How much does Social Security Disability pay?

There are two programs, and they are calculated differently.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is based on your own work record, so the monthly amount is different for every person. SSDI is insurance that workers pay for through employment taxes, and the amount depends on how much you paid in over your working years. Social Security averages your earnings on which those taxes were paid: higher taxed earnings over the years generally mean a higher monthly benefit, and years with little or no covered work pull it down. You also need enough recent work to be insured at all. Your earnings record, which you can review in a free my Social Security account, is the starting point for any estimate. Social Security's published figures put the average SSDI payment for a disabled worker at about $1,540 a month (Social Security Administration fact sheet, 2024).

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a needs-based program with a federal maximum monthly amount, set each year and reduced by other income a person has. Georgia does not add a state supplement.

A successful claim also pays past-due benefits for the time the claim was pending. SSDI generally brings Medicare after a waiting period; SSI generally brings Medicaid.

What representation costs is a separate question — see fees.