SSDI Calculator 2026

SSA first computes your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME) from your highest-earning years. Your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) — your full monthly SSDI benefit — is then 90% of AIME up to the first bend point ($1,286 for 2026), 32% of AIME between the first and second bend point ($7,749), and 15% of any AIME above that. The result is rounded down to the next lower dime, then the monthly payment is rounded down to the next lower whole dollar. Unlike retirement benefits, SSDI has no early-claiming reduction or delayed-credit increase — your PIA is your benefit.

SSA's own published max-earner example for 2026 shows a PIA of $4,216.90 per month. Most disabled workers receive far less — the average SSDI benefit for a disabled worker was about $1,630 per month under the 2026 COLA. Your own benefit depends entirely on your actual earnings history.

SGA is the monthly earnings level SSA uses to decide if your work counts as substantial. For 2026, the SGA limit is $1,690/month for non-blind individuals and $2,830/month if you're statutorily blind. Earning more than the limit (SSA's rule is "more than," not "at or above") after any trial work period generally means SSA no longer considers you disabled for SSDI purposes.

The Trial Work Period lets you test your ability to work without immediately losing SSDI. Any month you earn more than $1,210 (the 2026 TWP threshold) counts as a trial work month. You get 9 such months — they don't need to be consecutive — within a rolling 60-month period, during which your full SSDI benefit continues no matter how much you earn.

SSDI has a statutory 5-month waiting period from the established onset of your disability before benefits become payable. This waiting period is fixed by law and does not change from year to year. If you were previously entitled to disability benefits within the past five years, the waiting period may be waived.

Medicare coverage generally begins 24 months after your SSDI entitlement date (not your application date). The major exception is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), where Medicare starts immediately in the same month SSDI benefits begin — there is no 24-month wait.

It can be. Whether your SSDI benefits are taxable — and how much — depends on your combined income (adjusted gross income plus nontaxable interest plus half your benefits). Up to 85% of your SSDI benefit can be subject to federal income tax if your combined income is high enough. Use our Social Security Taxability Calculator to check your own tier.

SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) is based on your own work history and FICA contributions — your benefit is your PIA, calculated the same way as retirement benefits. SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is a needs-based program funded by general tax revenue with strict income and asset limits, paying a flat federal benefit rate regardless of your earnings record. Some people qualify for both at once. See our SSI Calculator to estimate SSI separately.

If your spouse or children also qualify for benefits on your record, SSA applies a disability family maximum: 85% of your AIME, but never less than your own PIA and never more than 150% of your PIA. The family maximum is the combined total paid to you and your family members together — it doesn't multiply per dependent.

SSDI requires meeting SSA's insured-status work test — generally 40 work credits (up to 4 per year), with at least 20 earned in the 10 years before your disability began, though younger workers can qualify with fewer credits. This calculator estimates your benefit amount assuming you meet that insured-status test; it does not check insured status itself.