Eleanor Finch
To be eligible for disability benefits, an individual must have a disability that significantly limits their ability to perform basic work-related tasks, such as lifting, standing, walking, or sitting, for at least a year. The disability must also prevent the individual from earning an income above a certain threshold, known as substantial gainful activity (SGA). In 2025, the SGA threshold is set at $1,620 per month, or $2,700 for individuals considered blind. Additionally, the applicant must have worked for at least five of the last ten years, although younger applicants may be exempt from this requirement.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Disability | Affects your ability to work for a year or more, or will result in death |
| Work | Must limit you from earning income above "substantial gainful activity" (SGA). In 2025, SGA is $1,620 per month, or $2,700 if blind |
| Age | People under 24 may not need to have worked as long |
| History of Work | Must have worked for at least 5 of the last 10 years |
| Vision | Blindness or vision problems alone or combined with other health problems may prevent you from working |
| Marital Status | If a child is 18 or older, their disability is evaluated the same way as an adult. Benefits usually end if the child gets married |
| Medical Condition | Must significantly limit your ability to do basic work-related activities, such as lifting, standing, walking, sitting, or remembering |
| Citizenship | Citizenship and immigration status do not affect eligibility |
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What You'll Learn
Basic work-related activities
To qualify for disability benefits, an individual's condition must significantly limit their ability to perform basic work-related activities. This includes essential physical tasks such as lifting, standing, walking, and sitting. Additionally, cognitive functions like remembering are also considered basic work-related activities. The impairment must persist for at least 12 consecutive months or be expected to result in death.
In the United States, the Social Security Administration (SSA) provides Disability Determination Services (DDS) to assess eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The SSA maintains lists of severe medical conditions for each major body system, and if an individual's condition is not listed, it must be determined to be as severe as one that is included.
Vision problems, for instance, can have a severe impact on a person's ability to work. Blindness is recognized as a qualifying disability, and individuals with blindness may have a higher monthly earnings limit than non-blind workers with disabilities. In 2025, the monthly earnings limit for blind individuals is set at $2,700.
To be eligible for disability benefits, an individual's condition must also limit them from earning an income above a certain threshold, known as "substantial gainful activity" (SGA). In 2025, the SGA threshold is $1,620 per month, or $2,700 for those who are considered blind. It is important to note that different rules may apply to determine SGA for self-employed individuals.
Additionally, the Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits are available for unmarried adult children aged 18 or older with a qualifying disability that began before the age of 22. DACs must not have substantial earnings, and certain expenses incurred to facilitate their work may be excluded from these earnings.
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Monthly earnings limit
To qualify for disability benefits, your condition must significantly limit your ability to perform basic work-related activities such as lifting, standing, walking, sitting, or remembering for at least 12 consecutive months. If your condition does not interfere with these basic work-related activities, you will not be considered to have a qualifying disability.
If you continue to work, your condition must limit you from earning income above an amount called "substantial gainful activity" (SGA). In 2025, the SGA amount is $1,620 per month, or $2,700 if you are considered blind. These limits are subject to annual increases. The monthly earnings limit for blind people is generally higher than the limit that applies to non-blind workers with disabilities.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers Disability Determination Services (DDS) to assess your situation and determine your eligibility for benefit programs such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). The SSA also provides a Benefit Eligibility Screening Tool (BEST) to help individuals determine their eligibility for SSDI and SSI.
Additionally, certain expenses incurred by the Disabled Adult Child (DAC) to work may be excluded from their earnings. For example, if a DAC gets married, their benefits will usually end, but there are exceptions, such as when they marry another DAC.
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Qualifying disability
To qualify for disability benefits, your condition must significantly limit your ability to carry out basic work-related activities such as lifting, standing, walking, sitting, or remembering. This limitation must last for at least one year or result in death. If your condition does not interfere with these basic activities, you will not be considered to have a qualifying disability.
If your condition does interfere with basic work-related activities, the next step is to determine if your condition is on the list of medical conditions considered severe enough to prevent an individual from engaging in substantial gainful activity (SGA). SGA is defined as earning an income above a certain amount. In 2025, this amount is $1,620 per month, or $2,700 if you are blind. If your condition is not on the list, it will be assessed to determine if it is as severe as a listed condition.
Additionally, there are special rules for individuals who are blind, recognising the severe impact of blindness on a person's ability to work. For example, the monthly earnings limit for blind individuals is generally higher than for non-blind workers with disabilities.
In terms of eligibility, you must generally have worked for at least five of the last ten years to qualify for disability benefits. However, individuals under the age of 24 may not need to have worked as long.
For children, the Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefit applies to unmarried individuals aged 18 or older with a qualifying disability that started before the age of 22. Benefits are paid based on the parent's earnings record, and the DAC must not have substantial earnings.
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Disability benefits
In the United States, the Social Security Administration (SSA) offers Disability Determination Services (DDS) to assess an individual's eligibility for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. The SSA also provides special rules and considerations for individuals who are blind, recognising the severe impact of blindness on a person's ability to work. For example, in 2025, the monthly earnings limit for blind individuals is $2,700, which is higher than the limit for non-blind workers with disabilities.
To be eligible for SSDI, an individual must generally have worked for at least five of the last ten years. However, younger individuals under the age of 24 may not need to have worked as long to qualify. Additionally, the Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefit is available for unmarried adult children aged 18 or older with a qualifying disability that began before the age of 22. DAC benefits are based on the parent's earnings record, and the DAC must not have substantial earnings, which, in 2025, is defined as earning more than $1,620 per month, or $2,700 if blind.
In addition to federal benefits, some states, such as Massachusetts, offer their own disability benefits and determination services. For example, MassAbility DDS helps individuals assess their eligibility for SSDI and SSI benefits. Similarly, California offers Disability Insurance (DI) benefits for those who cannot work and lose wages due to their disability. To qualify for DI benefits, individuals must meet certain criteria, such as having earned at least $300 with State Disability Insurance (SDI) deductions from their paycheck.
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Eligibility
To be eligible for disability benefits, an individual must have a qualifying disability that significantly limits their ability to do basic work-related activities, such as lifting, standing, walking, sitting, or remembering, for at least 12 consecutive months. The disability must either affect the individual's ability to work for a year or more or result in death.
If the individual continues to work, their condition must limit them from earning an income above the level of "substantial gainful activity" (SGA). In 2025, SGA is defined as earning more than $1,620 per month, or $2,700 if the individual is considered blind. Self-employed individuals are evaluated using different rules to determine SGA. Generally, to qualify for disability benefits, an individual must have worked for at least five of the last ten years, although people under the age of 24 may not need to have worked as long.
In the case of vision problems, special rules apply that recognize the severe impact of blindness on a person's ability to work. For example, the monthly earnings limit for blind individuals is generally higher than that of non-blind workers with disabilities. Additionally, if a worker who is receiving disability benefits dies, their surviving spouse or divorced spouse may be eligible for benefits if they meet certain age and medical condition criteria.
For children, the eligibility criteria differ slightly. The Disabled Adult Child (DAC) must be unmarried and aged 18 or older, with a qualifying disability that started before the age of 22. The DAC's disability is evaluated using the definition of disability for adults, and benefits are paid based on the parent's earnings record. DAC benefits may end if the child gets married, although there are exceptions, such as marriage to another DAC.
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Frequently asked questions
To collect disability insurance benefits, your disability must affect your ability to work for a year or more, or result in death. You must also be unable to earn an income above the threshold for "substantial gainful activity" (SGA), which is $1,620 per month for non-blind workers and $2,700 for blind workers in 2025.
If you recently lost your job, you may still be eligible for disability insurance benefits if you meet the other criteria and your disability affects your ability to work. You may also be eligible for unemployment benefits.
Yes, different rules determine SGA if you are self-employed. Generally, you must have worked for at least five of the last ten years to qualify for disability insurance benefits.
