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When you wait an extended period to get approved for Social Security disability, you may have the right to receive back pay to compensate you for your wait. However, how much back pay could you receive in your disability benefits claim?
Understanding Disability Back Pay
Disability back pay ensures that Social Security disability benefits recipients receive benefits for the period they qualified for but have not yet received approval. Disability back pay recognizes that disability benefits applicants may go through months of the approval process before ultimately securing benefits.
Suppose a person develops a disability in January 2023 that renders them unable to work, so they apply for Social Security Disability Insurance in February 2023. After a six-month initial review period, the Social Security Administration denied the person’s claim, so they appealed and eventually secured a ruling in March 2025 from an administrative law judge determining the person’s disability began in January 2023. Thus, 14 months have passed since the onset of the person’s disability. Because SSDI has a five-month waiting period from the onset of disability before a person can receive benefits, the person will receive nine months of back pay.
Maximum Amount of SSDI Back Pay
Back pay under the Social Security Disability Insurance program entitles a recipient to one or months of benefits equal to their regular benefit amount, which depends on the recipient’s tax contributions to the Social Security system. A recipient can receive up to 12 months of back pay of SSDI benefits, calculated from the date of onset of a recipient’s disability. However, SSDI also has a five-month waiting period for benefits, beginning from the date of the onset of a recipient’s disability, except when a recipient has amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS/Lou Gehrig’s disease) in which case a recipient can receive benefits immediately. Thus, when the SSA calculates back pay, they will count the months between the onset of the recipient’s disability and the approval of their SSDI application, then subtract the five-month waiting period, if applicable.
The Social Security Administration will pay an SSDI recipient their back pay in a lump sum payment within 60 days of the start of the recipient’s benefits.
Maximum Amount of SSI Back Pay
The Social Security Administration also pays up to 12 months back pay for Supplemental Security Income benefits. However, rather than calculating back pay from the onset of disability, the SSA pays back pay from a recipient’s SSI application date since SSI does not have a five-month waiting period (benefits start immediately upon approval). Furthermore, the SSA may pay SSI back pay in installments if the total amount of back pay exceeds three times the maximum monthly benefit; in that case, the SSA will pay back pay in three equal installments six months apart.
Factors Affecting Back Pay
Some of the factors that affect the amount of back pay an SSD recipient might receive include:
- The established onset date of the recipient’s disability
- Whether the recipient applies for SSDI or SSI
- The length of the approval process, including whether it takes a year or more for an applicant to secure approval for benefits
How to Maximize Your Back Pay
Tips for maximizing your back pay in your Social Security disability claim include:
- Thoroughly document your medical condition(s) to ensure the Social Security Administration finds the correct onset date for your disability.
- Apply for disability benefits as soon as possible after the onset of disability; if you get approved for SSI, your back pay will depend on your application date.
- Work with an experienced Social Security disability lawyer who can advocate to secure approval of your benefits claim and ensure you receive the correct amount of back pay.
Contact a Social Security Disability Attorney Today
If you’ve been through an extended process applying for Social Security disability benefits, you may be entitled to back pay for the time you had to wait before your application was approved. Contact Disability Advocates Group today for a free, no-obligation consultation with a Social Security disability benefits lawyer to learn more about your right to back pay for disability benefits.
