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How is The Actual Amount of SSD Benefits I Receive Calculated?

Smiling woman looking at SSD check at home, close-up.

One of the most common questions our experienced Virginia Social Security Disability (SSD) attorneys receive at Kalfus & Nachman is how much our clients can expect to receive in Social Security Disability SSD payments if their application for benefits is ultimately approved. Additionally, once this amount has been determined, a natural follow-up question is if and when those payments ever increase to account for the natural increases in the cost of living as a result of inflation from the time a person is first approved for SSD benefits by the Social Security Administration (SSA).

How is The Amount of SSD Benefits I Personally Receive Calculated? How Much Can I Actually Expect to Receive?

The amount received by each individual SSD recipient in benefits is unique. This is because each and every individual who receives benefits has a unique earnings history and has paid a unique amount into the system. The actual calculation utilizes a very complicated formula that is used by the SSA based upon your past earnings record, but most people receive benefits that are within a range between $800 and $2,000 per month.

The average SSD recipient actually received $1,258 in monthly benefits in 2020 according to SSA figures, but most people who are receiving SSD benefits receive somewhere between $800 per month and $1,800 in monthly benefits. The maximum SSD benefit is $3,011 in 2020. Therefore, depending on your past earnings history, you can typically expect to receive somewhere in between those amounts.

The Annual Cost of Living Adjustment

Every year the SSA decides on an annual basis whether to authorize a cost of living adjustment (COLA) for all SSD recipients. It did so every year from 1975 until 2008 but in 2009 and 2010 did not authorize COLA adjustments. The determination of whether to COLA is directly tied to the cost of living and the amount of inflation experienced in the United States as measured by an inflation index called the Consumer Price Index that is published by the federal government and measures the costs of a number of basic common goods and services that virtually every person across the country uses. The smallest COLA on record is 0.3%, but it can be as high as the 3.6% that was approved by the SSA in 2012.

Talk to The Experienced Social Security Disability Attorneys at Kalfus & Nachman

The experienced SSD attorneys at Kalfus & Nachman have counseled many clients who were unsure how much they could expect to receive in SSD benefits if their application is approved. If you live in the Norfolk, Hampton, Newport News, Portsmouth, Virginia Beach or Roanoke, Virginia, areas and need assistance determining if you qualify for the SSD benefits, what your expected monthly benefit would be if you qualify for benefits, filing your SSD application, or filing an appeal, please contact Kalfus & Nachman PC by phone at (855) 880-8163 or through the form on this page to schedule a free consultation today.

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