How Much Does SSDI Pay?
Social Security Disability Insurance pays monthly compensation to eligible workers who have severe disabilities that prevent them from working. The amount you receive is based on your lifetime earnings. The maximum monthly disability payment you can receive in 2025 is $4,018. However, few workers receive the maximum. The average monthly disability payment is $1,537.
- Individuals receiving SSDI may qualify for food stamps through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), depending on their income and household size.
- SSDI benefits are counted as income when determining eligibility for food stamps, but certain deductions can reduce the countable income.
- Applying for food stamps can provide additional financial support for SSDI recipients struggling to afford groceries.
- The combination of SSDI and food stamps can help disabled individuals meet their nutritional needs more effectively.
How Are SSDI Payments Calculated?
The Social Security Administration calculates SSDI benefits using a formula based on your past earnings.
How Social Security Decides Which Earnings To Use
If your work history is longer than 35 years, the Social Security Administration will only use the 35 years with the highest earnings in your benefit calculations. If your earnings history is shorter than 35 years, the SSA will use your lifetime earnings.
If your SSDI claim is approved, the SSA will automatically apply the disability freeze from your “established onset date” — the date SSA determines that your disability started. By freezing months while you are receiving disability, you are not penalized and it can help you receive a higher retirement monthly benefit.
Social Security Adjusts Your Past Earnings for Inflation
Before plugging your earnings into the benefits calculator, the Social Security Administration calculates the average indexed monthly earnings, or AIME. This calculation adjusts your past earnings for inflation so that your monthly benefit will reflect the cost of living for the current year.
Your SSDI Benefit Will Equal Your Full Retirement Benefit
Your full Social Security retirement benefits normally become available when you reach your full retirement age, which is 66 or 67, depending on the year you were born. You have the option of starting your benefits when you are 62, but they will be reduced. You can also receive an increased benefit if you delay your retirement until you reach 70. The amount you would receive at your full retirement age is known as the primary insurance amount, or PIA. Your monthly SSDI benefit is based on this amount.
What Is the Limit on How Much You Can Make and Still Receive SSDI?
Social Security awards disability benefits when a medical condition makes it impossible to earn income equivalent to substantial gainful activity. This doesn’t mean you cannot work at all. However, you must report all earnings to the Social Security Administration. You are ineligible for SSDI if you earn above the SSA’s threshold for substantial gainful activity, or SGA. The 2024 SSDI earnings limit is $1,550, or $2,590 if you are blind. These limits change annually.
Trial Work Periods
If you want to attempt a return to work while receiving SSDI, Social Security offers a nine-month trial work period, during which you will not lose your benefits. The SSA places no limits on your income during your trial work period. The nine months do not have to be consecutive, and you can take up to five years to complete your work trial. If you earn more than $1,110 in any month during the trial work period, it will count toward the nine months.
If you successfully complete your nine-month work trial, you will enter an extended period of eligibility, or EPE, for three years. You will not receive benefits for any month you earn more than the substantial gainful activity limit. However, you will still receive your benefits when you earn less. If your earnings are consistently above the limit, your benefits will end at the end of the three years. You can request an expedited reinstatement during the following five years if you cannot keep working. After five years, you would need to submit a new application.
What is the Highest SSDI Payment You Can Receive Per Month?
The maximum monthly SSDI payment maximum monthly SSDI payment in 2025 is $4,018. However, it is rare for anyone to receive this amount. Only the highest income earners with extensive work histories receive the maximum benefit.
What is the Average SSDI Payment Per Month?
The average monthly SSDI benefit in 2025 is $1,537 monthly.
Can Other Benefits Lower Your SSDI Benefits?
Receiving money from workers’ compensation or public disability benefit programs may lower your SSDI benefits. Public disability benefits programs include local, state, and federal disability programs, temporary state disability benefits, and civil service disability benefits. If you receive money from any of these programs and SSDI, your combined benefits cannot exceed 80 percent of your average current earnings before your disability’s onset. If combined benefits exceed that amount, the SSA will reduce your SSDI to bring the total down to 80 percent.
Your SSDI will be increased to your full award amount after you reach full retirement age or the other benefit ends, whichever happens first.
The 80 percent rule only applies to workers’ compensation and public benefit programs. It does not apply to the following programs:
- Disability payments from private sources, such as an employer
- Private pensions
- Insurance benefits
- Supplemental Security Income, or SSI
- VA benefits
- State and local government benefit if Social Security taxes were deducted from your earnings
If you receive benefits from any of these programs, your SSDI benefit will stay the same.
If you receive benefits from any of these programs, your SSDI benefit will stay the same.
The Social Security Administration adjusts SSDI benefits annually according to the Consumer Price Index. This is known as the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA. The COLA varies from year to year. In 2024, SSDI benefits increased by 3.2 percent. If the consumer price index does not increase, your benefits will not change that year. No adjustment occurred in 2010, 2011, and 2016. Your benefits will never decrease even if the consumer price index declines.
Family Members and SSDI Benefits
Once you start receiving SSDI benefits, each eligible family member could also receive benefits of up to 50 percent of your level. The following family members may be eligible:
- Spouse 62 or older who is not eligible for higher Social Security benefits than yours
- Unmarried divorced spouse 62 or older to whom you were married for at least 10 years and who is not eligible for a higher benefit than yours
- Unmarried children under 18 or up to 19 if still in high school
- Adult children with a disability that began before they turned 22
The total family benefits may not exceed the maximum family earnings established by Social Security. The family maximum is 85 percent of your AIME or 150 percent of your PIA, whichever is greater. In some cases, the family maximum may be as high as 180 percent of your benefits.
SSDI Back Pay
Back pay is a lump sum payment or a series of payments of the benefits you were eligible for while the SSA was processing your SSDI application. If you were disabled for an extended time before you applied for SSDI, you may also be able to receive retroactive benefits for up to 12 of those months. The table below shows the differences between retroactive benefits and back pay:
| Back Pay | Retroactive Benefits |
|---|---|
| Payments for the time from when you applied for SSDI to your approval date | Payments for the months you were disabled before you applied for SSDI |
| No limit | Limited to 12 months |
According to the Social Security Administration, it takes an average of six to eight months to receive an initial decision about your SSDI application, but every claim is different. If you receive an initial denial and seek an appeal, receiving approval could take over a year. The longer you wait for approval, the higher your back pay.
There will be a five-month waiting period from the date Social Security believes your disability began and the date your benefits begin. This waiting period will likely be over by the time your benefits are approved. However, these months are excluded from your back pay. There is no exception for those who have amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS. They have no waiting period.
Contact SSDI.org For Assistance With Getting SSDI Benefits
Qualified SSDI applicants often receive denials. The Social Security Administration has stringent application and proof requirements. Even trivial errors can result in a denial. Social Security uses human reviewers to evaluate every application. You can do everything right and still receive an undeserved denial because the Social Security Administration has made a mistake.
SSDI.org can help you get your benefits approved on the first attempt. While prevailing in an appeal can be even harder, we can also help you with that. Contact us today for a free case review.
FAQs About the SSDI Timeline
Will My Disability Benefits Change When I Turn 65?
Your disability benefits will convert to retirement benefits once you reach your full retirement age, which may be 66 or 67, depending on the year of your birth. Although 65 was considered full retirement age for many years, this is not the case today. If you are already receiving disability benefits when you turn 65, your benefits will likely remain unchanged. Read More…
Is SSDI Taxable?
A portion of your Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, or SSDI, may be taxable, depending on your income from all sources. The maximum percentage of your benefit that may be subject to federal income taxes is 85 percent. However, most people’s Social Security is not taxable. Read More…
Who Qualifies for SSDI?
To be eligible for SSDI, you must have a qualifying disability and sufficient work credits. A qualifying disability is a disabling medical condition expected to last at least 12 months or end in death. The condition must prevent you from doing the engaging in substantial gainful activit, performing the work you did previously, and adjusting to any other type of work. Read More…
How Long Does It Take to Get SSDI?
When you have a disability, stress about money can worsen your health. Social Security Disability Insurance, or SSDI, is a lifeline for many people, but how long does it take to get SSDI benefits? Unfortunately, you won’t receive money immediately, and the application and approval process can be frustratingly long. The knowledgeable professionals at Disability Advice can help you apply, prevent delays, and increase the chances your claim will be successful. Read More…
What Other Benefits Can I Get With SSDI?
When you’re receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), it can be a lifeline. However, many individuals find that SSDI alone may not fully address their financial needs. The good news is that SSDI recipients often qualify for additional benefits to help cover essential expenses like housing, healthcare, food, and other critical services. Understanding these supplemental programs can make a significant difference in managing day-to-day living costs. Read More…
On This Page
- How Are SSDI Payments Calculated?
- What Is the Limit on How Much You Can Make and Still Receive SSDI?
- What is the Highest SSDI Payment You Can Receive Per Month?
- What is the Average SSDI Payment Per Month?
- Can Other Benefits Lower Your SSDI Benefits?
- How Much Do SSDI Payments Increase Per Year?
- Family Members and SSDI Benefits
- SSDI Back Pay
- Contact Disability Advice For Assistance With Getting SSDI Benefits
