Social Disability Lawyer Blog

Stay up to date with the latest news in the world of social disability law provided by the Los Angeles based Law Office of Irene Ruzin.

How Are Your SSDI Payments Calculated in 2022?

How Are Your SSDI Payments Calculated in 2022?

For 2022, the Social Security Administration announced a 5.9% increase in Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments.

Unlike veterans' benefits, workers' compensation, or Supplemental Security Money (SSI), SSDI is fully based on your lifetime earnings, regardless of how severe your impairment is or how much income you have.

Social Security Benefits Amount 2022

Beginning from December 30, 2021, the Social Security Administration (SSA) had announced a 5.9% increase in Social Security and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payouts for 2022, the largest COLA in years, due to current inflation. Enhanced payments to Social Security beneficiaries begin in January 2022, while increased payments to SSI recipients begin with checks or deposits. Other data for 2022 have also changed, such as disability eligibility and average benefits.

While the exact amount of Social Security retirement and disability benefits that an individual can get is influenced by their lifetime earnings, Social Security announced the following benefit levels for 2022:

  • - Average retirement benefit: $1,657 (up $92).
  • - The average disability payment is $1,358 (up $76 from last year).
  • - The average compensation for a widow or widower is $1,553 (an $86 increase).
  • - The maximum Social Security retirement payment that may be collected at full retirement age in 2022 is $3,345 per month, albeit only a few people (high-earners) can get this amount.

How Are Your SSDI Payments Calculated in 2022?

SSDI payouts are determined by your average wages over the previous 35 years (actually, Social Security will use the 35 years in which you had the highest income). Social Security will calculate your "Average Indexed Monthly Earnings" by averaging your wages over the next 35 years (AIME). The agency then calculates your primary insurance amount by taking various percentages of your AIME (called bend points).

The following are the bend points in 2022:

  • - 90% of your AIME's first $1,024
  • - + 32% of your AIME between $1,024 and $6,172
  • - xEtra 15% of your AIME in excess of $6,172

Primary Insurance Amount: Adding those three values yields the SSA's main insurance amount (PIA). Your PIA is the starting point for the SSA for calculating your benefit amount.

How Much Will SSI Be in 2022?

The new federal SSI basic payment for an individual is $841 per month and $1,261 for a couple (up from $794 and $1,191 in 2021). In states that pay a supplemental SSI payment, the SSI payment levels are greater. 

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Thursday, 28 March 2024