Your SSDI payment amount is set by Social Security, not by Texas
The amount you receive from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is calculated the same way in Texas as it is everywhere else in the United States. Social Security uses your earnings history to determine your payment, not your state of residence. Texas does not add money to SSDI payments or reduce them based on where you live.
Your payment is based on how much you earned during your working years before you became unable to work. The longer you worked and the more you earned, the higher your SSDI payment will be. Social Security calls this your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA).
If you worked very little or not at all before becoming unable to work, your payment will be lower. There is no minimum SSDI payment amount, but there is a maximum — in 2024, the highest payment is around $3,822 per month, though this figure changes each year.
Key Takeaways
- Your SSDI payment is based on your own earnings record, not on Texas state rules or cost of living.
- The more you earned before you became unable to work, the higher your monthly payment will be.
- Social Security calculates your payment using a formula that counts your highest 35 years of earnings.
- You can see an estimate of your payment by creating a my Social Security account online before you file.
- If you have family members who depend on you, they may also receive payments based on your earnings record.
How Social Security calculates your payment amount
Social Security looks at your work history from age 22 onward. They take your highest 35 years of earnings, adjust them for inflation, and then explore a formula to arrive at your PIA. This is the base amount you will receive each month if you are approved for SSDI.
The formula is progressive, meaning it replaces a higher percentage of earnings for people who earned less. Someone who earned $20,000 a year will see a larger percentage of those earnings replaced than someone who earned $100,000 a year. This is why two people approved for SSDI on the same day can receive very different monthly amounts.
If you did not work for 35 years, Social Security counts the missing years as zero. This lowers your average and reduces your payment. Years you were in school, raising children, or unable to work do not count as earnings — they count as zeros in the calculation.
What your earnings record means for your payment
Your earnings record is the history of wages you reported to the IRS through payroll taxes. You can view your record by creating a free account at ssa.gov. Your Social Security statement shows your estimated SSDI payment based on your current earnings history.
If you worked in Texas for many years at good wages, your payment will reflect that. If you moved to Texas recently and worked elsewhere before, those earnings still count. If you worked part-time or had years with no income, those years lower your average and reduce your payment.
Self-employment income counts toward SSDI, but only if you reported it to the IRS. Work you did off the books or without reporting it does not count. If you are unsure whether your earnings were properly reported, you can request a corrected earnings record from Social Security.
Family members who may receive payments on your record
If you are approved for SSDI, your spouse, ex-spouse, and children may also receive payments based on your earnings record. This does not reduce your payment — it comes from a separate family benefit pool. Each family member receives their own payment calculated as a percentage of your PIA.
A spouse or ex-spouse at full retirement age can receive up to 50 percent of your PIA. Children under 19 (or 19 if still in high school) can each receive up to 75 percent of your PIA. The total paid to all family members combined cannot exceed about 150 to 180 percent of your PIA, depending on how many people are on the record.
If you have a child with a disability, they may continue to receive payments even after age 19 if their disability began before age 22. These payments continue for life, regardless of your child's age.
Cost of living and Texas taxes
SSDI payments are adjusted each year for inflation through a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA). In 2024, the COLA was 3.2 percent. This adjustment applies to everyone receiving SSDI, whether they live in Texas or anywhere else.
Texas does not have a state income tax, which means you will not owe state income tax on your SSDI payments. However, you may owe federal income tax on your SSDI depending on your total income. If SSDI is your only income, you likely will not owe federal tax either, but this depends on your specific situation.
The cost of living in different Texas cities — Houston, Dallas, Austin, San Antonio — does not affect your SSDI payment. Your payment is the same whether you live in a major city or a rural area.
How to estimate your payment before you file
You can create a free my Social Security account at ssa.gov to see your earnings record and get an estimate of your SSDI payment. This estimate is based on your actual work history and shows what you might receive if you were approved today.
The estimate assumes you will continue working at your current earnings level until full retirement age. If you became unable to work before creating the account, the estimate may be higher than your actual payment because it assumes more years of work than you actually completed.
You can also call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 to request a benefit estimate by phone. A representative can walk you through your earnings record and answer questions about how your payment is calculated.
What happens to your payment if you continue working
If you are receiving SSDI and you work, Social Security has rules about how much you can earn before your payments are reduced. In 2024, if you earn more than $1,550 per month, Social Security will reduce your payment by $1 for every $2 you earn above that amount. This is called the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit.
The SGA limit changes each year. If you are thinking about working while receiving SSDI, contact Social Security before you start to understand how your earnings will affect your payment. Some types of work activity do not count against the SGA limit, and Social Security has programs designed to help people return to work gradually.
If you earn enough to exceed the SGA limit for nine months, Social Security will stop your SSDI payments. However, you may be able to restart them if your earnings drop back below the limit, and you have a grace period to test your ability to work without losing benefits when ready.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I find out my exact SSDI payment amount before I file?
You can see an estimate through your my Social Security account or by calling 1-800-772-1213. The exact amount will not be known until Social Security reviews your complete medical records and approves your claim. The estimate is usually accurate within a few dollars, but the final amount may differ slightly based on the approval date.
Why is my SSDI payment lower than I expected?
The most common reason is years of low or no earnings in your work history. If you had time out of the workforce, worked part-time, or had years with very low income, those years count as zeros and lower your average. Social Security uses your highest 35 years, so even one or two years of zero earnings can reduce your payment.
Do I get more SSDI money if I live in an expensive Texas city?
No. SSDI payments are the same regardless of where you live. Austin, Houston, and Dallas have different costs of living, but your SSDI payment does not change based on your location. The only adjustment to all SSDI payments is the annual COLA, which applies nationwide.
What if I worked outside the United States?
Work you did in other countries may count toward SSDI if you paid Social Security taxes on those earnings. You will need to provide documentation of that work to Social Security. Some countries have agreements with the United States that allow earnings to count; others do not. Contact Social Security to discuss your specific work history.
Can my SSDI payment be garnished or taken by creditors in Texas?
SSDI payments are protected from most creditors under federal law. However, the federal government can offset your SSDI to collect unpaid federal taxes, federal student loans, or child support. Texas state law cannot allow creditors to take SSDI payments, but federal offsets still explore.