Important Changes for Social Security and SSI Disability in 2026

Social Security's "cost-of-living adjustment" (COLA) for 2026 increases disability payments for SSDI and SSI recipients by 2.8%. This year's COLA is a bit higher than last year's due to higher inflation over the past year. Along with the benefit increases for the year 2026, various numbers having to do with eligibility for benefits are also changing. This chart summarizes many of the changes, which we'll discuss in detail below.

Social Security will start sending the increased payments to Social Security recipients in January 2026 and to SSI recipients on December 31, 2025.

How Have SSDI Amounts Changed for 2026?

Individual benefit amount. Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) payments have increased by 2.8% for 2026. Social Security expects the average monthly SSDI benefit to be $1,690 in 2026, and the most anyone can receive is $4,152 per month (there is no minimum amount).

Dependent benefit amounts. Benefit amounts for the spouses and children of disabled workers have also increased by 2.8%. The average amount that a disability recipient with a spouse and one or more children will receive is $2,937.

Has SSDI Eligibility Changed for 2026?

SSDI income limits. Social Security will consider you for SSDI benefits only if you aren't working or if you're making less than $1,690 per month from working (up from $1,620 in 2025). If you're legally blind, you can make up to $2,830 per month. These are the "substantial gainful activity" (SGA) limits. On an annual basis, the SGA amount works out to income of $20,160 per year, or $33,960 if you're blind.

Trial work period. SSDI recipients are allowed nine separate months to try working over the SGA limit without losing their full monthly benefit. But any month you make less than $1,210 (in 2026) doesn't even count as part of the trial work period and won't affect your benefits at all.

SSDI unearned income limits. As to income that's not "earned" (like gifts, pension income, interest income, or unemployment benefits), the SSDI program has no limits.

Number of work credits. To be "insured" (eligible) for SSDI, you must have paid into the system for a number of years, either by paying FICA taxes in a job covered by Social Security or by paying self-employment taxes. Social Security keeps track of how much you've worked by giving you "credits" for each calendar quarter you worked.

The number of work credits you need varies for people of different ages, but to give you some examples, a 50-year-old needs 28 credits (7 years), and a 60-year-old needs 38 credits (9.5 years).

Income per credit. The amount of income needed to earn a credit for one calendar quarter of Social Security coverage increases in 2026, to $1,890, but you can only earn four credits per year. (See our article on SSDI work credits for more information.)

Attorney fees. The maximum fee that Social Security disability attorneys are allowed to charge stays at $9,200 for 2026, and Social Security can take no more than 25% of your back payments (and none of your ongoing payments) to pay the fee.

How Have SSI Amounts Changed for 2026?

Federal monthly SSI payment. The new federal payment for disabled SSI recipients is $994 per month. For married couples who live together and who both receive SSI, the monthly payment is $1,491. SSI recipients will receive less if they receive free rent from friends or relatives, or if they're making any income.

State supplementary payments. Most states also add a state supplement onto the federal amount, at least for some categories of SSI recipients. Some states are also increasing the supplement amounts for 2026, but many have opted not to.

Has the SSI Income Limit Changed for 2026?

SSI income limit when you apply. When you apply for SSI, you can't be making more than $1,690 per month from working. If you're legally blind, you can't be making more than $2,830 per month.

After you've started receiving SSI benefits, you're no longer prevented from making above $1,690 (or $2,830 for those who are blind or have low vision). Those are the SGA limits, and they no longer apply to SSI recipients. But the SSI program does have an ongoing income limit for all recipients.

SSI income limit after approval. The SSI income limit applies after you've started receiving benefits. Here's how it works. Any income you have (earned income like wages or unearned income like gifts) over $994 will reduce your benefit. But Social Security doesn't count over half of the income you receive from work.

The way the math works is that you can actually make about $2,070 from working before your SSI payment is reduced to zero. That's because Social Security doesn't count $85 of your income plus half the remainder. So, say you make $2,057. Social Security will only take $986 of that (($2,057-$85)/2 = $986) out of your SSI check, leaving you with an $8 benefit ($994 - $986). Here are some more examples of how your SSI payment could be reduced because of income.

In 2026, if you make $775 per month and you live on your own (not receiving free rent), your SSI benefit would be $649 per month ($994 - ($775-$85)/2). The more you make, the lower your SSI benefit will be.

If you make $1,475 per month, your SSI benefit would only be $299 (($994 - ($1,475-$85)/2).

In-kind income. If you receive free housing or discounted rent from a friend or family member, Social Security could treat this as "in-kind income" and lower your monthly SSI payment. But for 2026, if you pay at least $351.33 per month in rent, your SSI payment won't be reduced, even if your apartment or house is worth a lot more. Learn more in our article on in-kind income and support.

Student income exclusion. For students who receive SSI, the income exclusion amount (the amount of income you can make without losing your benefits) is $2,410 per month, up to an annual limit of $9,730.

Asset Limits for 2026

The resource (asset) limits for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) remain the same as last year: $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. The SSI asset limit hasn't been raised since 1989.

The SSDI program doesn't have an asset limit. That's because SSDI is an insurance program that people pay into out of every paycheck; it's not a needs-based (low-income) program like SSI. So you don't need to have few resources to receive Social Security disability benefits (just like for Social Security retirement benefits).