Understanding Your Social Security Disability Benefit Amount
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) provides financial assistance to individuals who are unable to work due to a severe medical condition. The amount of your monthly SSDI benefit is not a fixed sum; it's determined by your lifetime average earnings before you became disabled. This calculator provides an estimate of your potential monthly benefit based on your reported average annual earnings.
How SSDI Benefits Are Calculated
The Social Security Administration (SSA) calculates your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the base amount of your monthly benefit. This calculation involves several steps:
Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME): The SSA first calculates your AIME. This involves taking your earnings from your working years, "indexing" them to account for changes in average wages over time, and then selecting your highest 35 years of indexed earnings. The total of these 35 years is then divided by 420 (35 years x 12 months) to get your AIME.
PIA Formula (Bend Points): Once your AIME is determined, the SSA applies a formula with "bend points" to calculate your PIA. These bend points are dollar amounts that change annually. For 2024, the formula is:
90% of the first $1,174 of your AIME
32% of your AIME between $1,174 and $7,078
15% of your AIME over $7,078
The sum of these three parts is your PIA.
Maximum Benefit: There is a maximum monthly SSDI benefit. For 2024, this amount is $3,822. Your calculated PIA cannot exceed this maximum.
It's important to note that this calculator provides an *estimate*. The most accurate way to determine your potential SSDI benefit is to review your Social Security Statement, which you can access online through your my Social Security account.
Who is Eligible for SSDI?
To qualify for SSDI, you must meet two main criteria:
Work Credits: You must have worked long enough and recently enough to earn sufficient "work credits." You can earn up to four work credits each year. The number of credits needed depends on your age when you become disabled. Generally, you need 40 credits, with 20 of them earned in the last 10 years ending with the year you become disabled.
Disability Definition: The SSA must determine that your medical condition meets their strict definition of disability. This means you cannot do work you did before, you cannot adjust to other work because of your medical condition, and your disability has lasted or is expected to last for at least one year or result in death.
Using the Calculator
To get an estimate of your potential monthly SSDI benefit, enter your average annual earnings over your working career. This should be a realistic average of your earnings before your disability. The "Number of Years Worked" and "Year of Birth" fields are for contextual information and do not directly impact the benefit amount calculation in this simplified estimator, but they are important for general eligibility.
Disclaimer: This calculator provides an estimate based on simplified assumptions and 2024 Social Security Administration (SSA) bend points and maximums. It does not account for all factors the SSA uses, such as specific indexed earnings for each year, family maximums, or other complex rules. For an accurate benefit amount, please refer to your official Social Security Statement or contact the SSA directly.
function calculateSSDI() {
var averageAnnualEarningsInput = document.getElementById("averageAnnualEarnings");
var yearsWorkedInput = document.getElementById("yearsWorked");
var birthYearInput = document.getElementById("birthYear");
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
var errorDiv = document.getElementById("error");
// Clear previous results and errors
resultDiv.style.display = "none";
errorDiv.style.display = "none";
errorDiv.innerHTML = "";
var averageAnnualEarnings = parseFloat(averageAnnualEarningsInput.value);
var yearsWorked = parseInt(yearsWorkedInput.value);
var birthYear = parseInt(birthYearInput.value);
// Validate inputs
if (isNaN(averageAnnualEarnings) || averageAnnualEarnings < 0) {
errorDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid positive number for Average Annual Earnings.";
errorDiv.style.display = "block";
return;
}
if (isNaN(yearsWorked) || yearsWorked < 0) {
errorDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid positive number for Years Worked.";
errorDiv.style.display = "block";
return;
}
if (isNaN(birthYear) || birthYear new Date().getFullYear()) {
errorDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid Year of Birth.";
errorDiv.style.display = "block";
return;
}
// — SSDI Benefit Calculation Logic (using 2024 bend points and maximum) —
// Step 1: Estimate Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME)
// This is a simplification. True AIME involves indexing historical earnings.
// Here, we're using the provided average annual earnings as a proxy for indexed earnings.
var estimatedAIME = averageAnnualEarnings / 12;
// 2024 Bend Points
var bendPoint1 = 1174; // 90% of the first $1,174
var bendPoint2 = 7078; // 32% of AIME between $1,174 and $7,078
// 2024 Maximum SSDI Benefit
var maxSSDI = 3822;
var estimatedPIA = 0;
if (estimatedAIME bendPoint1 && estimatedAIME bendPoint2
estimatedPIA = (0.90 * bendPoint1) + (0.32 * (bendPoint2 – bendPoint1)) + (0.15 * (estimatedAIME – bendPoint2));
}
// Apply maximum benefit cap
if (estimatedPIA > maxSSDI) {
estimatedPIA = maxSSDI;
}
// Format the result
var formattedBenefit = estimatedPIA.toLocaleString('en-US', { style: 'currency', currency: 'USD', minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2 });
// Display the result
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Estimated Monthly Disability Benefit: " + formattedBenefit + "";
resultDiv.style.display = "block";
}