Roose & Ressler Disability Attorneys Can Help You Know Your Social Security Disability Benefit Amount
If you are approved for Social Security Disability benefits through the Social Security Administration, you may be able to receive benefit payments to help support yourself and your family after becoming unable to work.
Social Security Disability Benefit Amounts
Social Security Disability benefits are calculated based your lifetime earnings’ record and the related taxes that you have paid into the Social Security system. Social Security Benefit Statements provide information showing past earnings by year and approximations of your expected disability benefit amount as well as estimations of retirement benefit amounts. If you do not have a recent Statement, request one from Social Security by calling your local office or 1-800-772-1213. Or you can view your statement on-line, if you create a my Social Security account at www.ssa.gov. You should review your earning statement to make sure that your earnings have been recorded correctly. Missing earnings can affect the amount of your potential benefit as well as whether you can even meet the earnings requirements for the program. Contact Social Security if you think that your recorded earnings are incorrect.
Another option to get an estimate of your Social Security benefit amount is to use the SSA’s online benefits calculator. The calculator estimates the amount of money you might receive based on certain factors. However, without an official review of your case, the calculator is not a guarantee that you will receive any exact amount in benefits or that you will be eligible for benefits at all.
The average disability payments nationwide can provide insight into what you may be entitled to receive. The average benefit under the Social Security Disability Insurance program is between $1,100 and $1,200 per month.
SSI Benefit Amounts
The maximum SSI payment is adjusted annually. It is currently just short of $800 per month, but it can be reduced for various financial reasons. SSI benefits are reduced by other income you receive, and sometimes the income of other immediate family members in your household, as well as help you receive from others in cash or in-kind gifts. For example, if you live in the household of another person (not your spouse) while you are waiting for your benefits to be approved, Social Security will apply a 1/3 reduction to your monthly benefit amount, unless you have a legally binding agreement to pay them back.
If you are approved for benefits under both programs, you will be entitled to receive the higher of the two benefits in months that you are eligible for both. They are not added together.
Contact Our Disability Attorneys
Filing for disability can be an uncertain process. Contact Roose & Ressler today at (800) 448-4211 for a consultation on putting forward a strong application for disability benefits. Our attorneys may be able to help you file a successful claim for benefits that could help support you and your family after you are no longer able to work.