How Much Social Security Disability Back Pay Will I Get?
You probably know that it can take a long time to get approved for Social Security disability. Depending on how many rounds of appeal are required, it may take a few months to three or four years or more to secure your disability benefits. Fortunately, when your claim is finally approved, you will receive any back pay due to you. You don’t have to do anything special to get disability back pay–the Social Security Administration (SSA) sends it automatically. However, decisions you make along the way can impact whether you receive back pay and how much.
What is Disability Back Pay?
Disability back pay is payment of Social Security disability benefits you were entitled to, but didn’t receive because your application hadn’t yet been approved. Disability back pay is paid at the same rate it would have been if you’d been approved all along. So, you’ll receive one month of pay for each month you were eligible, in the amount you would have received if you’d been paid from the beginning. But there are some rules and restrictions that can make it complicated to determine exactly how much back pay you will receive.
When Does Disability Back Pay Start Accruing?
The first thing to consider when calculating back pay is the date you became disabled. But that’s just the starting point, not the date your benefits start. That’s because:
- You will not receive Social Security disability benefits for the first five months after you became disabled, and
- Back pay cannot reach back further than one year before you filed your application for disability benefits, no matter how long ago you became disabled
Here’s an example of the difference your application date makes, and why you should generally apply for Social Security disability as early as possible.
Imagine that Joe and Fred both became disabled on January 15, 2022, but followed different paths to secure disability benefits.
Joe applied for Social Security disability benefits on March 1, 2022. His initial application was denied. His request for reconsideration was denied. The administrative law judge (ALJ) decided in his favor, and his benefits were approved on September 10, 2024.
Since Joe became disabled in January of 2022, he wasn’t eligible for benefits for the five month period from February through June. He’d already applied for benefits when that waiting period expired so he is entitled to benefits beginning in July of 2022–27 months of back pay.
If Joe receives the average amount of Social Security disability benefits–$1,537/month–that means more than $40,000 in back pay.
Fred applied for Social Security disability benefits on April 5, 2024. Though Fred became disabled on the same day as Joe, he waited two years longer to apply for Social Security disability benefits. He was more fortunate in the process than Joe, and his initial application was approved on September 10, 2024.
Both applicants became disabled on the same day, and both were approved for benefits on the same day. But, because Fred applied later, his back pay is more limited. The SSA can only go 12 months back from the date of the application. That means Fred’s back benefits start in May of 2023. He’ll still get 17 months of back pay, but will lose out on 10 months compared with Joe–a difference of about $15,000.
How Failing to Appeal in Time Can Affect Back Benefits
If your Social Security disability benefits are denied, you’ll have the opportunity to appeal. At each stage, you’ll have 60 days to initiate the next step in the process. When an applicant chooses not to appeal or misses the appeal deadline, the case is closed. Usually (though not always), the applicant can reapply later. However, what most people don’t know is that by reapplying instead of appealing, you stand to lose thousands or tens of thousands of dollars in back benefits.
Imagine, for example, that a Social Security disability benefits applicant becomes disabled on June 10, 2021 and files their application for benefits on November 15, 2021. She receives a notice that her application has been denied on April 1, 2022. If that applicant follows through on all appeals and is eventually approved on December 15, 2024, they will be eligible for back benefits dating all the way back to December of 2021, when the five month waiting period expired. That’s about three years of back benefits.
But what if the applicant requested reconsideration and then, when she was denied again, gave up or missed the deadline to request an ALJ hearing? The denial issued on the reconsideration becomes permanent. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the applicant can’t try again. But the SSA has already determined that as of the date of the last denial, the applicant was not disabled.
When a new application is filed, the start date of the disability must be later than the last determination that the applicant was not disabled. If this applicant went through the reconsideration process before abandoning the application, the last denial would likely have been issued eight to nine months after the original application–in this case, approximately August of 2022. Even if the SSA determines that the applicant became disabled almost immediately after the denial, the five month waiting period will still apply. Rather than receiving benefits dating back to December of 2021, this applicant will–at best–be entitled to benefits starting in January or February of 2023. If the applicant receives the average monthly benefit, that’s a loss of about $20,000.
Get Help with Your Social Security Disability Application or Appeal
Wherever you are in the process, innocent mistakes and oversights can harm your case. The best way to ensure that your application is thoroughly and correctly completed and that you are providing the type of evidence the SSA wants to see is to work with an experienced disability benefits advocate from the start. We can also protect your access to back pay by ensuring that you have provided information necessary to allow the SSA to assign the right start date for your disability, and keeping the appeals process moving forward.
To learn more about how we can help, call 800-800-3332 or fill out our contact form here.
