The highest SSDI payment in 2018 was $2,788 per month

In 2018, the maximum amount you could receive from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) each month was $2,788. This was the absolute ceiling — the amount paid to people whose work history and earnings record were high enough to may have access to for the top benefit level. Most people on SSDI received less than this amount.

The maximum changes every year because it is tied to the national average wage index. When average wages go up, the maximum goes up with it. In 2018, the increase from 2017 was 2 percent. Your own payment amount depends on your specific earnings history, not on the national maximum.

Key Takeaways

  • The 2018 SSDI maximum was $2,788 per month, but this applied only to people with the highest lifetime earnings records.
  • Your actual payment is calculated from your own work history and the wages you earned before you became disabled, not from the national maximum.
  • The maximum amount changes each year in January, based on changes in average wages across the country.
  • If you were receiving SSDI in 2018, your payment amount was set by Social Security based on your individual record, regardless of what the maximum was.

How your payment amount was determined in 2018

Social Security did not look at the national maximum to figure out what you should receive. Instead, they calculated your benefit based on your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which comes from your own earnings record. The PIA is what you would have received at full retirement age if you had not become disabled. SSDI uses that same number.

Your earnings record includes every year you worked and paid Social Security taxes. Social Security looks at your highest 35 years of earnings, adjusts them for inflation, and calculates an average. That average determines your PIA. If you had fewer than 35 years of work, they count the years you did work and include zeros for the missing years, which lowers your average.

The $2,788 maximum in 2018 was only reached by people whose PIA calculation resulted in that amount or higher. Most people's work history did not produce a PIA that high.

Why the maximum matters even if you do not reach it

The maximum tells you the upper limit of what SSDI can pay. It also signals how much the program values a full work history. If you had worked steadily at average or above-average wages for 35 years before becoming disabled, you would have a better chance of receiving a payment closer to the maximum.

The maximum also affects family benefits. If you receive SSDI, your spouse and children may also receive payments based on your record. The total amount paid to your whole family cannot exceed a certain percentage of your PIA — usually between 150 and 180 percent. The higher your PIA, the more room there is for family members to receive their own payments.

How the maximum changed year to year

The SSDI maximum in 2017 was $2,731 per month. In 2018, it rose to $2,788 — a $57 increase. In 2019, it rose again to $2,861. These year-to-year changes reflect the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), which Social Security announces in October for the following year.

The COLA is based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). If inflation is low, the COLA is low or zero. If inflation is higher, the COLA is higher. In years with no inflation, there is no increase to the maximum or to any individual benefit amount.

What happened to payments if you were already receiving SSDI in 2018

If you were already on SSDI before 2018, your payment did not automatically jump to $2,788. Your benefit amount stayed the same unless Social Security recalculated it for a specific reason — such as a work incentive program ending, a return-to-work attempt, or a change in your medical condition.

You would have received the 2018 COLA increase applied to whatever your benefit amount was. If you were receiving $2,000 per month in 2017, you would have received a 2 percent increase in January 2018, bringing it to approximately $2,040. The national maximum is separate from your individual benefit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did everyone on SSDI get $2,788 in 2018?

No. The $2,788 was the maximum possible payment, but most people received less based on their own work history. Your payment was determined by your earnings record, not by the national maximum.

How did Social Security decide if you got the maximum or less?

Social Security calculated your Primary Insurance Amount from your 35 highest-earning years of work. That number determined your benefit. Only people whose PIA calculation resulted in $2,788 or more received the maximum.

If I did not work 35 years, could I still get close to the maximum?

It depends on how much you earned in the years you did work. Social Security counts zeros for missing years, which lowers your average. High earnings in fewer years might still produce a substantial benefit, but it would be lower than someone with 35 years of average earnings.

Does the maximum amount change every year?

Yes. Every January, Social Security adjusts the maximum based on the cost-of-living adjustment. The adjustment reflects changes in average wages. In years with no wage growth, there is no increase.