Cost for Hiring a Disability Attorney

In visiting various internet forums, I've been surprised to discover that a significant number of disability claimants have the impression that they cannot afford a disability attorney. The cost of getting an attorney, of course, is a reasonable concern. However, hiring a disability attorney is not like hiring a traffic attorney.

A disability attorney who represents a social security disability or SSI disability claim is compensated in the following manner: the attorney receives a fee that is equal to one fourth of whatever backpayment a disability claimant is owed by the social security administration.

This essentially makes the cost paid to a disability attorney a contingency fee. In other words, if the disability attorney wins the case, the attorney receives a fee. If the disability attorney does not win the case, there is no fee and no cost (aside from any other expenses the attorney may decide to charge, such as the cost of obtaining medical records and statements from a claimant's physicians).

The fee for representation on an SSDI (social security disability insurance) or SSI case is equal to one fourth of the backpay a claimant receives---meaning that if the claimant's backpay is $10,000 the attorney could receive $2500 as the cost of the fee.

However, the maximum amount that an attorney can receive, regardless of the amount of a claimant's backpay, is capped. This cap rises every so often, but, currently, the limit is set at $6,000.

For more information, you may wish to refer to the menu below.

• Social Security Disability Overview Pt. 2
• Advice For Social Security Disability Claims
• Social Security Disability: How It Works
• Social Security Disability: How To Apply
• Tips For A Disability Case