If you're eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, the SSDI payment amount you'll receive each month will be based on your average lifetime earnings before your disability began. Unlike veterans' disability compensation, workers' comp, or Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments, SSDI isn't based on how severe your disability is or how much income you have—everything depends on those lifetime earnings.

To save you from doing the calculations yourself, we've added a Social Security benefits calculator below. The calculator allows you to quickly estimate your potential monthly SSDI payment for 2025, based on your recent wages. You'll also learn how other sources of income might affect your monthly payment and what could cause your SSDI amount to change over time.

How Much Is a Disability Check in 2025?

How much is SSDI per month? The average SSDI payment in 2025 for an individual is $1,586, but almost two-thirds of SSDI recipients receive less than that. And only 10% of SSDI recipients receive $2,000 per month or more.

If you have a family, your household SSDI income might be higher. (Minor children can get benefits, as can spouses who are taking care of minor children or who have reached retirement age.) The 2025 average Social Security benefit per month for an SSDI recipient who has a spouse and children is $2,857.

What's My Social Security Disability Benefit Amount?

Our Social Security benefits calculator estimates your disability benefit for 2025 after you enter the year you were born and your average earnings over the last ten years. The calculator applies the same formulas that the Social Security Administration (SSA) uses to estimate your monthly disability benefit.

Our calculator will give you a good estimate of your SSDI benefits, but the exact amount you'll receive depends on the following:

• your average income over your entire lifetime (up to 35 years if you've worked that long)
• whether you paid self-employment taxes if you owned your own business or freelanced
• whether you worked in any jobs that didn't pay into the Social Security system (such as state or local government jobs), and
• whether you took any years off work for child-rearing or long-term illness.

The calculator assumes you've had gradual increases in earnings over your lifetime, so if your income has fluctuated, the calculator may give you a less accurate estimate. For the exact SSDI amount you'd get if you were awarded benefits this year, you can check your Social Security Statement. Your statement also shows what your Social Security retirement benefit would be at ages 62, 67, and 70. You can also check your entire covered earnings history on your Social Security Statement.

Find your statement online at www.ssa.gov/myaccount. (If you're 60 or older, Social Security will send you a printed statement once a year if you don't set up an online account.) Setting up an account requires you to have an account with LOGIN.GOV or ID.me, two services that require ID verification and facial recognition, which requires a camera.

If you'd rather not go through the verification process, you can use Social Security's benefits calculator without logging in, but it requires you to enter your past earnings for up to 35 years.

You can also call your local Social Security office, and a field representative will be able to give you an exact estimate of what your benefits would be.

How Does Social Security Calculate Your SSDI Benefits?

Social Security uses a complex weighted formula to calculate benefits for each person.

Doing the math yourself to calculate your own benefit amount is difficult, but here's how the formula works. It can help to know how disability is calculated, if you don't mind a few figures.

The Pieces of Social Security's Benefit Formula

Given the way Social Security's formulas work, the maximum SSDI benefit works out to about $4,020 per month in 2025.

Examples of Benefit Amounts for Age 55

Because benefit amounts depend on lifetime earnings, there's a large range in how much Social Security pays. For instance, let's look at age 55, the most common age that disabilities start. For 55-year-olds who have worked their entire lives, Social Security typically pays $1,200 to $3,400 per month.

The benefits pay chart here shows you the ranges based on income at age 55.

What's the Average SSDI Payment in 2025?

In 2025, the average monthly check for SSDI is $1,580. Most SSDI recipients receive between $1,000 and $1,500 per month, as you can see from the Social Security disability payment chart for 2025. (Source: Social Security Administration Disabled Worker Beneficiaries Chart, June 2025.) But keep in mind that, if you're receiving disability payments from other sources, your payment may be reduced (as discussed below).

Can Other Income Reduce Your SSDI Payment?

Income from work won't reduce your SSDI payment, and any disability benefits you receive from a private long-term disability insurance policy won't affect your SSDI benefits. Nor will Supplemental Security Income or VA benefits impact your SSDI amount. But government-regulated disability benefits such as workers' comp or temporary state disability benefits can affect your SSDI benefits.

Here's how that works: If the amount in SSDI plus the amount from government-regulated disability benefits is more than 80% of the amount you earned before you became disabled, the SSDI or other benefits will be reduced.

The following types of government benefits could also lower your SSDI payment:

• workers' comp payments
• state short-term disability payments
• civil service disability benefits, and
• state or local government retirement benefits based on disability.

Can the Amount of Your SSDI Check Change?

Most years, your monthly SSDI payment will go up, thanks to Social Security's annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). You can find the annual COLA here.

Once you're eligible for Medicare benefits (two years after you become entitled to SSDI benefits), the cost of Medicare Part B will be taken directly out of your Social Security check. Most people will pay a premium of $185 for Part B in 2025, but the amount can be quite a bit higher for those with high household income.

If you have low income, a Medicare Savings Program can pay your Part B premium.

Otherwise, your SSDI check won't change, unless you start collecting workers' comp or one of the government benefits mentioned above.

How Much in Social Security Back Pay Can You Get?

How much you'll receive in Social Security disability back payments depends on your SSDI monthly amount. And how many months of back payments you get is determined by your application date and your established date of onset (when your disability started). For instance, if you were disabled for 10 months before you were approved for benefits, you'll get 5 months of back payments (you have to subtract the five-month waiting period).

If you previously applied for disability benefits but didn't get them that time, your back pay might go back even further—to your original application date. Learn more about how SSDI back pay is calculated.

Average Social Security Disability Benefit Amounts Per State

The chart below shows the average monthly SSDI payment in each state for people who can no longer work (benefit amounts for widows and adult children are not included).

In most states, the average payment hovers around $1,500, but in a dozen states, some of them in the South and Midwest, the average amounts dip to around $1,400. A few of the Northeast states, including New Jersey and Connecticut, have average monthly payment amounts that climb close to $1,700.

Find the average benefit amount for your state below.

Source:
Annual Statistical Report on the Social Security Disability Insurance Program, 2023 (released October 2024)

How to Apply for Disability Benefits

Knowing how SSDI benefits are calculated—based on your work history and earnings—helps you know what to expect if you're unable to work and are considering applying for SSDI. If you're ready, you can get help with your application by reading our article on filing an application for disability benefits. You can file online through the SSA website or in person at your local Social Security office.

Before you begin, gather the documents you'll need, including your work history for the past five years, detailed medical records from all treating physicians, information about any medical tests you've undergone, and a list of medications and dosages. Don't hesitate to apply if you can't work, because the time required to receive a decision on a disability claim can be lengthy, and your medical condition could worsen by then.

If you think you'll need help with the application, or you've already been denied, think about talking to an experienced disability attorney. A lawyer can tell you how strong your case is, help you gather the right medical documents and opinions, and handle communications with the SSA. Learn more about how lawyers handle disability claims.