Many people experience a decline in their health that leaves them unable to work. This can create major financial difficulties. In these situations, it's essential to understand your options for getting financial help. Many people have questions about SSDI and SSI, and whether they can receive dual benefits. This post aims to clarify that for you, as well as a few related topics.
If you have a disability, you might be able to receive disability benefits from the Social Security Administration. You may be eligible to receive disability payments either through Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or even both concurrently. Understanding how these programs work can help you make the most of your available options. Let’s take a look.
What's the Difference Between SSDI and SSI?
SSDI and SSI are distinct programs, despite the similar names. They have different eligibility criteria and sources of funding. But because they both help disabled individuals, you might wonder about SSDI and SSI: Can you have both?
SSDI - Social Security Disability Insurance
Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a program funded through payroll taxes. So you are in essence paying into this insurance policy during your working years. This is important because you must have paid enough in Social Security taxes during your career to qualify for SSDI. It’s like an insurance policy that will kick in if you become too sick to work. The SSA measures your work history in “work credits.”
How many credits you need to qualify depends on your age. People age 31 or older typically need 40 credits, 20 of which were earned in the 10 years before their disability began. For workers younger than 31, fewer credits might be needed, as little as six. The SSA gives you one credit for every quarter of a year you pay in. As of 2023, an individual must earn $1,640 per quarter to earn one work credit.
There’s no limit on your income or assets when applying for SSDI. SSDI pays higher Social Security Disability Insurance monthly benefits than SSI. The average disability payment as of October 2023 is $1,352.32 per month. After 24 months on SSDI, you also qualify for Medicare health insurance coverage. SSDI benefits convert to Social Security retirement benefits once you reach your full retirement age. If you think SSDI may be an option for you, you can use Social Security’s adult disability checklist to make sure you have the needed documents.
SSI - Supplemental Security Income
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is funded from general tax revenues, not from Social Security taxes paid by workers. This makes it a “needs-based” program, meaning that you can’t have more than a certain amount of income and assets.
To qualify for SSI, as of 2024, you can’t receive more than $943 per month in unearned income. Your countable income each month cannot exceed the SSI payment cap of $1,767 per month for an individual or $2,607 for a couple. In addition, your countable resources (like bank accounts, real estate other than your home, or other things you own) cannot exceed $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a couple.
If you have a spouse who also receives income, their resources count toward the limit even if your name is not on the account. To find out more about what the SSA counts as income when determining SSI benefits, check out their detailed page on SSI income rules.
SSI pays a lower benefit than SSDI - the average SSI payment was $676.60 per month (as of October 2023). However, because of its strict financial criteria, many people with very low income can qualify for SSI without needing to meet the minimum work credit requirement that SSDI requires. In addition, if you qualify for SSI, you may be eligible to get VA Disability Benefits as well.
Receiving SSDI and SSI at the Same Time
Now that we’ve explained the differences, let's circle back to our question, SSDI and SSI: Can you receive both? It is possible to receive SSDI and SSI at the same time, and doing so has advantages.
For one thing, you could receive more money than with either program alone, as you can receive an SSI payment for any month that your countable income is under the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR). Another advantage of having both is that the benefit payment arrival dates for the two programs are different.
While you don't start receiving SSDI benefits until five months after the SSA approves your claim, SSI benefits can start arriving sooner. You might start getting your SSI benefits just one month after your application date.
There is a special set of work incentives called “concurrent benefits” designed to help people return to work without immediately jeopardizing their benefits. This makes it easier to try out different jobs without worrying that doing so will stop your benefits right away.
The concurrent benefits provisions acknowledge that SSDI and SSI may both apply. And in that event, can you ever return to work? Concurrent benefits allow you to take a job, and in any month that your countable income (from work plus SSDI) is under the Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) for SSI, you will receive the difference in your SSI payment.
In this way, concurrent benefits make returning to work more feasible. It’s easier to try out different jobs when you’re not as worried that trying new things will interrupt your financial support. Our legal services can help guide you through these sometimes confusing rules.
But remember: SSDI and SSI are two programs with two separate applications. You can apply for both at the same time. To increase your odds of approval, make sure to fill out both applications completely and correctly.
SSI Benefits Don’t Change Your Overall Income When Combined With Retirement
You may be able to receive Social Security retirement benefits and SSI at the same time, with no change in your total monthly benefit. Because of SSI’s income limitations, SSI essentially acts as a “top-off” for your retirement benefits, paying the difference between your Social Security benefits start amount and the Federal Benefit Rate.
According to the SSA, the average retirement benefit in 2024 is $1,848 per month. To get an idea of how this works, it is important to note the income caps. Since your retirement benefits count as unearned income, if you’re receiving the average Social Security payment of $1,848 per month, your SSI payment will likely be quite small - perhaps zero - depending on your age and other unearned income, like pensions or interest on investments.
If you file for Social Security benefits before your full retirement age, your SSI benefits will be lower. This means your SSI benefit would likely be higher than if you filed later. However, remember that if you take early Social Security benefits (which you are eligible for beginning at age 62), your SSI payment will remain permanently lower, even after you reach your full retirement age.
It is also important to remember that even a small SSI payment has advantages. If your income is low enough to qualify for even a small SSI payment, you could qualify for Medicaid health insurance, even if you would not qualify based solely on your Social Security benefits.
Getting Help Applying for Benefits
Both SSI and SSDI have fairly complicated applications, especially if you're trying to understand whether both programs pay benefits simultaneously. Fortunately, the SSA provides online resources to guide you through each of them. You can apply for concurrent benefits online if that’s most convenient for you. The Social Security website allows you to fill out one application to cover both SSDI and SSI. If your application for benefits is delayed for some reason, and your SSI benefits are late, you may need to contact the Social Security Administration. Sometimes they experience delays because Social Security offices have varying hours and schedules.
To make the application process less confusing, you can also choose to apply by phone. You may call the main SSA hotline at 1-800-772-1213, and they will set things up for you. You may also apply for SSI online. Another option is to apply for your benefits in person, at your local Social Security field office, where SSA representatives may assist you with completing the application.
A useful resource that can help you assess your eligibility for many programs that assist low-income and disabled people, including both SSI and SSDI, is the BenefitsCheckUp® tool provided by the National Council on Aging.
Navigating these programs can be complicated, so you might consider using a disability lawyer who can help you through the process.
Can Survivors of Disabled Individuals Collect Their Benefits?
You may wonder whether a surviving spouse or dependent children of an individual receiving SSI or SSDI may be able to collect their benefits. For SSI, the answer is no: your spouse and children are not entitled to your SSI benefits after your death. However, if you received SSDI, and you are deceased, then your spouse may be entitled to a portion of your SSDI benefits as a survivor’s benefit.
This is similar to Social Security retirement, in that survivors of retirees may be entitled to a monthly payment based on their loved one’s earnings record. To find out if you’re eligible for survivor’s benefits, and to calculate the amount, the SSA has a webpage about the family maximum benefit amount.
If you have young children under 18, they also might be eligible for a portion of your Social Security benefit as a survivor’s benefit, but these rules have maximums based on a “family maximum.” It can be challenging to understand whether you’re eligible, what payments to expect, and how applying for one benefit (SSDI, SSI, or retirement) may affect another.
That’s why it’s important to read the official documentation from the Social Security Administration, do your research, and perhaps even contact an experienced attorney to assist with these complex issues.
Conclusion
Applying for benefits when you are too sick or injured to work is a complex process, especially if you're trying to understand whether you can collect SSDI and SSI pay benefits simultaneously. Remember that while SSDI pays a larger monthly benefit, qualifying requires meeting minimum thresholds of Social Security tax payments based on your work history. SSI, in contrast, requires recipients to meet very low income limits to qualify.
Receiving one does not make you ineligible to receive the other. In addition, many SSI recipients also qualify for Medicare or Medicaid. SSDI benefits eventually convert to retirement benefits once you reach full retirement age. Knowing these guidelines can help you determine the benefits you're eligible to receive or perhaps determine which of them are worth applying for.
If you or a loved one has been denied Social Security or Disability benefits, contact us for a free initial consultation.
