Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a Social Security program that pays monthly benefits to those who have become disabled before reaching the age of retirement and are not able to continue working. It is most commonly known as “workers disability.”
To qualify for the SSDI program, it is required to have work a specific number of years in a job where you paid Social Security taxes, also known as FICA taxes. How many work credits you need to qualify for SSDI is based on your age when you became disabled.
You need to have worked the following number of years (or earned the following number of credits to qualify for SSDI:
| Age Person Became Disabled | Number of Credits Required | Number of Years Worked |
| 21 through 24 | 6 | 1.5 |
| 24 through 31 | 6 to 18 | 1.5 to 4.5 |
| 31 through 42 | 20 | 5 |
| 44 | 22 | 5.5 |
| 46 | 24 | 6 |
| 48 | 26 | 6.5 |
| 50 | 28 | 7 |
| 52 | 30 | 7.5 |
| 54 | 32 | 8 |
| 56 | 34 | 8.5 |
| 58 | 36 | 9 |
| 60 | 28 | 9.5 |
| 62 or older | 40 | 10 |
Additionally, these benefits are only available to those who with a severe, long-term, or total disability. If you haven’t worked long enough when you become disabled, and have low income and assets, you can apply for Social Security Income (SSI) instead.
If you are approved for SSDI benefits, you won’t receive anything until you have been disabled for five full months. If you are approved immediately, you would have to wait five months for your checks to come in.
In most cases, you wouldn’t be approved for about six months to a year. But if that is the case, you would be paid disability backpay starting with the six month after your disability started. Once you are paid any backpay owing, you would get a disability benefit check each month. If your household income is over a specific amount, you will be forced to pay taxes on your disability benefits.
For more information, contact Wax & Wax, A Law Corporation and speak with our Glendale workers’ compensation attorneys today.
