How long does a Social Security Disability case take?

There is no single answer, because a claim can end at any of several stages. As a rough guide:

• The first decision on an application usually takes several months.
• A reconsideration appeal adds a few months more.
• The wait for a hearing before a judge is the long part — commonly a year or more from the request to the hearing date, and it varies by hearing office.
• An Appeals Council review, and then federal court, each add many months on top of that.

From application to a hearing decision, one to two years is common; longer if the case goes further.

The wait is easier to bear knowing that we generally seek past-due benefits that cover that period of waiting. A successful claim pays back to the date the disability is found to have begun, within limits set by law — so the months spent waiting are not months of benefits lost.

See how a claim works for the stages in detail.