Important: We updated this article and the infographics below with the latest available data in February 2023. Maybe you want to apply for monthly Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) benefits. Or, maybe you just want to know how your check stacks up against everyone else’s this year. Below, our three infographics break down SSDI payments for disabled workers by age, gender and monthly check amount. We’ve also listed other interesting stats about disabled workers and SSDI that we pulled directly from the Social Security Administration’s latest reports.
SSDI Monthly Payments to Disabled Workers by Dollar Amount, Age Range and Gender
Below, we list how much disabled workers currently get broken down by dollar amount every month in SSDI benefits. According to the SSA, the average SSDI payment for disabled workers across all age groups is currently $1,488 per month. Click on each tab below to see average monthly SSDI payments by gender as well as age range.
Interestingly, more than 3x as many men (228,422) get the highest monthly payment compared to women (69,736). In December 2021, 298,158 disabled workers across the U.S. got paid $2,600 or more in monthly SSDI benefits.
SSDI Payments For Each Age Group
You’ll see that disabled workers aged 50-66 are the largest group of people drawing monthly SSDI benefits. This remains true for both men and women, since people age 50 and older have an easier time getting benefits.
In addition to the numbers above, you might wonder: After the SSA awards someone benefits, do they stay on SSDI forever? In a word, no. According to the SSA’s 2022 Annual Statistical Supplement, more than 1 in 10 disabled workers (11%) stopped getting SSDI by the end of 2021. Here’s why:
- Disabled workers must undergo continuing reviews once every 3-7 years. In some cases, people on benefits can simply fill out a Disability Update Report to keep their benefits going. However, some may need to undergo a consultative exam. Each state’s Disability Determination Services (DDS) office performs this medical exam, not the beneficiary’s personal doctor. Once the SSA determines your condition improves enough to start working again, they end your benefits the next month. This happened to 94,778 people (about 11%) who stopped receiving SSDI checks.
- Of the 831,220 disabled workers removed from SSDI payment rolls, 34% died (278,983 people).
- About 55% reached full retirement age and switched to regular Social Security (453,966 people).
- Almost .3% found jobs (2,312 people), so they no longer needed monthly benefits.
You May Qualify for Legal Assistance
Want to talk to someone with expert knowledge about the SSDI claim process? A Social Security attorney can answer all your claim questions for free by phone. These attorneys charge nothing for cases that fail to win benefits. That means you owe your lawyer $0 unless the SSA awards you back pay plus benefits. Plus, having a disability lawyer file your application makes you 3x more likely to get benefits right away. Can’t afford to wait another 12+ months for your first payment? We can help!
Click the button below to sign up for a free phone call from a local claims expert during regular weekday business hours:
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Lori Polemenakos is Director of Consumer Content and SEO strategist for LeadingResponse, a legal marketing company. An award-winning journalist, writer and editor based in Dallas, Texas, she's produced articles for major brands such as Match.com, Yahoo!, MSN, AOL, Xfinity, Mail.com, and edited several published books. Since 2016, she's published hundreds of articles about Social Security disability, workers' compensation, veterans' benefits, personal injury, mass tort, auto accident claims, bankruptcy, employment law and other related legal issues.
