Social Security Disability (SSDI) amount less than FRA benefit - not getting full retirement amount?
I've been dealing with some health issues and looking at possibly filing for SSDI. When I checked my Social Security account online yesterday, I noticed something confusing. The estimated SSDI benefit is showing about $2,450, but my full retirement age (FRA) benefit is estimated at $2,650 - that's a $200 difference! I always thought SSDI was supposed to equal your full retirement age amount. Has this changed? Is there some kind of reduction for disability that I'm not aware of? I've worked consistently for over 25 years except for a couple brief periods, so I don't understand why the disability amount would be less than my full retirement benefit. Has anyone else noticed this difference? Am I misunderstanding something about how SSDI is calculated compared to regular retirement benefits?
15 comments
Join the conversation
Charlotte Jones
The SS website can be confusing sometimes. Are you sure you're looking at the right numbers? Could be that the SSDI estimate is older than your retirement estimate and hasn't been updated. Mine showed differently too until I called them.
0 coins
Logan Greenburg
•That's a good point. I hadn't considered the estimates might be from different time periods. I'll try to see when each was calculated, but the website isn't very clear about that.
0 coins
Lucas Bey
You're not confused - SSDI and retirement benefits at FRA can absolutely be different amounts. The main reason is they use different calculation periods. SSDI uses fewer years in your earnings history (eliminating more low/zero earning years) compared to retirement benefits which typically use 35 years. The other possible factor is that SSDI is calculated based on when you become disabled, while retirement benefits continue to be recalculated until you actually reach FRA. If you had some higher earning years planned before reaching FRA, those wouldn't be included in your SSDI calculation. There's also the possibility that one estimate includes COLAs (Cost of Living Adjustments) that the other doesn't.
0 coins
Logan Greenburg
•Thank you for explaining this! I had no idea they used different calculation periods. I did have some lower earning years early in my career, so maybe that's why the SSDI amount is actually higher than I expected. I'm still confused about why it's less than my FRA amount though.
0 coins
Lucas Bey
•You're welcome! To clarify further - retirement benefits typically use your highest 35 years of earnings. SSDI uses fewer years based on your age when disabled, which can sometimes work in your favor if you have fewer than 35 good earning years. However, if your recent earnings are higher than earlier years, and those recent years would eventually be counted for retirement but aren't yet included in your current SSDI calculation, that might explain the difference.
0 coins
Harper Thompson
ya i notice this 2 when i applied for disability last year. the ssa guy told me somethin about indexing and computation years but i didnt really follow it all. just know my ssdi ended up being different than what my full retiremnet wouldve been
0 coins
Caleb Stark
This is why I HATE how the SSA explains things!! They make it IMPOSSIBLE for regular people to understand what they're actually getting! I've been on SSDI for 3 years and I STILL don't fully understand how they calculated my amount. And good luck getting anyone on the phone to explain it properly!! The whole system is designed to confuse us.
0 coins
Jade O'Malley
•I totally relate to your frustration with getting someone on the phone. I recently discovered a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me through to an actual SSA agent in under 10 minutes when I was trying to sort out a similar benefit calculation issue. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU - it saved me hours of frustration and the agent was able to clearly explain my benefit calculation.
0 coins
Caleb Stark
•Thanks for the tip! I'll check that out next time I need to call. Last time I tried, I spent almost 2 hours on hold only to get disconnected.
0 coins
Hunter Edmunds
Social Security disability specialist here. The difference in your benefit amounts is completely normal and due to several technical factors: 1. Different calculation methods: SSDI uses your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME) at the time you become disabled, while retirement benefits may use updated earnings. 2. Different inclusion periods: SSDI may exclude more recent higher-earning years that would be counted in retirement calculations if those years occurred after the onset of disability. 3. Indexing differences: The years used for indexing earnings can vary between the two benefit types. 4. Projection assumptions: The retirement estimate may include assumptions about future earnings that the SSDI calculation cannot include. Your SSDI benefit essentially freezes your earnings record at the point of disability, while retirement benefits can continue incorporating earnings until you reach FRA.
0 coins
Ella Lewis
•This is super helpful! Quick follow-up question - if someone is on SSDI and then reaches their full retirement age, does their benefit amount automatically increase to match what their full FRA amount would have been? Or does it just convert to retirement at the same amount they were receiving for disability?
0 coins
Hunter Edmunds
•Great question. When you reach FRA, your SSDI benefit automatically converts to retirement benefits, but the amount typically stays the same. There's no automatic increase to match what you might have received had you worked until FRA. The benefit amount you receive on SSDI essentially becomes your retirement benefit amount.
0 coins
Harper Thompson
my cousin got ssdi and said it was lower then his retirement woulda been but then after a few years of cola increases it ended up higher then his original retirement estimate lol so maybe wait and see
0 coins
Logan Greenburg
Thanks everyone for the explanations. I think I understand better now why there's a difference. The calculation periods and freezing of earnings at disability onset makes sense. I'll probably still try to talk to someone at SSA to get clarity on my specific situation, but this helps me know what questions to ask.
0 coins
Lucas Bey
•Good plan! When you do speak with SSA, ask specifically about your "computation years" for each benefit type and how your earnings history affects each calculation. That should help clarify your specific situation.
0 coins