If you have a disability that has caused you to be unable to work, you may face financial difficulties. That’s understandable. It can be incredibly challenging to go from regularly earning an income to being unable to work at all. If you find yourself in this situation, you may wonder whether you should pursue a claim for disability benefits from the Social Security Administration and, if so, how much you might receive. Let’s take a closer look at the types of benefits available.
Two Types of Benefits
The Social Security Administration offers two types of benefits for disabled individuals, and eligibility will depend on your particular circumstances. They include:
- Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI): SSDI benefits are benefits provided by the Social Security Administration and funded through employment taxes. As a result, to qualify for this type of benefit, the recipient must be “insured.” While this term sounds as if some sort of particular insurance policy is required all it means is that the applicant worked a job for a sufficient length of time through which they regularly paid a portion of their salary into the Social Security system.
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI): Unlike SSDI benefits, SSI benefits are not funded through employment taxes but are instead funded through general revenue. As a result, an individual may not be “insured” to be approved for benefits. Instead, SSI benefits are intended for individuals with low income and resources. Each year, the Social Security Administration sets an annual limit on income and resources, and those who have income and resources below that level may qualify for benefits if they also satisfy other necessary criteria.
Regardless of which type of benefit you pursue, SSDI or SSI, it is important to understand that two additional conditions must be met to be approved for benefits. These include:
- A qualifying medical condition: Often, to determine whether a particular condition qualifies for benefits, the Social Security Administration will consult its listing of impairments, which is also referred to commonly as the “Blue Book“. The Blue Book includes a wide variety of medical conditions and their accompanying symptoms. If you can establish through sufficient medical proof that you have one of these conditions, you will increase your chances for approval of benefits. Those who don’t have a condition in the Blue Book shouldn’t panic, however. It may still be possible to be approved for benefits, but additional medical proof may be needed.
- The disability has lasted for one continuous calendar year or more: This requirement is fairly self-explanatory. Those who have a condition that is severe and disabling but resolves in less than a year may be able to pursue short-term disability benefits but will not be able to receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration.
Once you determine which type of benefit to pursue, you will likely want to know how much you might receive.
How Much Will You Receive in Disability Benefits?
When considering how much you might receive in disability benefits, it’s important to understand that the amount you receive will generally not be based on your particular disability. There are limited exceptions to this rule (such as in the case of blindness, for example), but generally, this is the case.
The monthly benefit payment that an individual receives will be based on a variety of conditions like employment and earnings history, income and resource level, and a variety of other factors. Each year, the Social Security Administration sets limits on how much a particular person can receive each month. In 2025 the maximum monthly SSDI benefit is $4,018 per month. The maximum SSI benefit in 2025 is $967 for an individual and $1,450 per couple.
In addition to knowing how much they might receive, many people also wonder how long they might receive benefits. Generally, monthly benefits will last for as long as the disability lasts or until the recipient eventually reaches retirement age. At that time, the benefits will transition from one type to another.
Understandably, all of the laws and rules pertaining to Social Security disability benefits may seem complicated. The good news is, you don’t have to navigate this process alone. At Disability Experts, we’re here to help.
DISABILITY EXPERTS – HERE FOR YOU
At Disability Experts, we understand the difficulties that our clients often face as they struggle to adapt to life with a disability. We also know that the last thing you need when you’re dealing with a disability is to worry about complicated legal matters. You don’t need the stress of wondering how to pursue a claim or worrying about whether you’re doing all you can to fully assert your rights under the law. The good news is, you don’t have to. Instead, you can leave those matters to us. We know and understand the law, and we’ll help you through this process each step of the way. If you’re ready to get started, give us a call today. We look forward to speaking with you soon.