Social Security Disability Benefits Pay Chart: New for 2025

How much money does the average person get each month in disability benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA)? If you’ve ever thought about applying, this one question is probably top of mind. Social Security disability benefits can give you income each month, and it also provides access to federal health insurance. But before you apply, you’ll probably want to see a Social Security disability benefits pay chart, right? And want to know how they determine each person’s disability benefit amount? We’ve got answers for you!

Learn average and maximum payment amounts for all programs available to disabled people and some eligible dependents below.

Breaking Down Social Security Disability Payments: Key Takeaways

• If you’re unable to work for at least a year due to a physical or mental health condition, you may qualify for disability benefits.
• The Social Security Administration manages both federal programs that pay cash benefits to disabled children and adults.
• Your diagnosis, monthly bills, symptoms, or number of health issues have zero impact on your monthly disability benefit amount.
• The SSA uses the same formula to calculate all benefit payments that come from the Social Security Trust Fund, including retirement and disability. SSI benefits that come out of the General Tax Fund are a set dollar amount every year under federal law.
• Your health problems alone won’t qualify you for disability, but you’re 3x more likely to succeed if you apply with professional legal help.

Two Federal Programs Offer Social Security Disability Benefits

When people say “Social Security disability benefits,” they speak of both programs below as if they’re the same thing. They are quite different, so it’s good to understand where the money comes from and how they calculate payments.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

This federal insurance program covers workers who pay Social Security taxes out of every paycheck. Congress enacted Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) in 1956 so workers who become disabled could access their retirement benefits early. However, since SSDI is specifically designed to cover workers, the program does not pay benefits to disabled children.

The money that pays for SSDI benefits comes directly from the Social Security Trust Fund. To qualify for SSDI benefits, you must:

• Have 40 Social Security work credits. You’ll meet this recent and enough work history requirement if you worked at least in the last 10 years while paying Social Security taxes.
• Be unable to work in any job you’re qualified to do for at least 12 months, specifically for medical reasons. That means your doctor diagnosed you with a serious, long-lasting mental or physical health condition. You can also have a terminal illness that’s expected to result in your death and qualify.
• Not currently receive any other Social Security benefits, like regular or early retirement. This is because SSDI automatically converts into regular Social Security payments when you turn 67.
• Earn less than the current SGA limit, which is $1,620 per month if you’re sighted, or $2,700 if you’re blind. Making more money than that each month is what the SSA calls “engaging in substantial gainful activity.” In plain English, if you can still work and earn enough to support yourself, then you’re not truly disabled.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Money for these monthly benefits comes out of the federal government’s General Tax Fund, so it has no impact on Social Security. However, since the SSA manages this program, many people also think of it as “Social Security disability.”

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a federal program launched in 1974 to replace state adult assistance initiatives. It pays cash benefits only to the lowest-income children, adults, and married couples with few or no resources who are:

• Blind,
• Disabled,
• At least 65 years old, or
• Some combination of these traits.

To qualify financially, the income for every person in your home added together must be less than $2,019. Individuals must have less than $2,000 in owned assets, and the limit for couples is $3,000.

How the Social Security Administration Calculates Each Disabled Person’s Monthly SSI or SSDI Payment

SSI benefits pay a set maximum amount every year, which in 2025 is $967 for a disabled individual. For eligible couples, that SSI payment is $1,450. SSI claim approval also grants access to Medicaid healthcare coverage within 30 days of your first benefit payment.

For SSDI, the government uses a complex formula based on:

• Your average indexed monthly earnings from your 10 highest earning years out of a 35-year work history
• The current inflation rate, which is determined by the consumer price index

The most important thing to know is your work income before becoming disabled is what determines your SSDI benefit amount. Congress originally enacted Social Security to replace about 40% of each worker’s job income upon entering retirement. So, that’s about the amount you can expect from your SSDI disability benefit; it’s not designed to fully replace work paychecks.

Learn more about the formula Social Security uses to calculate monthly benefits.

Current Social Security Disability Benefits Pay Chart for Individuals on SSDI by Age and Gender

Below are the average monthly pay rates for men, women, and both averaged together by age range for December 2024:

What’s the Average Monthly SSDI Benefit Amount Nationwide for Individuals?

Once you average all payments in the U.S., the typical monthly SSD benefit in 2025 is $1,580. However, this amount frequently changes in January after Congress approves a COLA increase the previous October.

What’s the Maximum Monthly SSDI Payment Nationwide for Individuals?

In 2025, the maximum payment you can get from Social Security Disability Insurance is $4,018. Only people who earn more than the maximum income limit ($175,000+ per year) before becoming disabled can receive this SSDI amount.

Social Security Disability Benefits Pay Chart for Spousal SSDI Beneficiaries

If you have any children living at home, your stay-at-home husband or wife may qualify for spousal SSDI benefits once you’re approved. However, dependent SSDI payments to your spouse automatically end once your child turns 18 (or 20 if attending an accredited school). You may also apply for spousal SSDI if you’re childless or have grown children when you turn 62 (or 50 if you’re also disabled).

Average SSDI Payment Amount for Children of Disabled Workers

More than a million children of disabled workers on SSDI in December 2024 got dependent benefit payments.

Average Family Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) Payment Per Household

When you look at the above charts and add these figures together, here are the reported SSDI family income averages for December 2024:

Social Security Disability Benefits Pay Chart for Disabled Adults, Children, and Seniors on SSI

More than 7 million adults and children nationwide received SSI benefits in December 2024:

How to Get Free Help Qualifying for Monthly Benefit Payments if You’re Disabled

Securing approval for Social Security disability benefits is already challenging for most people. The Trump Administration is proposing to eliminate the current rule that makes it easier for older workers to qualify for disability. Right now, disabled workers aged 50-66 are far more likely to get approved than younger people with disabilities. This is because once you turn 50, the SSA reviews your education and work skills in addition to your income and medical history.

But if this proposed rule change goes through, it’ll potentially increase denied claims by 20%-30% for the next decade. Many people already wait too long for benefits; in fact, 30,000 died in 2023 waiting on claim decisions.

Working with a Social Security attorney can triple your chances for a successful claim on your very first try. And even better, you’re more likely to get your first payment within 6 months vs. 3 years without, on average.

All disability lawyers in our national legal network offer free, private consultations to individuals that qualify for help.

This also includes telling you whether you’ll qualify for benefit payments before you apply, from which program, and how much.

To see if you’ll potentially qualify for Social Security disability benefits before you file any paperwork, request a free claim evaluation. Click the button below now to get started:

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