The amount you receive depends on your work history, not your diagnosis
Social Security does not pay a set amount for epilepsy or any other condition. Your SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) payment is based on your lifetime earnings record, calculated the same way retirement benefits are. Two people with the same seizure disorder can receive very different monthly payments depending on how much they earned before they stopped working.
The Social Security Administration uses a formula that takes your highest 35 years of earnings, adjusts them for inflation, and converts them into a monthly benefit. If you worked longer or earned more, your payment will be higher. If you had lower earnings or gaps in your work history, your payment will be lower. Your diagnosis determines whether you meet the medical criteria for benefits; your earnings history determines the dollar amount.
The national average SSDI payment in 2024 is roughly $1,550 per month, but this is an average across all beneficiaries—people with all conditions, all work histories, and all ages. Your actual payment could be significantly higher or lower.
Key Takeaways
- SSDI payments are calculated from your own earnings record, not from a schedule based on your condition.
- The Social Security Administration uses your 35 highest-earning years to compute your benefit amount, adjusted for inflation.
- You can request a benefit estimate from Social Security before you file, using your personal my Social Security account or by calling 1-800-772-1213.
- Once approved, your payment amount stays the same until you reach full retirement age, when it converts to a retirement benefit at the same rate.
- If you have a spouse or minor children, they may receive benefits on your record, which does not reduce your own payment but may affect the family maximum.
How Social Security calculates your payment amount
The calculation starts with your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is what Social Security calls your base monthly benefit. The agency pulls your earnings from your Social Security tax records—the W-2 wages you reported or self-employment income you paid taxes on. They take your 35 highest-earning years, index them to account for wage growth over time, and average them across 420 months (35 years × 12 months).
That average is then run through a formula with bend points—thresholds that determine what percentage of your average earnings becomes your benefit. The formula is progressive: it replaces a higher percentage of lower earnings and a lower percentage of higher earnings. This means someone who earned $25,000 a year will see a larger percentage of those earnings converted to a benefit than someone who earned $120,000 a year.
The bend points change every year based on national wage trends. In 2024, the bend points are $1,174 and $7,078, but these shift annually. Social Security publishes the current year's bend points on their website each October.
What happens if you have work gaps or low earnings
If you did not work for some years—because you were in school, raising children, unemployed, or managing your condition—Social Security counts those years as zero earnings. You get 35 years in the calculation whether you worked 35 years or not. If you only worked 20 years, the other 15 years are zeros, which lowers your average and reduces your benefit.
Some people can drop out low-earning years if they have enough high-earning years to fill the 35-year window. For example, if you worked 40 years, Social Security uses your best 35 and ignores the five lowest-earning years. But if you worked only 25 years, you cannot drop anything—you get 10 years of zeros in the calculation.
This is why people who took time out of the workforce for caregiving, illness, or other reasons often receive lower SSDI payments than people with continuous work histories at similar wage levels. There is no exception or adjustment for years you could not work due to your condition before you were approved for benefits.
Getting an estimate before you file
You do not have to wait until you are approved to know roughly what your payment will be. You can create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov and view your earnings record and a benefit estimate. The estimate shows what you would receive if you were approved for SSDI today, based on your current earnings record.
If you do not have an online account, you can call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) and ask for a benefit estimate. You will need your Social Security number and date of birth. The estimate is not a promise—your actual benefit depends on when you file and whether you are approved—but it gives you a concrete number to plan with.
Keep in mind that if you continue working while you wait to file, your earnings record will change, and so will your estimate. Each year of additional work can raise or lower your benefit depending on whether that year's earnings are higher or lower than one of your current 35 highest-earning years.
How family members' benefits affect the total
If you are approved for SSDI, your spouse (at any age if caring for your child under 16, or at 62 or older) and your unmarried children under 19 (or 19 if still in high school) can receive benefits on your record. Each family member gets a percentage of your Primary Insurance Amount—typically 50% for a spouse and 75% for each child, though the exact percentage varies.
Importantly, these family payments do not reduce your own benefit. You receive your full PIA, and they receive their own separate payments. However, there is a family maximum—usually 150% to 180% of your PIA—that caps the total amount all family members combined can receive. If the family maximum is exceeded, each family member's payment is reduced proportionally, but your payment is never reduced.
For example, if your PIA is $1,500 and your family maximum is 180% ($2,700), and your spouse and two children would otherwise receive $750, $1,125, and $1,125 respectively, the total would be $4,500. Since that exceeds $2,700, each family member's payment is trimmed so the total equals the maximum.
What changes after you reach full retirement age
When you reach your full retirement age (which depends on your birth year, ranging from 66 to 67 for people born in 1943 or later), your SSDI benefit automatically converts to a retirement benefit. The payment amount does not change—you receive the same dollar amount for the rest of your life. The only difference is the name on the paperwork and which program you are technically receiving from.
This conversion happens automatically; you do not need to do anything. Your family members' benefits also continue at the same rate. The conversion straightforward reflects that you have now reached the age when you would have been may have access to to retirement benefits anyway.
If you continue to work after reaching full retirement age, there is no earnings limit and no reduction to your benefit. Before full retirement age, if you are still working, your benefit may be reduced if your earnings exceed the annual limit (which changes yearly), but once you reach full retirement age, you can earn as much as you want without affecting your payment.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find out my payment amount without filing for benefits?
Yes. Create a my Social Security account at ssa.gov to see your earnings record and a benefit estimate, or call 1-800-772-1213. The estimate shows what you would receive if approved today. Keep in mind the estimate changes if you continue working, because new earnings may replace lower years in your 35-year calculation.
Why is my estimate lower than the national average?
The national average includes people with long work histories and higher lifetime earnings. If you had work gaps, lower wages, or a shorter career, your benefit will be below average. Social Security's formula is based entirely on what you earned and paid into the system, not on your condition or your current needs.
Does the amount change if my seizures get worse?
No. Once you are approved and receiving SSDI, your payment amount is locked in based on your earnings record. It does not increase or decrease based on changes in your condition. It only changes if you reach full retirement age (when it converts to retirement benefits at the same rate) or if you return to work and your earnings record is updated.
What if I worked part-time or had very low earnings?
Your benefit is still calculated the same way—from your 35 highest-earning years. If those years were part-time or low-wage, your average will be lower, and so will your benefit. There is no minimum or special adjustment for people with interrupted work histories or low lifetime earnings.
Do I lose my payment if I get married or have a child?
No. Your SSDI payment does not change if your family situation changes. However, your spouse or children may become may have access to to benefits on your record, which increases the total the family receives but does not reduce your own payment (unless the family maximum is hit, in which case theirs are reduced, not yours).