How Is the Amount of Your SSDI Determined

Social Security Disability Benefits (SSDI)

After you have been approved for Social Security Disability benefits (SSDI), you may wonder how the Social Security Administration determines the amount of your monthly benefit.

First, it’s important to note that the amount you receive is not based on how severe your disability is or what your income is. Instead, it’s based on your lifetime earnings. That is, it has to do with the amount of your average lifetime earnings before your disability began. The SSA uses a formula to determine how much each individual recipient will receive, with the maximum currently being $3,011 per month. Most receive between $800 and $1,800.

Your retirement and disability benefits are based on how much income you earned and paid Social Security taxes on during your working years. This is called “covered earnings.” And your average covered earnings over a given number of years is referred to as your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME). A formula involving your AIME, as well as percentages of different amounts of your income over the years, is used to calculate your primary insurance amount (PIA) – your monthly benefit amount.

If you have additional questions about Social Security benefits, or if you’d like to learn more about filing a Social Security disability claim, feel free to contact us anytime at 877.526.3457. We have an experienced team of West Virginia Social Security Disability attorneys, and one of our representatives will be happy to answer your questions. Or if you’d prefer to contact us online, please fill out this form and we will respond to you shortly.