Can You Get Social Security Disability If You Never Worked?

Can you collect disability from Social Security even if you never worked a day in your life? It's a good question. The answer is yes—and no. You can get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits without a work history, but you can't get Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) if you don't have an employment record.

Both SSDI and SSI are programs that benefit people who can't work because of long-term disabilities. But there are differences between SSI and SSDI that you should be aware of if you're thinking of applying for disability. Here's what you need to know about qualifying for the benefits offered by each program.

What Are SSDI and SSI?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) is a federal agency that manages both SSDI and SSI disability programs. Many people use the terms interchangeably, but the programs SSDI and SSI differ in significant ways.

SSDI

SSDI is a benefit that's available to disability claimants who've earned enough in "work credits." Work credits are earned by having a job where you pay FICA or self-employment taxes, which help fund the SSDI program. (SSDI falls under Title 2 of the Social Security Act and is paid out of the disability insurance trust fund.) So if you've recently worked long enough at a job where you paid Social Security taxes, you'll have enough credits to be eligible for SSDI benefits.

SSI

SSI is a low-income disability benefits program also administered by the SSA. (States used to run their own low-income disability programs until President Richard Nixon worked to federalize them into the SSI program.) SSI helps disabled people with little income and few assets. It falls under Title 16 of the Social Security Act and is paid out of the general treasury, not the Social Security trust fund.

Can You Get SSI If You Never Worked?

Yes, SSI is available to people who've never had a job or haven't worked lately. It's also open to:

• applicants who haven't worked enough quarters to qualify for SSDI
• applicants who once worked and were eligible for SSDI but no longer qualify because they haven't worked in a long time, and
• disabled children from low-income families with few assets.

SSI eligibility is limited to those with little income and few assets. So, even if you've never worked, it's still possible that you can get SSI.

How Do You Get SSI?

To get SSI, you must have a "medically determinable impairment" that keeps you from working at any type of full-time job for at least one year, and you must have limited financial resources. Social Security divides SSI financial eligibility into two categories—income and assets. Broadly, income is considered to be any wages or other payments you receive and assets are anything you own that can be turned into cash.

To qualify for SSI, you can't have many assets besides a house, a car, and household goods. You must have less than $2,000-$3,000 if you're married—in cash or other assets. (Here's a list of assets you can have and still qualify.)

If you have income coming in that's not from work, Social Security will subtract it from your benefit amount. And if you have more than $967 per month in other income, your SSI payment will be eliminated entirely. (Here's how the SSI income limit works.)

If you're married, the SSA will count part of your spouse's income towards the limit. And when an applicant is under 18, the SSA will count part of their parent's income toward the limit.

How to Apply for SSI

You can start your SSI disability application online, from wherever you are and at your convenience. If you prefer, you can call Social Security at 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778) between 8:00 am and 7:00 pm, Monday through Friday, to speak with a claims representative. You can also make an appointment to apply at your local Social Security office.

Once your application is completed, it's processed and sent off to another agency that specializes in making medical determinations on SSI (as well as SSDI and Medicaid) claims. In most states, this agency is known as Disability Determination Services, or simply DDS.

At DDS, the file is assigned to a disability claims examiner, who will process the medical portion of the claim. The examiner will begin sending out requests for medical records to the doctors, counselors, and hospitals you listed on your application. Since many medical providers (especially large hospitals) can be slow in processing the requests, the wait for records can last several months. For more information, see our article about what happens at DDS.

How Much SSI Can You Get If You Never Worked?

SSI benefits are provided at a flat rate (called the "federal benefit rate") that is adjusted every year to account for cost-of-living increases. In 2025, the federal benefit rate that each SSI recipient is able to receive is $967 per month. This rate is the maximum you're entitled to if you're awarded SSI. It isn't calculated based on your earnings history, so everybody who qualifies for SSI can potentially receive $967 per month, even if they never worked.

The federal benefit rate is the maximum you can receive per month on SSI, but this amount can be decreased if you have any countable income for that month. Some states provide modest supplemental payments to residents who get federal SSI benefits.

Can You Get SSDI If You Never Worked?

If you've never worked, you won't be able to qualify for SSDI benefits based on your own work history, because you won't have accumulated enough work credits to become "fully insured" under the program. However, keep in mind that it doesn't take a lifetime of work to qualify for SSDI on your own record. You can get SSDI disability benefits even if you never worked full-time. To earn enough work credits to qualify (about 20-40), you must have worked at least a small amount each year for 5 to 10 years, depending on your age.

How quickly you accumulate work credits depends on the year, but in 2025, every $1,810 you earn gives you one work credit, and you can get up to four work credits per year. To qualify, you must also have worked at least 5 of the last 10 years (or received 20 work credits over the last 10 years).

You may have other options as well if you have family members who have worked and paid Social Security taxes.

Qualifying for SSDI Through Your Spouse

You can't get SSDI benefits on your own earnings record if you've never worked, but in limited situations, you can get benefits based on the record of your spouse (or ex-spouse). For example, if your spouse is receiving SSDI, you might be able to receive spousal SSDI benefits, provided that you've been married to your spouse for at least a year and meet certain age or childcare requirements. Furthermore, divorced spouses of deceased SSDI beneficiaries may qualify for survivors benefits after an ex-spouse dies.

Qualifying for SSDI Through Your Parents

In some circumstances, children can also collect SSDI disability benefits based on a parent's earnings. Unmarried children without a qualifying work history may be eligible for benefits as:

• minors
• full-time students (at ages 18-19), or
• "disabled adult children" whose disability began before age 22.

Can You Collect SSDI and SSI at the Same Time?

When you file for disability benefits, Social Security will determine if your application is for SSI alone or both SSI and SSDI benefits. Filing for both SSDI and SSI is known as a concurrent disability claim.

Concurrent claims are for individuals who have coverage for SSDI benefits because of their work history but whose monthly benefit amount might be particularly low, perhaps because their past wages have been low or they didn't work for many years. Although you can get SSI benefits if you've never worked, you can't get concurrent benefits.

How Can I Improve My Chances of Getting Disability If I've Never Worked?

Whether you'll be approved for disability benefits ultimately comes down to what's in your medical records. For this reason, it's particularly important that you keep going to a doctor. That way, when your SSI claim is reviewed, you can present a long medical history and very recent (within the last 60 to 90 days) medical records.

Likewise, it's extremely helpful to have a supportive doctor because your doctor's notes can have a significant impact on whether or not you get SSI benefits. Your medical records should indicate what activities you're currently capable of doing despite your medical condition and what activities you should refrain from performing. For example, if you're unable to lift more than 10 pounds because of osteoarthritis or you can't focus on tasks for longer than 20 minutes due to ADHD, these restrictions should be included in your doctor's clinical notes.

What If Your SSI Disability Claim Is Denied?

Without a doubt, the SSI disability determination process is a fairly difficult one, except in the most clear-cut cases. Most SSI applications are initially denied—and the denial rate is higher for SSI claims than for SSDI claims. To get SSI, you'll probably need to appeal the decision and go to a disability hearing.

If Social Security has denied your SSI claim, you should probably consider finding a lawyer to represent you at the hearing. The lawyer will organize your medical records and get the evidence you need to prove that your medical impairments are disabling. If you're worried about the cost of legal representation (as most applicants are), you should know that disability attorneys work on contingency, meaning they don't get paid unless you win your claim—and if you win, they're typically paid a capped fee directly from the SSA out of any backpay you're owed, meaning there's little, if any, out-of-pocket costs to you.