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2022 Social Security and SSI Disability Benefit Amounts

Social Security disability benefit amounts are based on the type of disability payments you are eligible to receive, and the maximum amounts change regularly to account for inflation and other factors. The two types of disability payments that a person may be eligible to receive include Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). While both types of benefit programs sound very similar in name, they have quite different requirements from one another. In addition, SSDI and SSI have distinct maximum benefit amounts for 2022. See if you qualify for benefits by getting in touch with a disability lawyer today.

Maximum SSI Benefit in 2022

Supplemental Security Income payments are needs-based benefits that are paid to disabled individuals with limited resources. These benefit amounts are calculated by deducting a person’s countable income from the maximum benefit amount. The Social Security Administration (SSA) explains that income is “anything you receive during a calendar month and can use to meet your needs for food or shelter.” Income can be paid as cash or in kind. Countable income, differently, is the amount of money a person has left after “eliminating from consideration all items that are not income” and “applying all appropriate exclusions to the items that are income.” A person’s countable income is calculated monthly for SSI payments. 

How do these definitions explain SSI benefit amounts for 2022?

According to the Social Security Administration, the “maximum federal SSI payment amounts increase with the cost-of-living increases that apply to Social Security benefits.” The most recent increase of 5.9 percent took effect in January 2022. With the increase, the maximum SSI benefits are $841 for an individual, $1,261 for an individual who has an eligible spouse, and $421 per month for an essential person (i.e., a person who lives with and provides care to an SSI recipient). A person’s benefit amount is then calculated by deducting his or her countable income from those amounts.

Maximum SSDI Benefits in 2022

Unlike SSI benefits, SSDI benefits are not needs-based benefits. Instead, these benefits can be paid to any disabled person who has a long enough and substantive enough work history, whether that person earned minimum wage or a significant annual salary. A person’s benefit is determined based on the disabled person’s average indexed monthly earnings (AIME), so each person’s benefit amount will be different. 

Like SSI benefits, however, there is a maximum benefit amount. The maximum benefit amounts for 2022 are $1,350 per month for a non-blind person, $2,260 per month for a blind person, and $970 per month for a person in a trial work period (TWP). 

Contact a Social Security Disability Lawyer for Assistance

Whether you have questions about seeking disability benefits or you need assistance with an SSDI or SSI appeal, an experienced Rogers Social Security lawyer can assist you. Do not hesitate to get in touch with our firm to learn more about the services we provide to disabled individuals and their families in Arkansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri. Contact Gallo Cazort & Co. Law Firm today online or call us at (479) 337-7565.