The average SSDI payment in 2018 was $1,182 per month

In 2018, the average monthly payment for someone receiving Social Security Disability Insurance was $1,182. This was the amount most people on SSDI received, though individual payments varied based on work history and how much someone had earned before becoming unable to work. The payment you would have received in 2018 depended entirely on your own earnings record, not on need or the type of disability.

SSDI payments are calculated from your Primary Insurance Amount, which Social Security figures from your 35 highest-earning years. The longer you worked and the more you earned during those years, the higher your payment would be. Someone who worked full-time for decades would receive more than someone who worked part-time or had gaps in employment.

In 2018, payments ranged from a minimum of around $400 per month to a maximum of $2,788 per month for someone at full retirement age. The maximum was higher for people who delayed claiming and lower for those who claimed early. These figures applied only to the person with the disability; family members who may have access to on that person's record could receive additional payments.

Key Takeaways

  • The average SSDI payment in 2018 was $1,182 per month, but your individual payment depended on your own work history and earnings.
  • Payments were calculated from your 35 highest-earning years, so longer work histories and higher earnings meant higher monthly amounts.
  • In 2018, individual payments ranged from roughly $400 to $2,788 per month depending on age and when someone claimed benefits.
  • Family members on your record could receive their own payments in addition to yours, up to a family maximum that varied by case.

How Social Security calculated your 2018 payment

Social Security took your 35 highest-earning years and averaged them to create your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings, or AIME. This number was then run through a formula that converted it into your Primary Insurance Amount. The formula was progressive, meaning it replaced a higher percentage of earnings for lower-income workers and a lower percentage for higher-income workers.

The exact formula changed each year. In 2018, the bend points—the income thresholds where the replacement rate changed—were $898 and $5,420. If your AIME was $898 or less, Social Security replaced 90 percent of it. Between $898 and $5,420, they replaced 32 percent. Above $5,420, they replaced 15 percent. This meant someone with very low lifetime earnings received a higher percentage of their average income than someone with high lifetime earnings.

Work history gaps mattered because Social Security used your 35 highest years. If you had fewer than 35 years of earnings, they counted the missing years as zero. Someone who worked 30 years would have five years of zeros averaged into their calculation, which lowered their payment. This is why people who took time out of the workforce for caregiving, education, or other reasons often received lower payments than their peak earnings might suggest.

The 2018 cost-of-living adjustment and payment changes

In 2018, SSDI payments increased by 2 percent compared to 2017. This increase came from the annual Cost-of-Living Adjustment, or COLA, which Social Security announced each October for payments starting in January. The 2 percent COLA in 2018 was modest compared to some years; the COLA had been 0.3 percent in 2017 and would be 1.6 percent in 2019.

The COLA was based on the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers, a measure of inflation published by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. When inflation was higher, the COLA was higher. When inflation was low or negative, the COLA could be zero or very small. Someone receiving $1,000 per month in 2017 would have received $1,020 per month in 2018 because of the 2 percent increase.

The COLA affected everyone on SSDI at the same rate—there was no individual variation. Family members receiving payments on your record also received the same percentage increase. The adjustment was automatic; you did not need to do anything to receive it, and it appeared in your January payment.

Maximum family payments in 2018

While you received your own payment based on your work history, your spouse, ex-spouse, and children could also receive payments on your record. However, the total amount paid to your entire family could not exceed a family maximum, which was typically 150 to 180 percent of your Primary Insurance Amount. In 2018, this maximum ranged from roughly $2,100 to $5,000 per month depending on the individual case.

If your payment was $1,200 and your family maximum was 180 percent of that, the total available to your whole family would be $2,160. If your spouse and two children also may have access to, Social Security would divide that $2,160 among the three of them, with each receiving less than they would have if they were on a different record. The family maximum was one of the most misunderstood parts of SSDI because it meant that adding family members did not always increase the total household payment.

Children could receive payments until age 18, or age 19 if they were still in high school full-time. Adult children with disabilities that began before age 22 could receive payments for life. Spouses could receive payments at any age if they were caring for a child under 16, or at age 62 or older if they were not.

How 2018 payments compared to other years

The average payment of $1,182 in 2018 was higher than in 2017 because of the 2 percent COLA, but lower than in 2019 and beyond. Payments have generally trended upward over time because of annual cost-of-living adjustments, though the size of each year's adjustment depends on inflation. Someone who started receiving SSDI in 2010 would have seen their payment grow each year, though some years the growth was very small.

The maximum payment of $2,788 in 2018 was also subject to the COLA. This maximum increased each year and was higher in 2019, 2020, and beyond. The minimum payment was less affected by the COLA because it was set by law rather than calculated from a formula, so it changed less frequently.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did everyone on SSDI receive $1,182 in 2018?

No. The $1,182 was the average, meaning some people received more and some received less. Your individual payment depended on your work history and how much you had earned. Someone who worked for 40 years at high wages would have received significantly more; someone who worked part-time or had gaps in employment would have received less.

How did Social Security know how much I earned in previous years?

Social Security kept records of your earnings from your Social Security number. Your employer reported your wages each year, and those reports went into your earnings record. You could view your own record by creating an account on ssa.gov. If you found an error, you could contact Social Security to correct it, though corrections had to be made within a certain timeframe.

Could I have received more than the maximum payment in 2018?

No. The maximum of $2,788 per month was the absolute highest anyone could receive in 2018, regardless of how much they had earned. This maximum applied to people at full retirement age; those who claimed before full retirement age received less, and those who delayed received more in later years.

What happened to my payment if I had family members on my record?

Your own payment stayed the same. However, the total amount paid to your entire family could not exceed the family maximum. If your spouse and children also may have access to, Social Security divided the family maximum among all of you, which meant each family member received less than they would have on a different record.

Did my 2018 payment increase in 2019?

Yes, if you were receiving SSDI in 2018, your payment increased in January 2019 by the 2019 COLA, which was 1.6 percent. This meant a payment of $1,182 in 2018 would have become approximately $1,201 in 2019. The increase was automatic and appeared in your January payment.