All About Social Security Disability Insurance

In today’s world, making a living requires hard work. But what happens when you become disabled at a young age and can’t work enough to support yourself, let alone a family? 

Disabilities may leave you unable to perform your former job tasks, potentially leading to huge pay cuts. On top of the medical costs required during your recovery, a lower salary could seriously impact your quality of life.

Fortunately, there’s something called Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) available to help in times of need. Let’s take a closer look at exactly what SSDI is all about, and when and why you might need it.

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What Is Social Security Disability Insurance?

In a nutshell, SSDI is designed to help folks who become disabled before retirement age to receive their benefits early. You can qualify for SSDI benefits from a very young age, but you’ll need to have accumulated work credits to do so. 

Work credits are awarded based on your taxable employment history, and the amount of work credits required to receive benefits increases with age. There are other qualification restrictions, too.

How Do I Qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance?

There are several restrictions on SSDI benefits, but figuring out if you qualify can be as easy as referring to the official list posted by the Social Security Administration (SSA). We’ll take a look at the main requirements to get started.

To qualify for SSDI benefits, you must be:

You must also have the required minimum amount of work credits to apply:

Work credits are earned based on your employment history. Workers can earn up to a maximum of four credits per year. As of 2019, workers must make at least $1,039 annually to earn one credit. 

The exact number of credits you receive depends on your wages and other employment specifics. Check out the chart below for a more in-depth overview of work credit and employment history requirements by age.

SSDI doesn’t take your current net worth into account, since it’s based entirely on taxes you’ve paid throughout your working life. You’ll be required to present official documents that prove your disability is predicted to last for at least one year in order to qualify for benefits. 

This often means going through a medical exam before applying for coverage. If your coverage application is denied, you’ll have to wait more than 60 days before applying again.

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What Does Social Security Disability Insurance Cover?

SSDI benefits allow you to receive a specified percentage of your previous income. As of 2019, the average monthly benefit payout is just under $1,200, with the maximum benefit being $2,788. Your monthly benefit payouts will depend on a few specific factors.

The following factors influence your SSDI monthly benefit amount:

Your location factors into your monthly benefit amount because SSDI takes your area’s cost of living into consideration. Even if two SSDI applicants have the exact same earnings history and are virtually similar across all other aspects, yet one lives in a major city and the other lives in a small town, the applicant living in the major city will receive a higher benefit amount.

How Do I Apply for Social Security Disability Insurance?

Since SSDI is not technically a type of insurance but a government assistance program, unfortunately independent insurance agents won’t be able to help you find and sign up for coverage. The only way to apply for coverage is directly through the SSA. You can easily apply online on the SSA’s website.

You’ll need to have information about yourself, your medical history, and your current employment ready before you apply for SSDI. The list of required information is available on the SSA’s website, along with a list of additional documents they may ask you to provide, such as your:

The SSDI application may be a bit extensive, but it’s also set up in such a way that it lets the applicant know exactly what’s required before and during the application process. If the Internet isn’t your thing, you can also apply for SSDI benefits in person by visiting your local Social Security office.

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Are Social Security Disability Insurance Benefits Taxable?

Maybe. It depends on your total household income. About one-third of all SSDI recipients are required to pay taxes on their benefits, while the other two-thirds don’t receive enough additional income to qualify for taxation on these benefits.

A portion of your SSDI benefits may be subject to taxes in the following scenarios:

Your annual income will determine what portion of your SSDI benefits are subject to tax. There are a couple of ways you can calculate the taxed portion of your SSDI benefits, including online Social Security tax calculators or IRS 1040 tax forms. But for starters, you can refer to this handy chart:

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