Depending on who you talk to, telecommuters live a pretty nice life. They can work in their pajamas, take time off, even sleep late. But, there is one aspect of work at home life that rarely receives attention.

There are different types of telecommuters. You have the traditional telecommuter who’s likely a self-employed business owner or independent contractor. They primarily work off-site and complete projects/assignments for companies. In contrast, you have actual company employees who have the privilege of working from home. Their freedom is limited. Hence, they usually have to submit weekly time sheets and check in with their employer throughout the day.

When making the decision to work from home, a few people explore the option of becoming a telecommute employee. True, you give up a measure of freedom and flexibility. However, you’ll enjoy several employee benefits such as paid vacations, paid health insurance, and disability insurance.

Every work at home telecommuter knows the importance of having some type of health coverage, and they are prepared to pay this cost out-of-pocket. It doesn’t have to be the best…anything is better than nothing. Yet, many telecommuters skip disability insurance.

If you were to become pregnant or seriously injured…could you survive financially?

Without disability insurance, there’s no maternity leave or short-term disability benefits. Life happens, and you’re not invincible. Therefore, it’s important for every telecommuter to have a backup plan.

Getting self-employed disability insurance is tricky…and expensive. Many insurance providers don’t offer self-employment coverage. They reason….there is no way to prove that the person actually works 40 hours a week.

Isn’t the proof in the tax return?

Anyway, a few companies provide insurance, and they use a tax return to verify income. Still, disability benefits are only 60 percent of your net income, which may not be enough. Consequently, you’ll need to establish an emergency fund.

Start small and put aside $30/per week. After two years, you’ll have more than $3,000!

The extra cash comes in handy if you have to temporarily stop working due to pregnancy, injury, surgery, carpal tunnel, etc.

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