Estimate your monthly Social Security disability benefit with the 2025 formula
Income mode uses your average annual earnings divided by 12 as a stand-in for AIME. The real AIME indexes each year's wages for growth and averages your best years (up to 35), so treat income mode as a rough estimate. Your Social Security statement at ssa.gov/myaccount shows the official figures.
| AIME Slice | % Counted | Max $ From This Slice |
|---|---|---|
| First $1,226 | 90% | $1,103.40 |
| $1,226 to $7,391 | 32% | $1,972.80 |
| Above $7,391 | 15% | No slice cap (benefit capped at $4,018) |
SSA adjusts the bend points every year with the national average wage index, so these figures apply to workers who become eligible in 2025. The final result is rounded down to the nearest $0.10, an SSA convention this calculator follows.
| Figure | 2025 Amount |
|---|---|
| Average disabled-worker benefit | ~$1,580/mo |
| Maximum benefit | $4,018/mo |
| Substantial gainful activity (SGA), non-blind | $1,620/mo |
| Substantial gainful activity (SGA), blind | $2,700/mo |
| Trial work period month | $1,160/mo |
| Medicare eligibility | 24 months after benefits begin |
| SSDI | SSI | |
|---|---|---|
| Funded by | Payroll taxes (FICA) | General tax revenue |
| Work credits | Required (generally 20 in the last 10 years for age 31+) | None |
| 2025 payment | Average ~$1,580, max $4,018 | Federal rate $967 single / $1,450 couple |
| Asset limits | None | $2,000 single / $3,000 couple |
| Health coverage | Medicare after 24 months | Medicaid, in most states right away |
Social Security Disability Insurance isn't charity, and it isn't welfare. It's insurance you already paid for. Part of every paycheck's FICA tax bought work credits, and those credits fund a benefit that kicks in when a medical condition keeps you from working for at least a year. Most people 31 and older need 20 credits earned in the 10 years before the disability began, which works out to roughly five of those years spent working. Younger workers need fewer.
Your payment has nothing to do with how severe your condition is. It comes from your earnings record. SSA takes your best earning years, adjusts them for historical wage growth, and averages them into a monthly figure called your AIME (average indexed monthly earnings). The 2025 formula then counts 90% of the first $1,226 of AIME, 32% of the amount between $1,226 and $7,391, and 15% of anything above that. The total is rounded down to the nearest dime, an SSA convention, and becomes your primary insurance amount, or PIA. Bend points shift every year with the national wage index, so this page reflects 2025.
If you've checked your Social Security statement recently, AIME mode gives the closest estimate. Otherwise switch to income mode and enter your average annual earnings; the calculator divides by 12 as a stand-in for AIME. That shortcut skips the wage indexing and 35-year averaging SSA actually does, so treat it as a ballpark. Tick the family box to see the household estimate, and enter any current work earnings to check yourself against the substantial gainful activity limit: above $1,620 a month in 2025 ($2,700 if you're blind), SSA generally won't approve a new claim.
Say your AIME is $5,000. The first $1,226 counts at 90%, which is $1,103.40. The remaining $3,774 sits in the 32% band and adds $1,207.68. Together that's $2,311.08, and the round-down-to-the-dime rule trims it to $2,311.00 a month, or $27,732 a year. That lands well above the 2025 average disabled-worker benefit of roughly $1,580. If a spouse or children also qualify on your record, the 1.5× family estimate here comes to $3,466.50 a month. The 1.5 multiplier is the conservative low end of the 150% to 180% range used on the retirement side; SSDI's family maximum uses a different formula and can come in lower for modest earners.
Educational estimate using the published 2025 formula. Your real benefit comes from your full earnings record; check your statement at ssa.gov/myaccount for the official number.
The 2025 average for a disabled worker is about $1,580 a month, and the maximum is $4,018. Most recipients land somewhere between $1,000 and $2,500. Your exact amount comes from your lifetime earnings record, not from how severe your condition is or what your bills look like.
Social Security averages your highest-earning years, adjusted for wage growth, into a monthly figure called your AIME. The 2025 formula then counts 90% of the first $1,226 of AIME, 32% of the amount between $1,226 and $7,391, and 15% of anything above that. The total, rounded down to the nearest dime, is your monthly benefit.
$4,018 a month in 2025. Getting there takes earnings at or above Social Security's taxable maximum ($176,100 in 2025) for most of a 35-year career, so very few people receive the full amount. The cap adjusts each year with the cost-of-living increase.
A little. Earning more than $1,620 a month in 2025 ($2,700 if you're blind) counts as substantial gainful activity and generally makes you ineligible. Once approved, you also get a trial work period: nine months (any month over $1,160 counts as one) where you can test working while keeping full benefits.
SSDI is insurance you earned through payroll taxes, so the amount depends on your work history and it brings Medicare after 24 months. SSI is need-based for people with little income and under $2,000 in assets ($3,000 for couples), paying up to $967 a month in 2025 with Medicaid in most states. Some people qualify for both at once.