Millions of people who cannot work because of a disabling medical condition receive disability benefits through the Supplemental Security Income or Social Security Disability Insurance programs. Most people typically qualify for benefits through only one of these programs managed by the Social Security Administration.
However, there are instances where someone may be eligible to have SSI and SSDI pay together. Qualifying to receive benefits through SSI and SSDI simultaneously is called concurrent disability benefits. Your SSDI benefits may reduce your SSI benefits. It could also cause you to lose your SSI benefits.
The disability professionals at National Disability Experts created this blog to answer a common question about concurrent disability benefits: How much does SSI and SSDI pay together? It explains the two disability programs and the benefits SSI and SSDI pay separately and together.
SSI is a needs-based program, so its eligibility requirements include limits on the amount of income and resources you can have available. For example, individuals cannot have resources valued more than $2,000, and couples applying for SSI benefits cannot have more than $3,000.
SSI benefits are available to adults and children who prove they have a disability or are statutorily blind. You also can qualify for SSI without being disabled or blind if you are at least 65 years old and do not exceed the income and resource restrictions.
Adults applying for SSI disability benefits must prove they have a physical or mental impairment caused by a medically determinable medical condition that prevents them from engaging in substantial gainful activities or SGA. SGA activities include the following work-related activities:
Sitting for extended periods
Standing for long periods
Remembering and following instructions
The impairment or combination of impairments must have lasted or be expected to last for a minimum of 12 months, or they must be expected to result in death. The criteria Social Security uses to determine whether adults qualify for SSI is the same one used to evaluate applications for SSDI benefits.
The maximum federal monthly SSI benefit in 2024 is $943 for individuals. You may receive a supplemental payment if you live in one of the 42 states that supplement the federal benefit. A consultation with a member of the disability benefits team at National Disability Experts can answer any questions you have about the availability of supplemental payments in your state.
You must be “insured” to be eligible for SSDI pay each month. Being “insured” means working at jobs or through self-employment and paying Social Security taxes on the income you earned. Doing so makes you eligible for retirement benefits through the Social Security Administration, but it also makes you eligible for disability benefits through SSDI if you become disabled and cannot work before reaching Social Security retirement age.
If you have a work history that is long enough and a disability meeting the definition used by Social Security to evaluate applicants, you can receive as much as $3,822 in monthly benefits from SSDI in 2024. Most disabled workers qualify for less each month because the benefits are based on a formula used by the Social Security Administration that considers your average lifetime earnings. The average monthly SSDI payment to disabled workers in 2024 is $1,537.
