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Disability benefits are calculated based on how much you earned when you were working and how much you paid into the system. The calculation is a complicated mathematical formula based on something called your “primary insurance amount” (known as your “PIA”). Here is a link to Social Security’s page explaining PIA. You can get an estimate of how much your disability payment will be by completing SSA form 7004 and mailing to SSA in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania.
I have seen Disability checks as low as $100 per month and as high as $1,800 per month. The typical Disability check I see is about $1,100 per month, but yours may be higher or lower.
SSI Payments Set by Statute
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits are set by law and change every year. If you have no offsets, your SSI check in 2009 will be around $674 per month for an individual and $1,011 for an eligible claimant with a spouse. For 2008, your SSI check will be $637 per month for an individual and $956 for an eligible individual with a spouse. Click on the link to review a table showing monthly SSI benefits for prior years.
As you can see, Social Security benefit payments are not large, especially in comparison to what you can earn if you are able to work.
If you are just short of credits for SSDI, it may make sense for you to try to work and to earn enough credits to make you eligible for Title II Disability. In general, SSDI payments are significantly higher than SSI and you do not have to worry about income and resource offsets.
Return to Social Security Disability FAQ
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