Tool
Social Security Disability (SSDI) Calculator
Estimate your monthly SSDI benefit, your family's total with dependents, and your potential back pay — free, private, no login. SSDI pays 100% of your PIA with no reduction for age.
Your information
For the back-pay estimate:
Estimated monthly SSDI benefit
$2,213
2026 average: $1,630 · maximum: $4,152
Back pay grows the longer a claim is pending — decisions average about seven months at reconsideration and nine more at a hearing. If you're denied, appeal within 60 days rather than reapplying, so your original (earlier) filing date is preserved.
Do you likely qualify? The 4 things SSA checks
- Enough work credits — most adults need to have worked about 5 of the last 10 years (one credit per $1,890 earned in 2026, up to 4 a year; younger workers need fewer).
- Earning under the SGA limit — $1,690/month in 2026 ($2,830 if blind).
- A medical condition expected to last at least 12 months (or result in death) — short-term or partial disability doesn’t qualify.
- Medical evidence that the condition prevents substantial work — documentation from your doctors is what claims are won on.
Full details: our plain-English SSDI guide, including which conditions qualify and how SSDI differs from SSI.
How your SSDI amount is calculated
SSDI is based on your lifetime earnings, not the severity of your disability. Social Security averages your indexed earnings into a monthly figure (your AIME), applies the bend-point formula to get your primary insurance amount (PIA) — and pays you 100% of it. Unlike retirement benefits, there is no reduction for receiving it “early”: a 45-year-old approved for SSDI gets the same full PIA a 67-year-old retiree with the same record would. At full retirement age, it converts to a retirement benefit of the same amount.
Why back pay matters so much
Most claims are denied at first and won on appeal months or years later — but approval pays back to when you were entitled, not just going forward. That's why the single most costly mistake is reapplying instead of appealing: a fresh application resets your filing date and can forfeit a year or more of accrued benefits. Read how the four levels of appeal work before you do anything else.
Frequently asked questions
- How does this SSDI calculator work?
- You enter your average annual earnings and the tool runs Social Security’s official PIA (primary insurance amount) formula with the current bend points. SSDI pays 100% of your PIA with no reduction for age, so that figure is your estimated monthly disability benefit. Add dependents and dates to estimate your family total and potential back pay.
- How much does SSDI pay per month?
- In 2026 the average SSDI benefit for a disabled worker is about $1,630 a month, and the maximum is $4,152. Your amount depends on your lifetime earnings — not on the severity of your disability.
- How is SSDI back pay calculated?
- Back pay covers the months between when your benefits should have started and when your claim is finally approved. Benefits begin after a 5-month waiting period from your disability onset date, and can reach back at most 12 months before your application date. Because decisions often take many months — longer with appeals — back pay frequently adds up to a five-figure lump sum.
- Does SSDI pay more for dependents?
- Yes. A dependent child (or in some cases a spouse) can receive up to 50% of your benefit, subject to a family maximum — for disability, the total for your family is capped between 100% and 150% of your PIA.
- Can I work while on SSDI?
- Earning above the substantial gainful activity (SGA) limit — $1,690 a month in 2026 ($2,830 if you are blind) — generally disqualifies you, though trial-work rules let beneficiaries test working again without immediately losing benefits.
- Is this an official SSA estimate?
- No — it’s a fast, private educational estimate. For your exact figures, sign in to your free my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount; your statement shows your official disability benefit estimate.
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