Are You Eligible for Social Security Back Pay?

If you have been approved to receive Social Security payments, you may be eligible for retroactive Social Security benefits (also referred to as “back pay”) dating to the onset of your disability. How does this work? It varies based on the benefits you are receiving.

For Supplemental Security Income (SSI), benefits begin accruing the month following the month in which you became disabled and qualified for benefits. So, if your disability began on February 8, 2011, and you applied for benefits on February 11, 2011, your first month of entitlement would be March 2011 – even if you did not get approved until years later.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), on the other hand, begins accruing on the sixth month after you became disabled and applied for benefits. So, if you became disabled on February 8, 2011, and applied for benefits on February 11, 2011, your first month of entitlement would be August 2011.

For both programs, please keep in mind that any retroactive benefits may be affected if you owe taxes to the IRS, have outstanding child support payments, owe representative legal fees, or have not paid any federally-funded student loans.

Do you have questions about back pay or other issues with your benefits? Contact Jan Dils Attorneys at Law at 877.526.3457 for an expert consultation. We have an experienced team of disability attorneys, and one of our representatives will be happy to answer your questions. If you’d prefer to contact us online, fill out this form and we will respond to you shortly.