DisOne of the first questions people ask about disability benefits is: “How much money will I get?” It’s an important question. You need to know if your disability payment amount will cover your basic needs. The answer depends on which program you qualify for and several other factors. This guide explains how Social Security calculates benefit amounts so you know what to expect. Keep in mind that if you receive a small SSDI payment you may get both SSDI and SSI benefits.
SSDI Payments
SSDI payments vary from person to person. The amount you receive depends on how much you earned during your working years. Social Security looks at your lifetime earnings and uses a formula to calculate your benefit.
Average Disability Payment
In 2026, the average SSDI disability payment amount is about $1,630 per month. That’s about $18,560 per year. But this is just an average. Your payment could be higher or lower.
SSDI Payment Range
SSDI payments range from about $500 per month on the low end to $4,152 per month on the high end (in 2026). The maximum changes slightly each year.
Why such a big range? Because SSDI is based on your work history. If you worked for many years and earned good money, your disability benefit amount will be higher. If you worked for lower wages or fewer years, your benefit will be smaller.
How Social Security Calculates Your Disability Payment
Social Security uses a complicated formula, but here’s the simple version:
Step 1: They look at your earnings for every year you worked.
Step 2: They adjust these earnings for inflation. A dollar you earned in 1990 is worth more than a dollar earned in 2020 when adjusted for inflation.
Step 3: They pick your highest 35 years of earnings. If you worked less than 35 years, they use zeros for the missing years.
Step 4: They add up those 35 years and divide by 420 (the number of months in 35 years). This gives them your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME).
Step 5: They apply a formula to your AIME to get your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). This is your basic benefit amount.
The formula is weighted to help lower earners. People who earned less get a higher percentage of their past earnings replaced. Higher earners get a lower percentage but a higher dollar amount.
Learn more about how SSA calculates your disability benefit amount and how your work history affects your benefits.
How to Find Your Estimated SSDI Benefit
You don’t have to guess what your SSDI benefit would be. Social Security can tell you. Go to ssa.gov and create a “mySocialSecurity” account. Your account contains your Social Security Benefits Statement which shows your estimated disability benefit amount based on your current work record.
TIP: You can see the work/earnings record that Social Security has for you. You should look at it to make sure it is correct.
SSI Disability Payment Amounts
SSI works completely differently from SSDI. With SSI, everyone gets the same base amount. The amount doesn’t depend on your work history because SSI doesn’t require work credits.
Federal SSI Payment
In 2026, the maximum federal SSI payment is:
– $994 per month for one person
– $1,491 per month for a married couple (if both qualify)
That’s it. Whether you never worked or you worked 15 years ago, the SSI base payment is the same. The only thing that matters is your current financial situation.
Why You Might Get Less Than the Maximum Disability Payment Amount
Most people who get SSI don’t receive the full base amount. Social Security reduces your SSI if you have any other income or if you are married.
Spouse’s Income Affect SSI Payment
Your spouse’s income could affect your eligibility for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The Social Security Administration (SSA) awards to people with limited income and low assets. Because SSI benefits are need-based, your spouse’s income could show that you have less need than another claimant with no extra income. However, the SSA will only deem certain portions of your spouse’s income to you.
Types of income that reduce SSI:
– Wages from work
– SSDI benefits
– Pensions
– Unemployment
– Workers’ compensation
– Money from family or friends
– Free food or housing (called “in-kind support”)
How much SSI reduces:
Social Security ignores the first $20 of most income each month. This is called the general income exclusion.
For wages, they also ignore the first $65, plus they only count half of your remaining wages. This is called the earned income exclusion.
If you live in someone else’s house and do not contribute your fair share of the household expenses, your SSI benefit payment amount will be reduced by 1/3. In 2026, the reduced payment amount is $662.67.
State Supplements
Some states add extra money on top of the federal SSI payment. These are called state supplements. The amounts vary by state from $10 to over $100.
The supplement depends on your living situation. You might get more if you live alone versus living with others.
Check if your state provides SSI supplements and how much you might receive.
Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA)
Both SSDI and SSI increase each year to keep up with inflation. This is called the Cost of Living Adjustment or COLA.
Social Security calculates the COLA based on the Consumer Price Index. When prices go up, benefits go up too.
Recent COLA increases:
– 2026: 2.8%
– 2025: 2.5% increase
– 2024: 3.2% increase
– 2023: 8.7% increase (unusually high due to inflation)
– 2022: 5.9% increase
– 2021: 1.3% increase
The COLA applies to Social Security disability benefits automatically. You don’t have to do anything.
This protection is valuable. Without COLA increases, inflation would slowly eat away at your benefits.
Back Pay: Money for Past Months
If Social Security approves your claim, you might receive back pay. This is money for the months between when you became disabled and when you got approved. Read more about how Social Security backpay is calculated.
Benefits for Your Family Members
If you get SSDI, your family members might also qualify for benefits. SSI doesn’t provide family benefits, but SSDI does. Your spouse and minor children may receive benefits if your contributions to Social Security were high enough before you became disabled. Disability payments for family members are determined by their relationship to you and the amount of your payment.
Medicare and Medicaid
Besides cash benefits, you’ll also get health insurance.
Medicare (SSDI)
After you’ve received SSDI for 24 months, you automatically qualify for Medicare. This isn’t included in your monthly benefit amount, but it’s extremely valuable. The premium is deducted from your monthly payment, but if your disability benefit payment amount is low enough, you may qualify for programs that will pay the premium for you.
Medicaid (SSI)
In most states, SSI recipients automatically qualify for Medicaid. Medicaid is can be better than Medicare because:
– It covers more services
– It includes dental and vision
– It has little or no co-pays
– It covers prescriptions
Medicaid doesn’t cost anything. It’s free for SSI recipients.
If you receive SSDI but your payment amount is low, then you may also qualify for Medicaid and get coverage under both plans.
Learn more about Medicaid and Medicare coverage.
Other Income While on Disability
Can you have other income while getting disability benefits? It depends on the source and amount.
Workers’ Compensation
If you get workers’ compensation, it might reduce your SSDI. Social Security limits combined benefits to 80% of your average current earnings. Note that this applies to people in most states. Some states are referred to as “reverse-offset” meaning that your worker’s comp payment amount will be reduced, rather than your Social Security payment amount.
Pensions
Private pensions usually don’t affect SSDI. You can get both your pension and SSDI.
Government pensions might reduce your SSDI if you didn’t pay Social Security taxes on those earnings. This is called the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).
For SSI, any pension counts as income and reduces your disability payment amount.
Investment Income Effect on Disability Payment Amount
Investment income (interest, dividends, rental income) doesn’t affect SSDI at all. You can receive SSDI and have investment income.
For SSI, investment income counts against you and reduces your payment.
Retirement Benefits
You can’t get both SSDI and regular Social Security retirement at the same time. But when you reach full retirement age (67 for most people), your SSDI automatically converts to retirement benefits. The amount usually stays the same.
Learn about working while on disability and how earnings affect benefits.
Long-Term Disability Benefits
LTD benefits do not affect the amount of your SSDI payment, but you may owe your LTD company a large portion of your backpay once you are approved. Your LTD monthly payment may also decrease. These will depend on the terms of your plan and your LTD company can tell you how SSDI will affect your LTD benefits.
For SSI the LTD benefits are considered income. You may also owe the LTD carrier a portion of your backpay and receive a lower payment.
Inheritance
Inheriting money or property will not affect your SSDI disability payment amount.
If you are on SSI, then an inheritance may be counted as income in the month you receive it and an asset in future months. If a family member plans to leave you an inheritance, they should speak with an estate planning attorney to ask about setting up a special needs trust to avoid having the inheritance reduce your SSI disability payment amount.
How a Lawyer Maximizes Your Benefits
A disability lawyer helps you get the most money possible:
We argue for the earliest onset date. This maximizes your back pay. The earlier your onset date, the more back pay you receive.
We ensure accurate earnings records. Sometimes Social Security’s records are wrong. We verify your earnings history is complete and accurate.
We identify all family members who qualify. Many people don’t realize their children or spouse can get benefits. We make sure you receive all benefits your family deserves.
We help with concurrent benefits. If you qualify for both SSDI and SSI, we make sure you receive both.
We’ve been doing this for over 25 years. We know how to maximize your benefits. And remember, you don’t pay us unless we win your case.
Get Help Understanding Your Benefits
Knowing how much you’ll receive helps you plan for the future. Whether it’s SSDI, SSI, or both, these benefits can provide crucial financial support when you can’t work.
We offer free consultations. Call us today at 888-966-6566 or use the contact form to discuss your case. We’ll help you estimate what you might receive and explain how to maximize your benefits. There’s no obligation and no cost to talk with us.
Don’t wait. The sooner you apply, the sooner you can start receiving the benefits you need.Disa
