2026 SSDI Calculator

How the 2026 SSDI benefit is calculated

SSA indexes your lifetime earnings, averages your top 35 years, and converts that to a monthly figure (AIME). The PIA formula then applies progressive percentages at two "bend points" — 90% of the first $1,226, 32% up to $7,391, and 15% above.

Most workers fall in the middle bracket, which is why the national SSDI average sits near $1,580/month.

2026 SSDI & SSI benefit amounts at a glance

Step 1: How SSA indexes your earnings

SSA does not use the raw dollars you earned in 1998 — it indexes them to national wage growth up to the year you turned 60. A $30,000 salary in 1998 may count as roughly $60,000 in today's wage terms. Every year after age 60 is counted at face value. SSA then takes your highest 35 indexed years, adds them up, and divides by 420 months to produce your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME).

SSDI differs from retirement here: if you become disabled young, SSA drops out some low-earning years instead of forcing 35 years of history, so a short work record does not automatically produce a tiny check.

Step 2: The 2026 PIA formula, applied

Your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) is the sum of three brackets, split at the 2026 bend points of $1,226 and $7,391:

• 90% of the first $1,226 of AIME
• 32% of AIME between $1,226 and $7,391
• 15% of AIME above $7,391

Worked example. Say your AIME is $4,500. The first bracket gives 0.90 × $1,226 = $1,103.40. The second gives 0.32 × ($4,500 − $1,226) = $1,047.68. There is nothing in the third bracket. Total PIA = $2,151.08, rounded down to the dime: about $2,151/month. Notice the replacement rate: a worker averaging $4,500/month replaces roughly 48% of earnings, while a worker averaging $9,000/month replaces closer to 33% — the bend points make the formula deliberately progressive toward lower earners.

The 2026 PIA bend points explained in detail

"Bend points" are the two dollar thresholds where the replacement percentage drops. They are not policy judgments made each year — SSA recalculates them automatically from the national average wage index, which is why they move every year while the percentages (90%, 32%, 15%) have been fixed since 1979. For 2026 they land at $1,226 and $7,391 of AIME.

The bend points that apply to you are the ones in effect for your eligibility year — the year you turn 62, become disabled, or die — not the year SSA decides your case. Someone found disabled in 2026 is locked to the 2026 bend points for life, with annual COLAs layered on top afterward. An approval that arrives in 2028 for a 2026 onset still uses the 2026 set.

Reading that table shows why extra earnings matter less the higher you go. Every additional $1,000 of AIME inside the first bracket adds $900 to your monthly check; the same $1,000 in the middle bracket adds $320; above the second bend point it adds $150. Two claimants whose lifetime earnings differ by half often see monthly checks that differ by far less.

A second worked example at a higher AIME. With an AIME of $8,000: the first bracket gives 0.90 × $1,226 = $1,103.40, the second gives 0.32 × ($7,391 − $1,226) = $1,972.80, and the third gives 0.15 × ($8,000 − $7,391) = $91.35. Total PIA = $3,167.55, or about $3,167/month — a 40% replacement rate against $8,000 of average monthly earnings.

For context, the first bend point has climbed from $1,024 (2022) to $1,115 (2024) to $1,226 (2026), and the second from $6,172 to $7,391 over the same span. Any calculator still using an earlier year's thresholds will understate a 2026 claim, which is why this page is rebuilt each time SSA publishes new figures.

Step 3: COLA, family benefits, and the family maximum

Once your PIA is set, SSA applies the annual cost-of-living adjustment each January (2.5% for 2026). Your spouse — age 62 or older, or caring for your child under 16 — and your unmarried minor children can draw auxiliary benefits on your record. Those payments are capped by the SSDI family maximum, generally 150% of your PIA (and never more than 85% of AIME or less than your PIA). Auxiliary payments are reduced proportionally to fit under the cap; your own check is never cut to make room.

The 2026 COLA: what the 2.5% raise actually adds to your check

The cost-of-living adjustment is applied to your PIA, not to a flat dollar amount, so the raise scales with the size of your benefit. The 2026 COLA is 2.5%, and it took effect with benefits payable for January 2026.

A few details that surprise people about the COLA:

• It is automatic. You do not apply for it, and it does not require a new medical decision or paperwork.
• It compounds. Each year's percentage is applied to the already-adjusted amount, so raises build on one another rather than resetting.
• A Medicare premium increase can absorb part of it. If you are past the 24-month Medicare waiting period, the Part B premium is deducted from your deposit, so the net increase you see in the bank can be smaller than the gross raise.
• Auxiliary and SSI amounts move too. Spouse and child benefits rise with your PIA, and the federal SSI payment standard is adjusted by the same percentage.
• Other 2026 limits shift separately. The SGA work-earnings cap ($1,620/month, $2,700 if blind) and the taxable earnings base are updated on their own SSA schedules, not by the COLA percentage.

Recent COLAs for context: 8.7% for 2023, 3.2% for 2024, 2.5% for 2025, and 2.5% for 2026. Because the estimate above is built on 2026 bend points, the result already reflects the 2026 adjustment — you do not need to add the 2.5% yourself.

Why your estimate may differ from your actual check

SSA uses your exact indexed earnings record — this calculator approximates from the inputs you provide. Other factors that can move the number:

• Workers' Compensation offset. Combined SSDI plus workers' comp cannot exceed 80% of your pre-disability average current earnings; SSDI is reduced to fit.
• Government Pension Offset / WEP. Pensions from work not covered by Social Security can reduce your benefit.
• Concurrent SSDI + SSI. If your SSDI is low, SSI may top you up to the federal floor, but SSDI counts as income against the SSI maximum.
• Missing or misreported earnings. Verify your record at ssa.gov/myaccount — a missing year of wages permanently lowers your AIME until corrected.
• Medicare premiums. After 24 months of entitlement, Part B premiums are deducted from the monthly deposit.

How this SSDI calculator compares to SSA's own tools

The practical difference: SSA's statement is authoritative but requires identity verification, and its Quick Calculator is built for retirement. This page runs the same published 2026 PIA formula against the numbers you already know, and shows every bracket so you can see where your estimate comes from.

Sources and methodology

Every figure on this page comes from SSA's published 2026 program data — no estimates or third-party projections. The calculator applies the PIA bend-point formula exactly as SSA states it, then rounds down to the nearest dime as SSA does.

• SSA — Primary Insurance Amount formula
• SSA — PIA bend points by year
• SSA — Substantial Gainful Activity amounts
• SSA — SSI federal payment standards

Limits to be honest about. This is an estimate, not a determination. It cannot see your actual SSA earnings record, any workers' compensation offset, a public pension under WEP/GPO, or Medicare Part B deductions. Treat the result as a planning number and confirm it against your SSA statement.

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Last updated: June 21, 2026