardian, Principal, MassMutual, Ameritas, and The Standard, with every training discount you still qualify for applied. No fee and no obligation.
Residency is generally the cheapest and cleanest window to buy disability insurance, and each of the five major carriers offers a training discount that expires on its own schedule. A quote comparison during training prices all five with the discounts you still qualify for and locks a contract you will carry into practice. The comparison is free and the premium carries no markup.
What a resident quote comparison includes
Every request is priced by all five carriers at once. For a resident the comparison is weighted differently than it is for an attending, because several of these terms are available only while you are still in training.
| What we compare | Across the five carriers | Why it matters during training |
|---|---|---|
| Benefit available without income documentation | The monthly benefit each carrier will issue during training, based on training status rather than earnings. | Residents can secure a benefit well above what a training salary would otherwise support, and the amounts differ enough between carriers to be worth comparing. |
| Training discount and its deadline | The discount percentage each carrier offers and the window in which you have to apply for it. | Missing a window is a permanent cost rather than a one-year one, since the discount generally carries for the life of the policy. |
| Future increase option and its ceiling | How much coverage you can add later without new medical underwriting, and the multiple each carrier allows. | This is the provision that turns a resident policy into an attending policy, since income multiplies several times over after training. |
| Own-occupation definition for the specialty you are entering | Whether the contract will treat your intended specialty as your occupation once you are practicing. | You buy in training and claim as an attending, so the definition has to fit the specialty you are heading into. |
| Mental and nervous terms by declared specialty | How the specialty you declare on the application sets your mental and nervous terms, and which declarations carry a required 24-month cap. | Residents declaring anesthesiology, emergency medicine, or pain management generally face the required cap, while most other specialties can elect the full benefit period. |
| Exam and underwriting concessions | Which carriers will issue without blood work or a paramedical exam at your age and benefit amount. | Concessions here vary widely, and one carrier will underwrite a signed employment contract at the contracted salary with no exam at any amount. |
The full benefit limits by training stage, carrier by carrier, are in our guide to disability insurance for residents.
Training discounts and the window to claim them
Each of the five major carriers discounts coverage for physicians in training, and each sets its own deadline. Percentages and program terms below reflect the current producer guides and vary by institution and state.
| Carrier | Training discount | Window to apply |
|---|---|---|
| Guardian | 10% | Through 180 days after graduation |
| Principal | 20% resident multi-life | Apply in the graduation year; rates are gender-specific |
| MassMutual | Commonly reaching 20% | Through student and multi-life programs, which vary by institution |
| Ameritas | 15% | No minimum number of lives required. Attending staff at teaching hospitals are also eligible |
| The Standard | 15% Residency Multi-Life | From program acceptance through 180 days after training ends |
Underwriting concessions run alongside the discounts and are just as time-sensitive. Several carriers will issue to residents and new physicians without blood work or a paramedical exam within defined age and benefit ranges. Fewer requirements mean a faster decision, and they also mean fewer chances for an incidental finding to turn into a permanent exclusion on the contract you carry for the rest of your career.
Why residency is the right time to buy
Premiums are priced off your current age, so a policy issued at 28 costs materially less every year for the next thirty than the same policy issued at 38, and the training discount applies on top of that already lower rate. Both of those advantages are easy to quantify.
Insurability is the advantage that gets underweighted. About 26% of physician policies in Seaworthy's 2026 audit carry an exclusion or a rating, and in our placement experience most of those trace to something that entered the medical record between training and the eventual application. A knee scoped at 34, a course of therapy at 36, a back complaint documented in passing. None of it stops a physician from working, and any of it can permanently narrow a contract. A future increase option is what makes acting early financially workable, since it lets you secure insurability now on a resident's budget and raise the benefit as your income multiplies, without new medical underwriting. More on how physician coverage develops from there is on the residents and fellows page and the physician coverage hub.
How the comparison works
Tell us five things
Training stage and declared specialty, program and state, gender, and date of birth. No income documentation is needed.
We run all five carriers
Quotes are run simultaneously with every training discount you still qualify for applied, and the definitions read beside the price.
You decide with the full picture
You receive the side-by-side comparison, usually within one business day. Nothing goes to a carrier until you choose to apply.
No fee, and no change to your price
Seaworthy is an independent brokerage. The agency is compensated by the carrier only when you decide to place coverage, so the comparison itself costs nothing, and the premium is identical whether you apply through Seaworthy or directly with the carrier.
Prefer to talk it through first? Call (800) 518-1190.
What our clients say
"I have had the pleasure of working with Phil N. for many years to obtain professional disability insurance. He is incredibly knowledgeable, prompt, and friendly. I would recommend any of my colleagues to him and to Seaworthy Insurance!"
"Phil went above and beyond to help us. He was diligent, engaged, and thorough. He has been helping us for years and is dedicated and reliable. Highly recommend!"
"I highly recommend Phil and his team when looking for disability insurance. He is very knowledgeable and made the process straightforward. He and his team were quick to respond to any questions I had during the application process."
Resident quote questions
Is there a fee for a resident disability insurance quote comparison?
No. Seaworthy is compensated by the carrier when you choose to place coverage, so the comparison costs you nothing. The premium is the same whether you apply through Seaworthy or directly with the carrier, because commissions are built into the rates state insurance regulators approve.
Can I qualify for coverage on a resident salary?
Yes, and the amount surprises most residents. Each of the five major carriers writes residents without income documentation and disregards employer group coverage during the training-to-practice window. Published limits differ by carrier and by training stage, and the full stage-by-stage comparison is in our residents guide.
What happens if I miss a carrier's discount window?
You can still buy the policy, at standard rates. The discount is the piece that expires, and because it generally applies for the life of the contract, the cost of missing it compounds across a thirty-year premium schedule rather than showing up once. Windows also differ enough between the five that a resident who has aged out at one carrier is frequently still inside another's, which is a practical argument for comparing rather than defaulting to whichever company visited your program.
Should I buy during residency or wait until I am an attending?
In our placement experience, training is the better time. Premiums are priced off your current age, the training discount is available only now, and the health record is usually at its cleanest, which is what determines whether the contract issues without an exclusion. A future increase option then lets the benefit grow with your income later without new medical underwriting, so buying early does not mean locking in a resident-sized benefit permanently.
I am finishing residency or starting fellowship. Which limits apply to me?
Final-year residents, fellows, and physicians in their first years of practice qualify for higher benefit amounts than earlier training years at each of the five major carriers, and several extend their training discount through this period. It is a favorable overlap, since the larger benefit becomes available while the discount and the clean record are both still in reach.