How Much Can You Receive from SSD?

The amount you receive from SSD is based on your average lifetime earnings and the amount of Social Security taxes you’ve paid through your work history. Essentially, the more you have earned and contributed to Social Security, the higher your SSD benefits are likely to be.

SSD Benefit Calculation

• Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME): The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses your AIME to determine your SSD benefits. AIME is based on your highest-earning 35 years of work history (adjusted for inflation). The SSA then applies a formula to calculate your benefits.
• Primary Insurance Amount (PIA): Your PIA is the monthly benefit you will receive at your full retirement age (FRA). The SSA calculates the PIA based on your AIME and applies a formula to come up with a final monthly amount.

For 2025, the average SSD benefit is around $1,400 per month. However, this amount can vary significantly depending on your work history and the amount of taxes you’ve paid into the Social Security system.

Factors That Affect Your SSD Benefits:

• Work History: The more years you’ve worked and the higher your earnings, the higher your monthly SSD payment will likely be.
• Family Members: If you have dependents or a spouse, they may be eligible for benefits based on your SSD award, which can affect the total amount your family receives.
• Full Retirement Age (FRA): If you’re younger than your FRA (currently 66-67, depending on when you were born), you may receive a reduced amount of SSD benefits. Your FRA is based on your birth year.
• Other Income: If you are receiving other forms of income, such as workers’ compensation, it may affect the amount of SSD benefits you receive.

How Much Can You Receive from SSI?

SSI, on the other hand, is a needs-based program designed to help individuals with limited income and resources. The amount you receive from SSI is not based on your work history but on your financial situation and other factors.

SSI Benefit Calculation

• Federal Benefit Rate (FBR): The SSA sets a maximum monthly benefit amount for SSI, known as the Federal Benefit Rate. For 2025, the maximum SSI payment is $914 per month for an individual and $1,371 per month for a couple. However, the actual amount you receive may be less depending on your income and living situation.
  
• Income and Resources: SSI benefits are based on your income (such as wages, pensions, or gifts) and resources (such as savings or property). If you earn too much income or have too many resources, your SSI benefits may be reduced or eliminated entirely. The SSA has strict limits on income and resources for SSI recipients:
• Income Limit: Generally, your income must be below a certain threshold to qualify for SSI. For an individual, the income limit is $1,470 per month in 2025 (this includes wages, self-employment income, and other sources of income).
• Resource Limit: You cannot have more than $2,000 in resources ($3,000 for couples) to qualify for SSI. Resources include things like cash, bank accounts, and property (excluding your home and one vehicle).

Factors That Affect Your SSI Benefits:

• Living Situation: If you live in someone else’s household or receive in-kind support (such as free food or shelter), the SSA may reduce your SSI benefits.
• State Supplements: Some states offer additional payments to SSI recipients. These state supplements vary by state and can increase the amount you receive from SSI.
• Income: Any additional income you receive may reduce your SSI benefit. The SSA uses a formula to determine how much of your income will count toward your SSI benefit, and only a portion of your income is counted.

Can You Receive Both SSD and SSI?

In some cases, individuals may be eligible for both SSD and SSI benefits at the same time, known as concurrent benefits. This typically happens when you qualify for SSD, but your monthly SSD payment is low enough that you still qualify for SSI. In this case, you would receive SSD benefits to supplement your income, and SSI would help fill in the gap to meet the minimum payment level.

For example:

• If your SSD benefit is $900 per month and the maximum SSI amount for an individual is $914, you may receive the full SSD amount plus a reduced SSI payment to bring your total to $914 per month.