SSDI Benefit Calculator 2026: Estimate Your Disability Payment
Use the SSDI benefit calculator to organize the factors that affect Social Security Disability Insurance eligibility and payment planning, including covered earnings, work credits, disability status, substantial gainful activity, dependents, waiting-period timing and other disability payments.
- 2026 COLA: 2.8%.
- Blind SGA: $2,830 per month in 2026.
- Trial Work Period earnings threshold: $1,210 per month in 2026.
- Four annual work credits require $7,560 in covered earnings in 2026.
- 2026 PIA bend points for newly eligible workers: $1,286 and $7,749.
Get Your Free SSDI Benefit Estimate
Answer the guided questions about disability, work status, dependents, treatment, claim status and supporting evidence.
Key SSDI Benefit Facts for 2026
SSA updates several disability thresholds each year. These figures can affect eligibility screening, work incentives and payment planning, but they do not determine an individual worker’s monthly SSDI amount by themselves.
2026 COLA
Social Security and SSI beneficiaries received a 2.8% cost-of-living adjustment for 2026.
Estimated Disabled-Worker Average
SSA’s 2026 fact sheet estimates the average monthly benefit for all disabled workers after the COLA at about $1,630.
Trial Work Period Threshold
The 2026 monthly earnings amount used for a Trial Work Period service month is $1,210.
OASDI Taxable Maximum
The 2026 Social Security taxable-earnings maximum is $184,500.
Who May Qualify for SSDI?
SSDI generally requires both a qualifying disability and enough recent covered work under Social Security. SSA’s disability standard focuses on the inability to engage in substantial gainful activity because of a medically determinable impairment expected to last at least 12 months or result in death.
Potential Eligibility Signals
- A medically supported physical or mental impairment prevents substantial work
- The condition is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death
- The worker paid Social Security taxes through covered employment or self-employment
- The worker has enough recent work credits for the age when disability began
- Medical evidence documents diagnosis, treatment and functional limitations
Issues Requiring Closer Review
- Current work or countable earnings near or above SGA
- Short, remote or inconsistent covered work history
- Self-employment requiring a more detailed work-activity analysis
- Insufficient medical evidence or unclear functional limitations
- Recent denial, cessation or appeal deadline
How SSDI Benefits Are Calculated in 2026
SSDI is based primarily on a worker’s covered earnings record. SSA determines Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME) under Social Security rules and applies the Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) formula for the worker’s year of first eligibility. The severity of the medical condition does not create a higher PIA by itself.
A Worked 2026 SSDI Calculation, Step by Step
Social Security does not decide an SSDI payment by looking at a diagnosis. It converts a worker’s covered earnings into an Average Indexed Monthly Earnings figure, then runs that figure through a three-band formula fixed by the year of first eligibility. For a worker who first becomes eligible in 2026, the bands are 90 percent of the first $1,286 of AIME, 32 percent of AIME between $1,286 and $7,749, and 15 percent of anything above $7,749. Those two thresholds are the bend points, and Social Security publishes them each year in its actuarial tables. The result is the Primary Insurance Amount, rounded down to the next lower dime, and for a disabled worker the PIA is the monthly benefit before any offsets.
| AIME | 90% of first $1,286 | 32% of the band up to $7,749 | 15% above $7,749 | 2026 PIA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $2,000 | $1,157.40 | $228.48 | — | $1,385.80 |
| $5,000 | $1,157.40 | $1,188.48 | — | $2,345.80 |
| $9,000 | $1,157.40 | $2,068.16 | $187.65 | $3,413.20 |
Three things follow from that table, and between them they explain most of the confusion about SSDI amounts. The first is that the formula is deliberately progressive: a worker with an AIME of $9,000 earned four and a half times as much as one with an AIME of $2,000 but receives roughly two and a half times the monthly benefit. The second is that the bend points are locked to the year of first eligibility, so two workers with identical earnings histories who become disabled in different years can receive different amounts for the rest of their lives. The third is that the 2026 average disabled-worker benefit of $1,630 a month corresponds to an AIME of about $2,760, which is why a figure taken from your own earnings statement is almost always more useful than any published average.
The calculator on this page performs the same arithmetic against the figures you enter, which is exactly why it produces an estimate rather than a determination. Social Security indexes each year of your earnings to national wage growth before averaging them, drops the lowest years, and applies dropout rules for workers who become disabled young that no short form can reproduce. The authoritative number is on your own Social Security Statement through a my Social Security account. Where a disability was caused by someone else’s conduct, an SSDI award and a civil recovery interact through the offset rules set out below and through Medicare’s interest in a settlement — the claim side of that is covered across our active personal injury lawsuit index and the TortAdvisor settlement calculators.
2026 SGA, Trial Work Period and Work Credits
Non-Blind SGA
$1,690 per month in 2026. SSA generally uses SGA as part of deciding whether work activity is compatible with disability under program rules.
Blind SGA
$2,830 per month in 2026 for statutorily blind individuals. The blind SGA rule differs from the non-blind threshold.
Trial Work Period
$1,210 per month is the 2026 earnings threshold used for a Trial Work Period service month. Trial-work rules apply after entitlement and are different from initial SGA screening.
Can Family Members Receive Benefits on an SSDI Record?
Some spouses, ex-spouses and children may qualify for family benefits on the record of a worker entitled to Social Security Disability. Eligibility depends on relationship, age, caregiving status and other SSA rules, and the total payable amount can be limited by the family maximum.
Spouse
A spouse may qualify in certain circumstances, including age-based eligibility or caring for a qualifying child.
Ex-Spouse
Some divorced spouses may qualify when marriage-duration and other requirements are met.
Children
Unmarried children may qualify based on age, school status or disability-onset rules.
SSDI Five-Month Waiting Period
SSA generally applies a five-full-calendar-month waiting period after the disability onset date it accepts. Entitlement begins with the sixth full month of disability. The waiting period does not apply when disability results from ALS and the claimant was approved for SSDI on or after July 23, 2020.
Workers’ Compensation and Public Disability Benefits Can Affect SSDI
SSA may reduce SSDI and related family benefits when workers’ compensation or certain public disability payments are also received. Under the general federal offset rule, combined Social Security disability and applicable workers’ compensation/public disability payments may be reduced when they exceed 80% of the worker’s average current earnings before disability.
Private disability insurance generally does not trigger the same Social Security offset. Other exceptions and state-specific reverse-offset rules can apply, so settlement language and benefit coordination should be reviewed carefully.
Records to Gather for an SSDI Benefit or Claim Review
- Official Social Security earnings record
- Recent W-2, 1099 or self-employment records
- Last date worked and current work activity
- Past job duties and physical or mental demands
- Diagnosis and treating-provider records
- Imaging, lab, therapy and specialist reports
- Medication history and side effects
- Residual functional limitations
- Application and claim confirmations
- Denial, reconsideration or hearing notices
- Workers’ compensation or public-disability records
- Spouse and dependent information
SSDI Denials and Appeals
Social Security’s disability appeal process can include reconsideration, an administrative hearing, Appeals Council review and federal court review. SSA states that requests for disability or non-medical appeals generally must be received within 60 days after the claimant receives the decision.
SSDI, Disability and Benefit Resources
SSDI Benefit Calculator FAQ
What is the average SSDI benefit in 2026?
SSA’s 2026 fact sheet estimates the average monthly benefit for all disabled workers at about $1,630 after the 2.8% COLA. Individual benefits vary based on the worker’s covered earnings record.
What is the 2026 SSDI SGA limit?
SSA lists $1,690 per month for non-blind individuals and $2,830 per month for statutorily blind individuals.
How much do I need to earn for one Social Security credit in 2026?
$1,890 in covered earnings earns one credit in 2026. A worker can earn up to four credits per year.
What are the 2026 PIA bend points?
For workers first eligible for retirement or disability benefits in 2026, the PIA formula uses bend points of $1,286 and $7,749.
Does SSDI have a waiting period?
Generally yes. SSA applies a five-full-month waiting period before entitlement begins, with an ALS exception for qualifying approvals.
Is this an official SSA calculator?
No. This is an educational planning tool. The official benefit amount comes from SSA using the worker’s actual earnings record and program rules.
Request a Confidential SSDI Claim Review
If you are applying for SSDI, appealing a denial or trying to understand how work history affects your benefit estimate, use the calculator or request a confidential review.
How We Sourced This Page
Every 2026 figure on this page comes from the Social Security Administration and nowhere else. The cost-of-living adjustment, the substantial gainful activity amounts for blind and non-blind workers, the trial work period threshold, the earnings needed for one quarter of coverage, the maximum taxable earnings and the estimated average disabled-worker benefit are all read from SSA’s 2026 COLA fact sheet. The bend points used in the worked example come from SSA’s published table of PIA formula amounts by year of eligibility. Each of those pages is linked in the sources section rather than summarised, so a reader can confirm any number against the agency that sets it.
TortAdvisor is not affiliated with, endorsed by or acting for the Social Security Administration, and nothing on this page is a benefit determination. The arithmetic in the worked example is our own application of SSA’s published formula to illustrative AIME values, shown in full so it can be checked; it is not drawn from any claimant’s file. Figures were re-read against SSA’s pages on September 12, 2026, and the whole page is replaced rather than edited when SSA publishes the next annual adjustment, because a stale benefit figure is worse than no figure. The same standard governs the settlement amounts library and every other page on this site.
SSDI Benefit, Work and Appeal Sources
SSA — PIA formula bend points by year
Social Security’s published table of the dollar amounts in the PIA formula, the source of the $1,286 and $7,749 bend points used in the worked example.
Open the SSA tableSSA — 2026 COLA Fact Sheet
Official 2026 COLA, average disabled-worker benefit, SGA, Trial Work Period and taxable-maximum figures.
Open SSA 2026 fact sheet →SSA — Primary Insurance Amount Formula
Official 2026 PIA bend points and 90% / 32% / 15% formula.
Open SSA PIA formula →SSA — Quarter of Coverage
Official 2026 work-credit earnings requirement.
Open SSA work-credit source →SSA — Substantial Gainful Activity
Official 2026 blind and non-blind SGA thresholds.
Open SSA SGA source →SSA — SSDI Waiting Period
Official five-month waiting-period rule and ALS exception.
Open SSA waiting-period source →SSA — Disability Eligibility
Official disability and work-history eligibility guidance.
Open SSA eligibility source →SSA — Family Benefits
Official eligibility guidance for spouses, ex-spouses and children.
Open SSA family-benefit source →SSA — Workers’ Compensation Offset
Official explanation of how workers’ compensation and certain public disability benefits may reduce SSDI.
Open SSA offset source →SSA — Representation and Appeals
Official SSA information stating that disability and non-medical appeal requests generally must be received within 60 days of the decision.
Open SSA appeal source →
