The Social Security Administration (SSA) has released its December 2021 SSD benefits statistics report. These monthly reports reveal how disability pay and beneficiary numbers changed during the last 30 days. They also help people on disability compare their monthly payments against the national average amounts. We’ll analyze the latest data from both federal benefit programs: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
December 2021 SSD Benefits Statistics Report
Total Number of Social Security Disability Beneficiaries: 9,218,000
Disabled Workers: 7,877,000
Spouses of Disabled Workers: 96,000
Children of Disabled Workers: 1,245,000
Average Monthly Social Security Disability Benefit Amount: $1,222.45
Disabled Workers: $1,358.30
Spouses of Disabled Workers: $377.63
Children of Disabled Workers: $428.04
How the December 2021 SSD Benefits Statistics Report Affects Beneficiaries
The December 2021 SSD benefits statistics report shows another major drop this month in total beneficiaries. Today, there are 31,000 fewer disabled workers getting benefits compared to November. Spousal beneficiaries shrank by 1,000 month-over-month, and there are now 4,000 fewer children of disabled workers getting benefits. Added up, this means there are 36,000 fewer people nationwide on SSD than we saw in the November’s report:
Despite these losses, the SSA also approved more than 68,000 new SSD claims over the last month. These newly added beneficiaries include:
- 47,401 disabled workers (25,318 men and 22,083 women)
- 2,139 spouses (264 husbands and 1,875 wives)
- 18,926 children of disabled workers
December 2021 SSD Benefits Statistics: Looking Deeper at the Monetary Stats
This month’s report shows significant jumps in monthly benefit payments compared to November. Average payments to spouses increased $20.39 during this 30-day period. Children saw their average payments go up $70.80 in December, while disabled workers gained $75.91 month-over-month. Overall, this brings the average SSD payment nationwide up by $68.38 since November’s report came out:
However, if you’re a newly approved SSD claimant in December, here are those average monthly payments by beneficiary group:
- $1,565.24/month to disabled workers ($1,718.61/month for men, $1,389.41/month for women)
- $396.09/month for spousal beneficiaries ($393.28/month for husbands, $396.48/month for wives)
- $447.50/month for children of disabled workers
December 2021’s average new SSD payment is $110.12/month higher than we saw in December 2020.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Data in the December 2021 Report
The December 2021 SSD benefits statistics report also shows updated SSI benefit numbers for seniors and people with disabilities. Nearly every age group on SSI lost beneficiaries this month except for those aged 65 and older. Seniors getting SSI didn’t gain or lose any beneficiaries from November to December 2021:
Total SSI beneficiaries: 7,696,000 (-34,000)
Children under 18 receiving SSI: 1,038,000 (-12,000)
SSI recipients aged 18-64: 4,364,000 (-23,000)
SSI recipients aged 65+: 2,294,000 (flat)
The average monthly SSI payments for each age group this month are:
- $584.11/month (people in every age group on SSI combined)
- $687.17/month for children under 18 years old
- $617.16/month for those aged 18-64
- $474.79/month for seniors 65+ who qualify based on age and poverty level
You May Qualify for Legal Assistance
Did you know the SSA’s nearly 3x more likely to grant you benefits with a Social Security attorney? People who qualify for legal assistance typically get at least $10,000 at once plus monthly SSD payments. However, the SSA denies 4 in of every 5 claimants who file on their own without legal assistance.
You’ll pay $0 for confidential claim help by phone or to have a lawyer review your paperwork. That’s because all disability lawyers work on contingency. In other words, if your case doesn’t win, then you pay $0 for legal assistance. And if you win, then you’ll only pay a small, one-time fee.
Ready to see if you may qualify? Click the button below to start your free online benefits evaluation now!
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Lori Polemenakos is Director of Consumer Content and SEO strategist for LeadingResponse, a legal marketing company. An award-winning journalist, writer and editor based in Dallas, Texas, she's produced articles for major brands such as Match.com, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, Xfinity, Mail.com, and edited several published books. Since 2016, she's published hundreds of articles about Social Security disability, workers' compensation, veterans' benefits, personal injury, mass tort, auto accident claims, bankruptcy, employment law and other related legal issues.