How Much Would I Draw On Disability

Your SSDI payment depends on your boilerplate lifetime earnings. Here's how to find out how much you could go far 2022, and how other sources of income come into play.

If you're eligible for Social Security Inability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, the amount you receive each month will be based on your boilerplate lifetime earnings before your disability began. Different veterans compensation, workers' comp, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments, SSDI isn't based on how severe your disability is or how much income yous have—everything depends on those lifetime earnings.

Near SSDI recipients receive between $700 and $one,400 per month. But if you're receiving disability payments from other sources, your payment may be reduced. (More on reduced payments beneath.)

Estimating Your Social Security Disability Corporeality

In 2022, the average SSDI payment for an individual is $1,358, but almost two-thirds of SSDI recipients receive less than that. And only 10% of SSDI recipients receive $2,000 per month or more.

The 2022 boilerplate monthly benefit for an SSDI recipient who has a spouse and children is $2,383. (Minor children and spouses who are taking intendance of children or are retirement age tin also get benefits.)

Because benefit amounts depend on lifetime earnings, in that location's a large range in how much Social Security pays. For instance, let'south wait at historic period 55, the near common age disabilities start. For 55-year-olds who take worked their entire lives, Social Security typically pays $ane,000 to $ii,700. The benefits pay chart hither shows yous the ranges based on income. SSDI pay ranges for age 55

Within those ranges, the amount you'll receive will depend on the post-obit:

your boilerplate income over 35 years
whether yous paid self-employment taxes if yous owned your ain business or freelanced
whether yous worked in whatsoever jobs that didn't pay into the Social Security system (such equally state or local government jobs), and
whether you took whatsoever years off work for child-rearing or long-term illness.

Calculating Your Monthly SSDI Payment

The exact amount of money people become for SSDI each month is unique for every individual. The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses a circuitous weighted formula to calculate benefits for each person, up to 2022's maximum do good of $3,345.

Doing the math yourself is hard, merely here'southward how the formula works. (Fortunately, there are easier means to find out how much in Social Security disability you'll get, which we encompass in the side by side section.)

AIME. Social Security bases your retirement and inability benefits on the corporeality of income on which you've paid Social Security taxes—called "covered earnings." Your average covered earnings over the past 35 years is known equally your "boilerplate indexed monthly earnings" (AIME).

Bend points. The SSDI formula uses stock-still percentages of different amounts of income. These percentages, called "bend points," are adapted each yr. In 2022, here are the bend points and how they come up together:

90% of the first $1,024 of your AIME
plus 32% of your AIME from $1,024 to $6,172
plus fifteen% of your AIME over $6,172.

PIA. Adding those three figures together gives the SSA your main insurance corporeality (PIA). Your PIA is the base of operations figure the SSA uses in setting your benefit amount.

How Do I Find Out My Social Security Do good Amount?

Your Social Security Statement, which the SSA recently redesigned, is the best place to observe your SSDI benefit amount. Y'all can find your argument online at www.ssa.gov/myaccount. (Note that Social Security only sends out printed statements to people over sixty who aren't receiving benefits and don't have an online business relationship at Social Security's website.)

If you don't receive benefits however, your Social Security Argument will bear witness y'all what your SSDI payment will be if you get approved for disability benefits this yr. Information technology also shows what your retirement do good would be at age 62, 67, and 70. You lot can as well check your unabridged covered earnings history on your Social Security Argument.

The SSA all the same has an online benefits calculator that yous tin can use to get an estimate of your monthly benefits, only if you lot sign up for an account to encounter your new Social Security Statement, yous won't need information technology. Yous can also telephone call your local Social Security office, and a field representative volition be able to help you gauge what your benefits would exist.

Other Income That Could Reduce Your SSDI Payment

Any disability benefits y'all receive from a individual long-term inability insurance policy won't affect your SSDI benefits. Nor will SSI or VA benefits impact your SSDI amount. But government-regulated disability benefits, such equally workers' comp or temporary state disability benefits, can touch on your SSDI benefits. Hither'due south how that works: If the amount in SSDI plus the corporeality from government-regulated disability benefits is more than lxxx% of the corporeality y'all earned earlier you became disabled, the SSDI or other benefits will exist reduced.

The following types of regime benefits could lower your SSDI payment:

workers' comp payments
state curt-term inability payments
ceremonious service disability benefits, and
state or local authorities retirement benefits based on disability.

Changes to Your SSDI Amount

Most years, your monthly SSDI payment will go up, thanks to Social Security'southward annual cost of living aligning (COLA). Y'all can find the almanac COLA here.

Once you're eligible for Medicare benefits (ii years after you become entitled to SSDI benefits), the cost of Medicare Part B volition exist taken direct out of your Social Security check. Most people volition pay a premium of $158.50 for Part B in 2022, merely the amount can be quite a fleck college for those with high income. If you have low income, on the other hand, a Medicare Savings Program can pay your Part B premium.

Social Security Backpay

How much yous'll receive in Social Security disability backpay depends on your SSDI monthly corporeality. And how many months of back payments you go is adamant by your awarding appointment and your established date of onset (when your inability started). If you previously applied for disability benefits but didn't get them that time, your backpay might go back even farther—to the original awarding date. Learn more about how SSDI backpay is calculated.

_{Updated November 8, 2021}