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SSDI Calculator 2026
Estimate your monthly Social Security Disability payment, your SSI amount, and the back pay you're owed — using SSA's actual bend-point formula and 2026 figures. Built by disability attorneys, not marketers.
Estimated monthly benefit
SSDI$1,991/mo
Estimated back pay
$37,829
SSDI estimate
$1,991/mo
SSI estimate
$967/mo
Medicare
Eligible immediately upon approval.
Medicaid
Likely eligible based on your asset level (state rules vary).
How we got this number
- • Estimated AIME (Average Indexed Monthly Earnings): $4,000.
- • PIA bend-point formula: 90% of first $1,226 + 32% up to $7,391 + 15% above.
National 2026 averages for reference: average SSDI $1,580/mo, maximum $4,018/mo.
Your estimate: $1,991/month plus about $37,829 in back pay.
There is real back pay at stake here, and the amount turns entirely on the onset date your case establishes. Send us your numbers and an attorney will tell you what your record actually supports.
- Estimated monthly benefit
- $1,991/mo
- Benefit type
- SSDI
- Estimated back pay
- $37,829
- Estimated PIA
- $1,991/mo
Estimate only. Your actual Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) depends on your top 35 years of indexed earnings. Pull your SSA Statement at ssa.gov/myaccount for the exact figure.
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Open →SSDI vs. SSI
Which program fits your work history and finances — or whether you qualify for both.
Open →How the SSDI calculator works
Social Security Disability is not paid according to how sick you are. It is paid from your earnings record, using the same formula SSA uses for retirement. Three steps get you there.
1. Your earnings become an AIME
SSA indexes your lifetime covered earnings to national wage growth, takes your highest years (up to 35, fewer if you're disabled young), and divides by the number of months. That average is your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings.
2. AIME runs through the 2026 bend points
Your Primary Insurance Amount — the monthly check — is 90% of the first $1,226 of AIME, plus 32% of AIME between $1,226 and $7,391, plus 15% of anything above that. The formula is deliberately progressive: lower earners replace a much larger share of their wages than high earners.
Worked example. An AIME of $4,000 gives 90% of $1,226 ($1,103) plus 32% of the remaining $2,774 ($888) — a PIA of about $1,991/month.
3. Adjustments and offsets
The 2026 maximum at full retirement age is $4,018/month. Workers' compensation and certain public pensions can offset SSDI so that combined benefits stay under 80% of your prior earnings. Family members may add up to 150–180% of your PIA through the family maximum.
What the estimate can't see
The calculator asks for average monthly earnings as a stand-in for AIME. Two things routinely move the real number: years of low or missing earnings pulling the average down, and self- employment income that was never reported to SSA. Both are worth checking on your SSA Statement before you rely on any estimate.
The bigger variable is not the monthly amount at all — it's your established onset date, which decides how many months of back pay you receive. Estimate that with the SSDI back pay calculator, and read the full 2026 SSDI calculation guide for the detail behind these figures.
2026 figures at a glance
- Average SSDI payment: about $1,580/month
- Maximum SSDI at full retirement age: $4,018/month
- SSI Federal Benefit Rate: $994 individual / $1,491 eligible couple
- First bend point: $1,226 — second bend point: $7,391
- SSDI waiting period: 5 full months after the established onset date
- Maximum retroactive SSDI: 12 months before the application date
Frequently asked questions
How much will I get from SSDI in 2026?+
The average SSDI payment in 2026 is roughly $1,580/month and the maximum at full retirement age is $4,018/month. Your amount is your Primary Insurance Amount, calculated from your top 35 years of indexed earnings using SSA's bend-point formula — not from the severity of your condition.
How accurate is this SSDI calculator?+
It uses SSA's actual PIA bend-point formula and the 2026 benefit figures, so the estimate lands close for most workers. The one input we cannot see is your indexed lifetime earnings record. Pull your SSA Statement at ssa.gov/myaccount, or send us your figures and we'll check them against your record for free.
How is SSDI back pay calculated?+
SSDI back pay equals your monthly benefit multiplied by the payable months between your established onset date plus the five-month waiting period and your approval date, with up to 12 months payable retroactive to your application date. SSI has no retroactive months — it starts at the application date.
What is the SSI payment amount for 2026?+
The 2026 Federal Benefit Rate is $994/month for an individual and $1,491/month for an eligible couple, reduced by countable income and by one third if you live in someone else's household and they provide food and shelter.
Does working reduce my disability payment?+
For SSDI, earning above the Substantial Gainful Activity limit can end benefits outright, though Trial Work Period rules give you protected months. For SSI, income reduces the check gradually — roughly $1 less for every $2 you earn after exclusions.
Do these calculators replace a case evaluation?+
No. The calculators give you a realistic estimate. The dollar figure you actually receive turns on the established onset date your case secures and on how your earnings record is credited — which is where representation changes the number.