Is SSDI based on income or need?

No. SSDI is insurance you earned through payroll taxes — the amount depends on your lifetime earnings record, not on household income, assets, or how severe the disability is. The needs-based program with income and asset limits is SSI, a separate benefit.

Where do I find my real AIME?

Your Social Security statement at ssa.gov/myaccount shows the disability benefit estimate SSA computes from your actual indexed earnings record. This calculator is for understanding the formula; your statement carries the figure built from your real wage history.

What is the official SSDI estimator?

SSA's Quick Calculator at ssa.gov/OACT/quickcalc and the estimates inside your my Social Security account are the official estimators. Whatever any tool shows, SSA's own computation at award time determines the actual benefit.

It can be. If your combined income (adjusted gross income plus nontaxable interest plus half your benefits) exceeds the IRS thresholds, part of your SSDI is taxable; below them, none of it is. IRS Publication 915 has the worksheet, and only the IRS determines your tax liability.

What is the difference between SSI and SSDI?

SSDI is an insurance benefit earned through your work record and payroll taxes, so the amount depends on your earnings history. SSI is a needs-based program for people with limited income and resources regardless of work history. Some people qualify for both.

SSDI Calculator

Estimate your monthly SSDI benefit from your AIME with the real Social Security formula: 90% of the first $1,286, 32% from $1,286 to $7,749, and 15% above — the verified 2026 bend points. SSDI is not needs-based; the benefit is your PIA from your earnings record, shown here step by step.

Works offline — your inputs never leave this device. How that works

Your (average indexed monthly earnings)$/moAIME is your highest 35 years of indexed earnings, averaged per month — the single number SSA feeds into the benefit formula.

What is AIME? → Your actual figure comes from your earnings record — see the disability estimate on your statement at ssa.gov/myaccount ↗.

Estimated monthly SSDI benefit (PIA)$2,185.80

Annualized$26,229.60

90% of first $1,286$1,157.40

32% from $1,286 to $7,749$1,028.48

15% above $7,749$0.00

SSDI is generally the full PIA, with no reduction for age. Workers’ compensation or certain public disability benefits can reduce the payment in some cases, and Medicare premiums are deducted once Medicare coverage begins.

Verified 2026-07-30 against SSA — 2026 COLA information + OACT bend points + 20 CFR 404.621 (effective 2026-01-01)

Estimate only — not legal, financial, or benefits advice. Only SSA can determine your actual benefit.

Official source: SSA — Quick Calculator (official estimator) ↗

🎓 Understand this tool

What it is

An estimator for the monthly SSDI benefit — your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), the figure Social Security computes from your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME). SSDI is earnings-based insurance: the amount comes from your work record, not from household income, assets, or the severity of the disability.

How it works

The tool applies SSA's bend-point formula from the verified 2026 rule pack: 90% of the first $1,286 of AIME, 32% of the portion from $1,286 to $7,749, and 15% above that, with the sum rounded down to the next lower $0.10 per SSA practice. SSDI generally pays the full PIA with no reduction for age.

Getting the most from it

Find your AIME concept first — the glossary entry explains how SSA averages your highest 35 indexed years.
Get your real figure from your Social Security statement at ssa.gov/myaccount rather than guessing.
Enter the AIME and read the three tranche rows to see how each slice of earnings contributes.
Open the step-by-step math panel to follow the bend-point arithmetic and the final dime rounding.

Reading your result

The headline number is a gross monthly benefit. Workers' compensation or certain public disability benefits can reduce the payment in some cases, and Medicare premiums are deducted once Medicare coverage begins — so the deposit can differ from the PIA.

What it can't tell you

A precise AIME requires your full indexed earnings record, which only SSA holds. This tool cannot determine insured status, work credits, family maximums, or whether SSA finds you disabled — the SSA Quick Calculator and your statement are the official estimators, and SSA's award computation is definitive.

Frequently asked questions

SSDI equals your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), computed from your AIME with the bend-point formula: 90% of the first $1,286 of AIME, 32% of the amount from $1,286 to $7,749, and 15% above that (2026 bend points). The sum is rounded down to the next lower $0.10.

Part of: Social Security Disability (SSDI): Amounts, Timing & Rules →

Related calculators

SSDI Back Pay

Estimate SSDI back pay from your onset, application, and approval dates. Applies the 5-month waiting period (entitlement begins the sixth full month after onset, waived for ALS) and the 12-month retroactivity cap of 20 CFR 404.621, then counts the payable months through approval at your monthly benefit amount.

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🦽SSDI Calculator