How Long Does It Take Before SSDI Benefits Begin?

Takeaways

• Qualifying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) takes an average of six to eight months, with a five-month waiting period from the official onset date of disability before payments begin.
• Fast-track processes can expedite applications for individuals with severe health conditions.

One of the nation’s largest federal programs, Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) provides benefits if you qualify as “insured.” This means you have worked and paid enough Social Security taxes into the system.

Qualifying for SSDI takes an average of six to eight months. However, some applicants can be fast-tracked, while others may take years when pursuing appeals. Once approved, SSDI payments begin after a five-month waiting period from the official onset date of your disability.

Why Do I Have to Wait?

The five-month waiting period helps ensure that SSDI applicants genuinely have a lasting disability, not a short-term illness or injury from which they may recover. This waiting period also discourages those who can work from applying. Note that a 2020 federal law eliminated the wait in specific circumstances, such as a disability due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Disability Onset Date

The date your disability began differs from your SSDI application or approval date. Your onset date is when a medical condition officially rendered you unable to work, which can be weeks or months before you actually filed for benefits.

According to AARP, the average SSDI application processing time is 231 days, or more than seven months. While the five-month waiting period will be over at that point, you may still receive retroactive SSDI for up to 12 months prior to your application filing date, depending on the determination of the disability onset date. This policy is particularly important to those who successfully appeal a claim.

When filing for SSDI, your claim will have your “alleged onset date,” the date you believe you became disabled. The SSA may accept this date or, depending on the evidence in your case, choose another date. The final decision determines the “established onset date,” the starting point of the five-month waiting period.

First Benefit Payment

When the SSDI application and approval process is complete, you will receive a favorable written decision. This decision will have the SSA-approved onset date, which links to the benefit payment start date.

For example, if your disability onset date is March 20, your initial payment will be for September, following the five-month waiting period rule. However, you receive your check in October, as the SSA pays benefits the month after the month they are due. (Claimants with ALS will not have to wait five months.)

If your claim goes through a hearing with an Administrative Law Judge, you may have to wait longer, as many states have case backlogs. A favorable appeal goes to the payment processing center, where it can take another few months for benefits to start. The SSA will automatically calculate if back payments are due.

Your SSDI benefit amount is determined by your work history and payment into the Social Security tax system. The SSA provides online calculators to estimate the benefit amount. Receiving other public benefits, including the following, may lower your SSDI benefit:

• Public disability benefits
• Worker’s compensation
• Pensions received through work not covered by Social Security (some government or foreign employment)

Fast-Track SSDI Applications

Some severe health conditions immediately meet disability standards. The SSA has two fast-track processes:

• Quick Disability Determinations (QDD) uses a computer-based predictive modeling technique to screen initial applications, helping to expedite these cases.
• Compassionate Allowances also uses technology to quickly identify medical conditions that meet SSA standards for disability benefits, speeding up disability determination for those experiencing serious disabilities or illnesses.

A Special Needs Planning Attorney Can Help

Your claim and application process for SSDI is unique to your work experience and the disability or medical illness that precludes you from working. A special needs planning attorney can help you or your family member in need manage all the application details, which can prove overwhelming.

Keep in mind that most SSDI applications are initially denied. SSA statistics show only 21 percent of first applications are approved, while 67 percent are denied. With Social Security processing times averaging six to eight months, working with an attorney who understands the application process will increase the likelihood of first-time approval.