How Much Will My Social Security Disability Benefits Be?

How Much Will My Social Security Disability Benefits Be?

When a disabling medical condition prevents you from working, financial assistance is available through the Social Security Administration. You may know about the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs. If so, you probably heard that two-thirds of the applications are denied benefits each year after a lengthy and complicated disability determination process.

At the Clauson Law Firm, our team of disability law professionals wants to assure you that getting the Social Security disability benefits you need does not have to end in frustration. As you read this blog, you’ll learn about SSI and SSDI, including the disability benefits they offer. Once you finish reading, contact an SSD lawyer at Clauson Law for a free consultation, where you’ll get answers to any questions you have and learn more about how we can help you obtain the maximum disability benefits available.

What Are The Key Differences Between The SSDI And SSI Programs?

SSDI and SSI each pay disability benefits but have different eligibility requirements. You must have a long enough work history at jobs where you and your employer paid Social Security taxes on your earnings to be eligible for disability benefits through SSI.

SSI does not have a work history requirement. Adults and children can qualify for SSI benefits without ever having held a job. SSI is a need-based program offering monthly benefits to pay for food, shelter, and other necessities of life. The program imposes strict income and resource limits as part of the eligibility requirements.

The monthly benefit payment from SSDI depends on your lifetime average earnings at jobs that were subject to payment of Social Security taxes on your earnings up to a maximum monthly benefit payment of $3,822 in 2024. The average SSDI benefit payment reported by the Social Security Administration for 2024 is $1,537.

The maximum monthly federal benefit you can receive from SSI in 2024 is $943. Eligible couples may receive up to $1,415 in 2024. If you have monthly income from other sources, that income may reduce what you receive from SSI. Some sources of income do not count toward reducing your SSI benefits, and you could receive more than the federal benefit payment.

Some states give their residents who qualify for SSI a supplemental payment. Currently, 42 of the 50 states offer supplemental payments. The following eight states do not provide supplemental payments to residents include:

• Arizona          
• Arkansas
• North Dakota
• Mississippi
• Tennessee
• West Virginia

Residents of the Northern Mariana Islands eligible for federal SSI benefits do not receive supplemental payments.

Disability Requirements For SSI And SSDI

Adults applying for SSI and SSDI must be disabled according to the definition contained in federal regulations. The regulations require that you have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that prevents you from doing substantial gainful activity. The impairment or combination of impairments must last or be expected to last for at least 12 months or be expected to result in death.

“Substantial gainful activity” is how the Social Security Administration describes the level of work activities, such as sitting, standing, walking, and lifting, you can perform and the earnings you must make to be capable of working and not disabled. Essentially, it’s the activities you do that an employer compensates you for doing.

The monetary measure of substantial gainful activity is earnings of $1,550 in 2024 for someone unable to work because of a disability other than blindness. The earnings for someone who is statutorily blind is $2,024.

The requirements for a child with a disability to be eligible for SSI are different than those of an adult. A child must have a medically determinable condition expected to last for at least 12 months, or it must be expected to cause death.

It must be proven with medical records that the medical condition causes the child to experience marked and severe and severe functional limitations. A consultation with an SSD benefits lawyer at Clauson Law can determine whether you or your child meet the criteria to qualify for disability through SSI or SSDI.

What are the monthly SSD benefit amounts from SSI?

Maximum monthly SSI benefits in 2024 are $943 for individuals and $1,415 for married couples when both spouses are eligible for SSI. Because it is a needs-based program, your monthly benefit may be less than the maximum when you have earned or unearned income from sources other than SSI.

Income is not limited to cash payments. It also includes in-kind sources of income. For example, if a friend or relative buys food for you or provides you with a place to live, the value of the food and shelter Social Security treats it as income that may affect the amount you receive during the month from SSI. However, not all income you receive during a month counts.

Federal regulations classify income into the following four types:

• Earned income includes wages and self-employment income.
• Unearned income is any income you receive that is not earned, including interest, unemployment benefits, dividends, SSDI and other Social Security benefits, and money given to you by friends or relatives that is not compensation for your work.
• In-kind income is anything someone gives you as food, shelter, or both for free or for less than its fair market value. For instance, if a friend lets you live in a room or apartment for free or for less than you’d typically pay to a landlord, its value is treated as in-kind income.
• Deemed income is a portion of the income of a spouse or parent you live with that is included as your income.

Some of the income you receive each month does not count for calculating your monthly SSI benefits.

When determining the amount of your SSI benefits, the following are some of the things that do not count as income when determining SSI monthly benefits:

• You may exclude the first $20 of unearned income each month. If you do not have unearned income for the month, you can use the $20 to exclude earned income.
• The first $65 of earned income and one-half of the remaining earnings may be excluded.
• Income tax refunds do not count as income.
• Money is given to you as a loan that must be repaid.
• Money another person uses to pay you expenses other than food and shelter.

For example, if you have $30 in unearned income and $475 in earned income, only $10 of your unearned income counts. 

Of the earned income, the first $65 is excluded, leaving a balance of $410, but only one-half of the $410, or $205, is countable. You end up with a countable earned income of $205 plus an unearned income of $10 for a total countable income of $215. When you deduct the $215 from the maximum SSI monthly benefit of $943, your benefit payment is $728 plus any supplemental payment you receive from your state.

What Are Your Monthly SSDI Benefits?

The Social Security Administration calculates your monthly SSDI benefits using your average lifetime earnings. Lifetime earnings only include what you receive as income for jobs or through self-employment on which Social Security taxes were paid. The time you are disabled or the severity of the medical condition does not affect your monthly SSDI benefits.

The monthly maximum you can receive through SSDI in 2024 is $3,822. The reason is an annual cap on the earnings subject to payment of Social Security taxes. According to the Social Security Administration, the average payment to recipients of SSDI benefits in 2024 is $1,537.

If you receive workers’ compensation and other types of benefits while collecting SSDI, they may reduce what you receive in SSD, at least until you reach full retirement age. Your SSDI payments automatically convert to Social Security retirement benefits upon reaching full retirement age.

Generally, what you receive from SSDI and your retirement benefits are the same, but you may receive more in retirement if you receive workers’ compensation or other public benefit payments. When your SSD converts to retirement, the offset for other public benefits no longer applies so that you may see an increase in the monthly retirement benefit. A Clauson Law Firm SSDI lawyer can answer your questions about your benefits.

How Does The Cost Of Living Affect Your Monthly SSI And SSDI Benefits?

When a disabling medical condition prevents you from working, financial assistance is available through the Social Security Administration. You may know about the Social Security Disability Insurance and Supplemental Security Income programs. If so, you probably heard that two-thirds of the applications are denied benefits each year after a lengthy and complicated disability determination process.

At the Clauson Law Firm, our team of disability law professionals wants to assure you that getting the Social Security disability benefits you need does not have to end in frustration. As you read this blog, you’ll learn about SSI and SSDI, including the disability benefits they offer. Once you finish reading, contact an SSD lawyer at Clauson Law for a free consultation, where you’ll get answers to any questions you have and learn more about how we can help you obtain the maximum disability benefits available.

What Are The Key Differences Between The SSDI And SSI Programs?

SSDI and SSI each pay disability benefits but have different eligibility requirements. You must have a long enough work history at jobs where you and your employer paid Social Security taxes on your earnings to be eligible for disability benefits through SSI.

SSI does not have a work history requirement. Adults and children can qualify for SSI benefits without ever having held a job. SSI is a need-based program offering monthly benefits to pay for food, shelter, and other necessities of life. The program imposes strict income and resource limits as part of the eligibility requirements.

The monthly benefit payment from SSDI depends on your lifetime average earnings at jobs that were subject to payment of Social Security taxes on your earnings up to a maximum monthly benefit payment of $3,822 in 2024. The average SSDI benefit payment reported by the Social Security Administration for 2024 is $1,537.

The maximum monthly federal benefit you can receive from SSI in 2024 is $943. Eligible couples may receive up to $1,415 in 2024. If you have monthly income from other sources, that income may reduce what you receive from SSI. Some sources of income do not count toward reducing your SSI benefits, and you could receive more than the federal benefit payment.

Some states give their residents who qualify for SSI a supplemental payment. Currently, 42 of the 50 states offer supplemental payments. The following eight states do not provide supplemental payments to residents include:

• Arizona          
• Arkansas
• North Dakota
• Mississippi
• Tennessee
• West Virginia

Residents of the Northern Mariana Islands eligible for federal SSI benefits do not receive supplemental payments.

Disability Requirements For SSI And SSDI

Adults applying for SSI and SSDI must be disabled according to the definition contained in federal regulations. The regulations require that you have a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that prevents you from doing substantial gainful activity. The impairment or combination of impairments must last or be expected to last for at least 12 months or be expected to result in death.

“Substantial gainful activity” is how the Social Security Administration describes the level of work activities, such as sitting, standing, walking, and lifting, you can perform and the earnings you must make to be capable of working and not disabled. Essentially, it’s the activities you do that an employer compensates you for doing.

The monetary measure of substantial gainful activity is earnings of $1,550 in 2024 for someone unable to work because of a disability other than blindness. The earnings for someone who is statutorily blind is $2,024.

The requirements for a child with a disability to be eligible for SSI are different than those of an adult. A child must have a medically determinable condition expected to last for at least 12 months, or it must be expected to cause death.

It must be proven with medical records that the medical condition causes the child to experience marked and severe and severe functional limitations. A consultation with an SSD benefits lawyer at Clauson Law can determine whether you or your child meet the criteria to qualify for disability through SSI or SSDI.

What are the monthly SSD benefit amounts from SSI?

Maximum monthly SSI benefits in 2024 are $943 for individuals and $1,415 for married couples when both spouses are eligible for SSI. Because it is a needs-based program, your monthly benefit may be less than the maximum when you have earned or unearned income from sources other than SSI.

Income is not limited to cash payments. It also includes in-kind sources of income. For example, if a friend or relative buys food for you or provides you with a place to live, the value of the food and shelter Social Security treats it as income that may affect the amount you receive during the month from SSI. However, not all income you receive during a month counts.

Federal regulations classify income into the following four types:

• Earned income includes wages and self-employment income.
• Unearned income is any income you receive that is not earned, including interest, unemployment benefits, dividends, SSDI and other Social Security benefits, and money given to you by friends or relatives that is not compensation for your work.
• In-kind income is anything someone gives you as food, shelter, or both for free or for less than its fair market value. For instance, if a friend lets you live in a room or apartment for free or for less than you’d typically pay to a landlord, its value is treated as in-kind income.
• Deemed income is a portion of the income of a spouse or parent you live with that is included as your income.

Some of the income you receive each month does not count for calculating your monthly SSI benefits.

When determining the amount of your SSI benefits, the following are some of the things that do not count as income when determining SSI monthly benefits:

• You may exclude the first $20 of unearned income each month. If you do not have unearned income for the month, you can use the $20 to exclude earned income.
• The first $65 of earned income and one-half of the remaining earnings may be excluded.
• Income tax refunds do not count as income.
• Money is given to you as a loan that must be repaid.
• Money another person uses to pay you expenses other than food and shelter.

For example, if you have $30 in unearned income and $475 in earned income, only $10 of your unearned income counts. 

Of the earned income, the first $65 is excluded, leaving a balance of $410, but only one-half of the $410, or $205, is countable. You end up with a countable earned income of $205 plus an unearned income of $10 for a total countable income of $215. When you deduct the $215 from the maximum SSI monthly benefit of $943, your benefit payment is $728 plus any supplemental payment you receive from your state.

What Are Your Monthly SSDI Benefits?

The Social Security Administration calculates your monthly SSDI benefits using your average lifetime earnings. Lifetime earnings only include what you receive as income for jobs or through self-employment on which Social Security taxes were paid. The time you are disabled or the severity of the medical condition does not affect your monthly SSDI benefits.

The monthly maximum you can receive through SSDI in 2024 is $3,822. The reason is an annual cap on the earnings subject to payment of Social Security taxes. According to the Social Security Administration, the average payment to recipients of SSDI benefits in 2024 is $1,537.

If you receive workers’ compensation and other types of benefits while collecting SSDI, they may reduce what you receive in SSD, at least until you reach full retirement age. Your SSDI payments automatically convert to Social Security retirement benefits upon reaching full retirement age.

Generally, what you receive from SSDI and your retirement benefits are the same, but you may receive more in retirement if you receive workers’ compensation or other public benefit payments. When your SSD converts to retirement, the offset for other public benefits no longer applies so that you may see an increase in the monthly retirement benefit. A Clauson Law Firm SSDI lawyer can answer your questions about your benefits.

How Does The Cost Of Living Affect Your Monthly SSI And SSDI Benefits?

Benefit payments through SSI and SSDI are affected by changes in the cost of living. The federal government uses the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers to determine whether a cost-of-living adjustment to federal benefits is warranted. For example, SSI and SSDI beneficiaries received a 3.2% cost-of-living adjustment in 2024.

Learn How The Clauson Law Firm Makes A Difference

If you have questions about disability benefits or need skilled and compassionate representation to fight the denial of a claim, look no further than the SSDI and SSI lawyers at Clauson Law. People in North Carolina and across the United States have come to trust the advice, guidance, and representation a Clauson Firm disability lawyer offers. Contact us today for a free consultation.

Learn How The Clauson Law Firm Makes A Difference

If you have questions about disability benefits or need skilled and compassionate representation to fight the denial of a claim, look no further than the SSDI and SSI lawyers at Clauson Law. People in North Carolina and across the United States have come to trust the advice, guidance, and representation a Clauson Firm disability lawyer offers. Contact us today for a free consultation.