Confused about SSDI 5-month waiting period - when do payments actually start?

congrats on getting approved! the 5 month waiting period starts from your onset date, not approval date. so if your onset date was june 2023, your benefits would start for november 2023 (counting june, july, aug, sept, oct as your waiting period). So your backpay would be from november 2023 to now minus attorney fees. hope that helps!

The 5-month waiting period is a mandatory period after your established onset date (EOD) during which you don't receive benefits, even though you're considered disabled. It's basically Social Security's way of ensuring your disability is long-term. Since your onset date was June 2023, your waiting period would be June-October 2023, with benefits starting November 2023. Your backpay should cover November 2023 through December 2025. Technically, your first payment might take 2-3 weeks to process after approval, but not another 5 months. And regarding backpay, if it exceeds $7,500, SSA typically distributes it in three installments, six months apart. Otherwise, you'll get it as a lump sum.

@profile8 You're absolutely right - thank you for the correction! I was mixing up SSI and SSDI requirements. For SSDI, backpay does come in one lump sum payment regardless of the amount. It's SSI that has the installment restrictions. This is a perfect example of why it's so important to be specific about which benefit program we're discussing!

THE 5 MONTH WAIT PERIOD IS THE BIGGEST SCAM!!! They make us wait 2+ years to get approved, then say "oh sorry, we're not paying for the first 5 months of your disability" even though you were just as disabled then!!! And why? Because they HOPE people will go back to work or DIE before getting benefits!!! The whole system is designed to DENY us what we've paid into our whole lives!!!!

I work as a claims specialist and can confirm what others have said - the 5 month waiting period begins with your established onset date and those first 5 months of disability are not payable. It's in Section 223 of the Social Security Act. I find it helpful to think of it like an insurance "deductible" period. Regarding your specific situation: if your EOD is June 2023, then June through October 2023 is your waiting period, and benefits would begin November 2023. Your first payment should arrive within 30-60 days of your approval notice. Backpay for SSDI comes as a single lump sum (unlike SSI which can be in installments). One important thing - if you were also approved for Medicare, there's a 24-month waiting period for that, which would start counting from when your SSDI benefits begin (so November 2023 in your case). You'd be eligible for Medicare in November 2025.

Yes, both your monthly payments and backpay will typically be deposited to the same account you provided during your application. If you need to verify or change your direct deposit information, you can do so through your my Social Security account online or by calling SSA directly.

I spent 6 months trying to get through to SSA about my backpay issues after approval. Was constantly disconnected or on hold for 3+ hours only to get disconnected. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an agent in under 10 minutes. They have a demo video at https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU showing how it works. Saved me so much frustration when I was trying to sort out payment timing issues with my SSDI. Just sharing because I know how hard it is to get answers about payment timelines when you're anxiously waiting for backpay.

My situation was almost exactly like yours! Got approved in 2024 with onset date in 2022. The 5 month waiting period had already passed during my application process (like yours has). My back pay showed up about 3 weeks after approval letter, and regular monthly payments started the next month. What surprised me was my attorney got paid separately - they didn't take his fee out of my payment, SSA paid him directly. Made the whole process easier than I expected. Hope this helps!

also just to mention, your first regular monthly payment might not come the same time as backpay. mine took like a full month longer after backpay to start. something about payment cycles or whatever. just dont panic if you get backpay but not regular payment right away

Thanks everyone for all the helpful information! This has really cleared things up for me. So to summarize: 1) The 5-month waiting period was June-Oct 2023, 2) My backpay should cover Nov 2023-Dec 2025, 3) It should arrive as one lump sum in the next few weeks, 4) Regular monthly payments will start soon after or possibly a month later, and 5) SSA will pay my lawyer directly. This is SO much clearer than what my lawyer explained. I appreciate everyone taking the time to help!

You've got it exactly right! I'm really glad this thread helped clarify everything for you. The waiting can be nerve-wracking when you're not sure what to expect, but it sounds like you're all set now. Just keep an eye on your bank account over the next few weeks - that backpay should be a nice relief after such a long fight for approval. And don't hesitate to come back here if you have any other questions once payments start flowing. We're all here to help each other navigate this system!

Welcome to the community @Cameron Black! You're absolutely right - this thread is a goldmine of information about the 5-month waiting period. I'd definitely recommend saving it for reference. As you start your SSDI application, a few quick tips from someone who's been through it: keep detailed records of all your medical appointments and treatments, be prepared for potential denials (many people get approved on appeal), and don't hesitate to ask questions here - this community has been incredibly supportive throughout my journey. The process can feel overwhelming, but having people who understand what you're going through makes a huge difference. Good luck with your application!

As someone who just went through this whole process myself last year, I wanted to add one more thing that might be helpful - make sure to check your my Social Security account online regularly after approval. That's where you can track the status of your payments and see when they're scheduled to be deposited. I found it really helpful for peace of mind during those anxious weeks waiting for backpay to show up. Also, if you haven't already, you might want to give your bank a heads up about the incoming lump sum deposit - some banks will put holds on large unexpected deposits for fraud protection. Congrats again on your approval, and I hope everything goes smoothly with your payments!

Just wanted to chime in as another newcomer who found this thread incredibly helpful! I'm currently waiting on a decision for my SSDI application (fingers crossed) and had no idea how the 5-month waiting period actually worked. Reading through everyone's explanations and real experiences has been so educational. It's reassuring to see how supportive this community is - from clarifying the difference between SSI and SSDI payment methods to practical tips about notifying your bank. @Amina Diallo congratulations on your approval! After 2 years of fighting, you definitely deserve some good news. Thanks to everyone who shared their knowledge here - threads like this are exactly what people need when navigating this confusing system for the first time.

As someone who's been lurking in this community for a while and finally decided to join after reading this incredibly helpful thread, I wanted to say thank you to everyone who took the time to explain the 5-month waiting period so clearly! I'm just starting to consider applying for SSDI myself, and seeing how confusing the whole process can be even AFTER approval really drives home how important it is to have a supportive community like this. The way you all corrected each other respectfully (like the SSI vs SSDI payment difference) and shared practical tips shows what a valuable resource this place is. @Amina Diallo huge congratulations on your approval - what a relief that must be after 2 years! And to all the newcomers like @Cameron Black and @Giovanni Rossi, it's encouraging to see so many people finding help here. I'm bookmarking this thread for when I hopefully need it myself someday.

What a fantastic thread to read as someone new to this community! I'm currently in the early stages of my SSDI application and had heard about the 5-month waiting period but had no clue what it actually meant. Reading through everyone's explanations has been incredibly enlightening - especially understanding that it starts from the onset date, not the approval date. That's such an important distinction that I don't think is made clear anywhere in the official materials I've seen. @Amina Diallo congratulations on finally getting approved after such a long fight! It must be such a relief to have that behind you and to know exactly what to expect with your payments now. The way this community came together to answer your question and clarify the confusing parts (like the SSI vs SSDI payment differences) really shows how valuable this place is for people navigating this complex system. I'm bookmarking this thread as a reference for my own journey. Thank you to everyone who shared their knowledge and experiences - threads like this are exactly what people like me need when trying to understand how all of this works!

I'm new to this community and just stumbled across this thread while researching SSDI basics - what an incredibly helpful discussion! As someone who's been putting off applying because the whole process seems so daunting, reading through everyone's explanations about the 5-month waiting period has really clarified something that was completely confusing to me from the SSA materials. The way you all supported each other and shared practical knowledge (especially correcting the SSI vs SSDI payment differences) shows what an amazing resource this community is. @Amina Diallo huge congratulations on your approval after such a long battle - I can only imagine what a relief that must be! And thank you to everyone who took the time to break down the waiting period so clearly. I'm bookmarking this thread for when I hopefully work up the courage to start my own application process. It's so reassuring to know there's a supportive community here to help navigate this complex system!

Just joined this community after reading through this incredible thread! As someone who's been hesitant to start the SSDI application process due to how overwhelming it all seems, this discussion has been so enlightening. The way everyone broke down the 5-month waiting period - especially clarifying that it starts from onset date, not approval date - makes so much more sense than anything I've read on official SSA websites. @Amina Diallo congratulations on your hard-fought approval! Two years is such a long battle, and you deserve all the relief that's coming your way. It's amazing how this community rallied to answer your questions with such detailed, practical advice. The corrections about SSI vs SSDI payment methods and all the tips about banking notifications and tracking payments online are exactly the kind of real-world knowledge that's impossible to find elsewhere. This thread is a perfect example of why communities like this are so valuable - turning confusing government processes into understandable, human explanations. I'm bookmarking this for my own future reference and feeling much more confident about potentially taking the plunge into applying myself. Thank you to everyone who contributed their knowledge and experiences here!

Just joined this community after seeing how incredibly helpful this thread has been for so many people! As someone who's currently waiting on an SSDI decision (applied 8 months ago), I had heard about the 5-month waiting period but never really understood what it meant until reading through all these explanations. The clarification that it starts from your onset date rather than approval date is such a crucial distinction that I don't think is explained clearly anywhere in the official SSA materials. @Amina Diallo congratulations on your approval after such a long fight - what a relief that must be! It's amazing to see how this community came together to answer your questions with such detailed, practical advice. The way everyone corrected misinformation respectfully (like the SSI vs SSDI payment differences) and shared real-world tips about banking notifications and online tracking really shows what a valuable resource this place is. Reading through all the newcomer responses shows just how much we all need spaces like this to make sense of such a complex system. This thread has given me so much more confidence about what to expect if/when I get approved. Thank you to everyone who took the time to share their knowledge and experiences - this is exactly the kind of support that makes navigating disability benefits feel less overwhelming!

Just joined this community after reading through this amazing thread! I'm currently in the early stages of considering an SSDI application and was completely lost about how the 5-month waiting period worked. The way everyone explained that it starts from your onset date (not approval date) and how it affects backpay calculations has been so incredibly helpful - this is information I couldn't find clearly explained anywhere else! @Amina Diallo huge congratulations on your approval after such a long battle! Two years is such a marathon, and you must be so relieved. It's wonderful to see how this community rallied around your question with such detailed, practical advice. What really impressed me about this thread is how respectfully everyone handled the corrections (like the SSI vs SSDI payment differences) and shared real-world tips about things like notifying your bank and tracking payments online. These are the kinds of practical details that make all the difference but never appear in official materials. As someone who's been intimidated by the whole SSDI process, seeing this level of support and knowledge-sharing gives me so much more confidence about potentially moving forward. This thread is definitely going into my bookmarks as a reference guide. Thank you to everyone who contributed - this is exactly what people need when trying to navigate such a complex system!

Welcome to all the newcomers who found this thread helpful! As someone who's been in this community for a while, it's so heartwarming to see how this discussion has become such a valuable resource for people trying to understand the 5-month waiting period. @Amina Diallo your original question really sparked something special here - what started as confusion about SSDI timing has turned into a comprehensive guide that's helping so many people feel less overwhelmed about the process. I love seeing how this thread demonstrates the best of what this community offers: real people sharing actual experiences, respectful corrections when needed, and practical tips you just can't find in official materials. The way everyone explained the onset date vs approval date distinction, clarified SSI vs SSDI differences, and shared banking/tracking tips creates exactly the kind of resource newcomers need. To all the new members who joined after reading this - welcome! Don't hesitate to ask questions as you navigate your own SSDI journeys. This community thrives on helping each other make sense of a complex system, and every question helps create discussions like this one that benefit everyone. Looking forward to supporting you all through your processes!