Anaheim Social Security Lawyers Explain How SSD is Calculated:

How Much Social Security Disability Will I Get?

If you are eligible to collect Social Security Disability Insurance your benefits each month are calculated on your “average lifetime earnings” before you became disabled.

The amount of SSD you receive is not based on how severe your disability is. The amount of SSD you receive is also not based on how little money or income you have, or how much you need.

Your Social Security Disability benefits are based on how much you have contributed or “paid in” to the Social Security system over the course of your lifetime employment history.

This means that the amount of SSD you will receive on a monthly basis is different for every person. It is calculated by the Social Security Administration (SSA) using a complicated formula. The maximum disability benefit is currently $2,639 in 2016. The average SSDI payment in 2016 is currently $1,166 per month. Your monthly amount will depend upon your lifetime tax history.

What Is Social Security Disability AIM & PIA Anaheim Lawyers

Social Security calculates your disability benefits on the amount of income on which you have paid Social Security over the lifetime course of your employment. This amount is called your “covered earnings.”

Next, a quite complicated formula is applied using your “covered earnings” to determine your benefit amount.

First, your covered earnings over a period of years is divided by the number of months to give you a figure known as “average indexed monthly earnings”. This amount is what gives you your AIM.

Next a formula is applied to your AIM that applies fixed percentages to different amounts of your income from different years (based on something hard to understand called “bend points,” which are adjusted each year). This is used to calculate your “primary insurance amount” or “PIA”. The PIA is then the final base figure that the SSA uses in determining your Social Security benefit amount.

Sound complicated? It is! But our experienced Social Security lawyers are here to help you understand the Social Security Benefits for which you qualify AND to help you obtain the maximum benefits to which you are entitled!

How to Look Up Your Social Security Benefits: Anaheim Lawyers

There are a few ways to check your Social Security Benefits yourself.

Check your Social Security Statement. Currently the SSA sends out a printed statement every 5 years to people who are not receiving benefits. And they send statements every year to anyone over 60.
Check your Social Security Statement online at:
www.ssa.gov/mystatement/.
“Do it Yourself” Calculation. If you think the SSA information may be inaccurate or incomplete or in error prefer to enter your lifetime salary information yourself rather than relying on Social Security’s past records and estimates of your future earnings, you can use the SSA’s online benefits calculator:
www.socialsecurity.gov/planners/benefitcalculators.htm.
Visit your local Social Security office in person. Although the wait times are usually quite long, a representative can estimate what your Social Security benefits will be.

Our Long Beach & Anaheim Social Security Lawyers Get Max Social Security Disability

If you have been disabled and you live in Anaheim, the greater Los Angeles area or anywhere in Southern California, we offer a free consultation with an experienced social security lawyer to help you understand your rights. And we will work tirelessly to obtain the maximum social security benefits for which you qualify. Call us today!