How Is the SSDI Benefit Calculated?
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) pays monthly benefits to workers who become disabled after paying enough Social Security taxes through their work history. Your benefit is based on your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), calculated from your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME) using a progressive formula with three "bend points." For 2024, you receive 90% of the first $1,174 of AIME, 32% of AIME between $1,174 and $7,078, and 15% of any AIME above $7,078 — a structure designed to replace a larger share of income for lower earners.
This calculator applies that exact formula so you can enter your estimated AIME and see a rough monthly benefit. Because AIME itself is calculated from your highest-earning 35 years of wage-indexed income, your actual figure requires your full earnings record, which you can find on your Social Security statement at ssa.gov. SSDI also requires you to have earned enough "work credits" (typically 40 credits, with 20 earned in the last 10 years) and to meet Social Security's medical definition of disability.
Frequently Asked Questions
Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME) is your average monthly earnings over your highest-earning years, adjusted for wage inflation, which Social Security uses to calculate your benefit.
SSDI is based on your work history and the Social Security taxes you've paid, while SSI is a needs-based program with no work requirement but strict income and resource limits.
Yes, the bend point dollar amounts are adjusted annually based on national average wage growth.