
- The SSA counts up the number of years from the year you turned 22 to the year before you became disabled.
- It throws out between one and five years (the longer you’ve been working, the more “dropout years”).
- The resulting number is how many of your highest-earning years will go into the PIA calculation.
How much does social security pay in disability benefits?
Up to 85 percent of a taxpayer’s benefits could become taxable if:
- You're filing as a single, head of household, or qualifying widow or widower with more than $34,000 in income.
- You're married and filing jointly with more than $44,000 in income.
- You're married but filing separately and have lived apart from your spouse for the entire tax year, and you had more than $34,000 in income.
How much can you earn from Social Security disability?
This applies if you:
- File federal income taxes as individual and your income exceeds $25,000 per year
- File joint federal income taxes and your income, combined with that of your spouse, exceeds $32,000.
- Are married but filing separately
What qualifies you for Social Security disability?
- Lupus
- Vasculitis
- Scleroderma
- Connective Tissue Disease
- Inflammatory Arthritis
How your SSDI monthly benefit will be calculated?
The Social Security Administration (SSA ... 2Gd6YaeTZV #BLSdata pic.twitter.com/EzuVUbZpry The easiest way to calculate your benefit is by taking your monthly payment and multiplying it by ...

How do you determine how much disability you will receive?
To calculate how much you would receive as your disability benefit, SSA uses the average amount you've earned per month over a period of your adult years, adjusted for inflation. To simplify this formula here, just enter your typical annual income. This income will be adjusted to estimate wage growth over your career.
How do they calculate Social Security disability?
Social Security benefits are typically computed using "average indexed monthly earnings." This average summarizes up to 35 years of a worker's indexed earnings. We apply a formula to this average to compute the primary insurance amount (PIA).
Is Social Security based on the last 5 years of work?
A: Your Social Security payment is based on your best 35 years of work. And, whether we like it or not, if you don't have 35 years of work, the Social Security Administration (SSA) still uses 35 years and posts zeros for the missing years, says Andy Landis, author of Social Security: The Inside Story, 2016 Edition.
How are monthly disability payments calculated?
Your SSDI payment will be based on your average covered earnings over a period of years, known as your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME). A formula is then applied to your AIME to calculate your primary insurance amount (PIA)—the basic figure the SSA uses in setting your actual benefit amount.
How are Supplemental Security Income benefits calculated?
SSI benefits are much simpler to calculate than SSDI. The SSA starts with what is called the Federal Benefit Rate or FBR. The FBR changes periodically to account for inflation and the cost of living. In 2017, the FBR is $735. This is maximum amount of SSI you can collect each month.
How does the SSA calculate AIME?
The SSA calculates your AIME by factoring in up to 35 years of your (wage inflation-adjusted) earnings. If you were to reach full retirement age before applying for Social Security benefits, the SSA would take an average of your annual income for your 35 highest earning years to find your AIME.
What is the maximum amount of SSI you can collect in 2017?
In 2017, the FBR is $735. This is maximum amount of SSI you can collect each month. Then, the SSA simply deducts your countable unearned income and your countable earned income from the $735 to determine your monthly SSI benefit amount. The SSA counts various types of income against your benefit amount, including:
What is SSDI benefits?
SSDI is a benefit for disabled workers who have sufficiently paid into the Social Security system over the course of their employment. You must have earned a certain number of work credits to qualify for benefits if you become disabled before retirement age. The exact number of credits you need depends on your age.
How many years of work history do you need to be disabled to get AIME?
When you become disabled before retirement age, the SSA realizes that you probably do not have 35 years of work history on your record, so it goes an extra step to determine how many years to use in the AIME calculation. The SSA does this by counting the number of years between the time you turned 21 and the year you became disabled, and then subtracting one-fifth of that total number of years or five years, whichever is less.
How to contact Disability Advantage Group?
For specific information about your benefits or for help applying for disability, call the Disability Advantage Group at 865-566-0800 for a free consultation.
Is Social Security disability easy?
Calculating Social Security disability benefits is neither simple nor easy. The formulas and variables are complex and challenging to wrap one’s head around.
Benefit Calculators
The best way to start planning for your future is by creating a my Social Security account online. With my Social Security, you can verify your earnings, get your Social Security Statement, and much more – all from the comfort of your home or office.
Online Benefits Calculator
These tools can be accurate but require access to your official earnings record in our database. The simplest way to do that is by creating or logging in to your my Social Security account. The other way is to answer a series of questions to prove your identity.
Additional Online Tools
Find your full retirement age and learn how your monthly benefits may be reduced if you retire before your full retirement age.
How to check my Social Security earnings?
You can view your covered earnings history by visiting www.ssa.gov/mystatement or you can check your Social Security statement which is sent every five years to those under the age of 60.
How to find out what your maximum monthly disability payment is?
You can quickly find this out by contacting the Social Security Administration (SSA) to receive an estimate or you can visit our website for a quicker response and use the disability calculator.
What is back payment on SSDI?
Back payments are any disability benefits that are past due, or the benefits that you would have been paid if your initial application was approved right away. Retroactive payments are for the months that you were disabled and could not work. You are eligible for retroactive payments only with SSDI and not SSI.
How long does a person have to be on SSDI to receive SSI?
In order to receive SSDI, the prospective recipient must be able to demonstrate they have a disability that is medically determinable, that will continue to last no less than twelve months, and that prevents the individual from engaging in substantial gainful activity.
What happens if you get 80% of your SSDI?
If your earnings from government run disability programs like worker’s comp combined with your SSDI earnings exceed 80% of your average income before you became disabled, your SSDI payments will be reduced.
What is the AIME on SSDI?
This income is called your “covered earnings”. The average of your covered earnings over several years is called your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME).
What is SGA in Social Security?
Substantial Gainful Activity – SGA. is an important concept to understand when pursuing Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income. The Social Security Administration defines it as “the performance of significant mental and/or physical duties for profit”. SGA maximum amounts are set by the Social Security Administration ...
Eligibility Requirements
Before we talk about how social security disability benefits are calculated, you first need to figure out whether or not you qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits. In a nutshell, there are only two eligibility requirements for SSDI:
How to Calculate SSDI Benefits
Your average covered earnings for a period of years are referred to as Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME). The SSA applies a formula to your AIME to calculate your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). The final PIA is the maximum amount of SSDI benefits you are entitled to.
Calculating Social Security Backpay
As per the SSA’s policy, your disability payments should start on the day you become disabled. But since it takes some time for the SSA to process your claim, you’ll usually receive your benefits after a few months. This is why most disability claims include back payments.
Factors That Can Reduce Your SSDI Benefits
As mentioned earlier, the SSA also considers your other sources of income to determine your benefit amount. If you earned more than 80% of your average income before you got disabled, your benefits will be reduced.
How to Calculate SSI Benefits
Disabled people who don’t have enough work credits for SSDI may still receive disability benefits through Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Unlike SSDI, SSI is a needs-based benefit. This means that SSA only grants it to those with limited income and resources. Though some people may also qualify for SSI even if they’re already receiving SSDI.
Why You Need an Experienced Lawyer
Applying for social security disability benefits might be easy for you. But getting it approved is an altogether different story. A large percentage of first time SSDI applications are denied. This is why you need an experienced social security disability attorney like Victor Malca. He has already helped thousands of injured workers in Florida.
How Is Social Security Calculated?
There is a three-step process used to calculate the amount of Social Security benefits you will receive.
What is the formula for Social Security benefits?
The Social Security benefits formula is designed to replace a higher proportion of income for low-income earners than for high-income earners. To do this, the formula has what are called “bend points." These bend points are adjusted for inflation each year.
How to calculate Social Security if you are not 62?
Because of how the wage indexing formula works, if you are not yet age 62, your calculation to determine how much Social Security you will get is only an estimate. Until you know the average wages for the year you turn 60, there is no way to do an exact calculation. However, you could attribute an assumed inflation rate to average wages to estimate the average wages going forward, and use those to create an estimate.
How to calculate indexing year?
Your wages are indexed to the average wages for the year you turn 60. 4 For each year, you take the average wages of your indexing year (which is the year you turn 60) divided by average wages for the years you are indexing, and multiply your included earnings by this number. 5
What is wage indexing?
Social Security uses a process called wage indexing to determine how to adjust your earnings history for inflation. Each year, Social Security publishes the national average wages for the year. You can see this published list on the National Average Wage Index page. 3 .
What is the process used to determine how to adjust your earnings history for inflation?
Social Security uses a process called "wage indexing" to determine how to adjust your earnings history for inflation. Each year, Social Security publishes the national average wages for the year. You can see this published list on the National Average Wage Index page. 3
How to find average indexed monthly earnings?
Total the highest 35 years of indexed earnings, and divide this total by 420, which is the number of months in a 35-year work history, to find the Average Indexed Monthly Earnings.
