How Much Does Social Security Disability Pay in Chicago?

If you’re applying for disability benefits, a question you likely have is, “How much does Social Security Disability pay?” The amount of money you’ll receive will primarily depend on the type of disability benefits for which you qualify. Depending on the kind of benefits you apply for, other factors will come into play, such as your average lifetime earnings, whether you have other sources of income, and where you live. Below, you’ll learn how the SSA calculates benefit amounts, the maximum you could get, and the average monthly amounts in Chicago to give you a good idea of what to expect.

Call the Chicago disability lawyers at DePaolo & Zadeikis at 312-263-7560 if you need assistance with Social Security Disability benefits.

What Types of Social Security Disability Benefits Are Available in Chicago?

The Social Security Administration (SSA) runs two public programs that pay benefits to disabled people in Chicago and the rest of Illinois: Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

Social Security Disability Insurance is a federal insurance program that provides monthly benefits to qualified workers with disabilities. It also provides payments to some family members. To be eligible for SSDI, you must be insured by having worked long enough and paid Social Security taxes. You must also have a condition that forces you to stop working and has lasted or is expected to last for at least a year or result in death.

Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI)

Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) provides monthly payments to people with disabilities and limited income and assets. You mustn’t have worked in the past to receive SSI benefits. SSI payments aren’t provided to the dependents of eligible disabled people unless those dependents independently qualify for the benefits.

Many SSDI and SSI claims are initially denied. Social Security disabilities lawyers help disability applicants get their applications approved and increase their chances of winning an appeal for a denied claim.

Calculating Social Security Disability Payments in Illinois

More than 200,000 Illinoisans receive SSDI and SSI benefits each year. The healthcare coverage and financial support these benefits provide while the beneficiaries can’t work or have limited income are a big help.

Calculating SSDI Payments

Your diagnosis or the severity of your disability doesn’t affect the amount of your SSDI benefits. Rather, your SSDI benefits will be based on your historical earnings and how much you’ve paid into the Social Security system. The more you’ve worked and paid into the system, the higher your benefits. A long work history is one of the factors that make it easier to get disability benefits after age 55.

Calculation of your SSDI benefits in Illinois starts with the SSA evaluating your Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME). Your AIME is then used to determine your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA). Your PIA will be the SSDI benefit amount you’ll receive each month.

To establish your AIME, the SSA adjusts your past earnings to reflect the change in the cost of living over the years and calculates the average of several of your highest-earning years. Social Security uses up to 35 of a person’s working years in the calculation.

Your AIME is then broken into three separate income brackets, and each segment is multiplied by a different fixed percentage. The dollar amounts resulting from the calculation are known as bend points. Adding the three figures gives your PIA. The SSA rounds down the sum to the next lowest multiple of 10 cents. Therefore, if the PIA calculation adds up to $1,532.73, your benefit amount would be rounded down to $1,532.70.

The bend points are adjusted each year to reflect changes in the national average wage index. For example, the bend points for 2024 are 90% of the first $1,174 of your AIME, 32% of your AIME above $1,174 to $7,078, and 15% of your AIME above $7,078.

The SSA has a free online benefits calculator you can use to approximate your monthly benefits. You could also get an estimate by creating a “my Social Security” account on the SSA’s official website or calling the local Chicago SSA office.

How Much Is a Disability Check in Illinois?

The SSA sets maximum amounts of SSDI disability payments that beneficiaries in Illinois and every other state can receive. The maximum amount is adjusted for inflation each year. For 2024, the maximum SSDI monthly amount you can get is $3,822. In Illinois, the average SSDI payment, according to the SSA’s most recent annual statistical report, is $1,737.77 per month.

The SSA could reduce your SSDI payment if you receive certain types of income, such as workers’ compensation payments and other public disability benefits. Private disability benefits won’t affect your SSDI payments.

When you’re approved for disability benefits, you may be entitled to back payments of your SSDI benefits. The total amount you’ll receive in back pay equals your monthly benefit amount multiplied by the number of months Social Security owes you. The number of months of back pay you’ll get depends on your application date for SSDI and the date your disability began, known as the established onset date. However, the maximum amount of retroactive payments the SSA will pay is 12 months before your application date. Eligibility to receive back payments is a major reason why it’s essential to know how to appeal an SSDI denial rather than start a new SSDI application.

How Much Does SSI Pay?

The SSI amount you receive depends on your income, living arrangements, and the state where you live. The SSA also sets a maximum monthly benefit for SSI payments. For 2024, the maximum monthly payment set by the SSA is $943 for an individual and $1,415 for a married couple who are both eligible.

If you have countable income from other sources, the SSA will deduct part of it when calculating your SSI payment. Countable income includes wages, money from friends or family, and other benefits like SSDI, pensions, and workers’ compensation. The SSA reduces your SSI payment by about $1 for every $2 you earn from a job, self-employment, or other types of work. The SSA reduces your payment by about $1 for every $1 you receive from nonwork sources like a pension and disability benefits. Generally, the more your countable income is, the less your SSI payment will be.

Not every income is deducted from your SSI payment. For example, the SSA doesn’t consider the following as countable income:

• The first $20 of any income you receive
• The first $65 of earnings from work
• Income tax refunds
• Impairment-related work expenses
• Food or shelter from nonprofit agencies
• Assistance funded by a local government or State

If you live with someone else and don’t pay for food and shelter, your SSI payment will be reduced by one-third. According to the most recent SSA data on SSI, the average monthly SSI payment in Illinois is $619.56.

Many states offer supplemental payments varying from $10 to $400 in addition to the federal SSI benefit amount. Illinois has an AABD (Aid to the Aged, Blind, or Disabled) program that offers an additional monthly payment to the federal SSI payment. The Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS) administers the program. You’ll qualify for a cash supplement if you can show that your expenses exceed your SSI payment amount.

Cost of Living Adjustments in Illinois

The SSA annually calculates and applies a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) to Social Security benefits in Illinois and throughout the country. The COLAs help SSDI and SSI benefits keep pace with inflation. Without them, inflation could erode the purchasing power of the benefits. The COLA is based on changes in the Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) calculated by the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

When calculating a COLA, the SSA compares the average CPI-W for the year’s third quarter to that of the previous year. For 2024, the COLA adjustment is 3.2%. This implies there was a 3.2% bump to the disability checks of beneficiaries in 2024.

Ensuring you receive the maximum disability benefits is one of the reasons why you should hire a lawyer for Social Security Disability. An experienced lawyer will offer the help and support you need to maximize your benefits.

A disability attorney makes navigating the Social Security disability process more manageable. Your attorney will handle communications with the SSA, file your applications or appeals together with the necessary documentation, handle court proceedings if needed, and help you craft the strongest argument for your case to ensure you receive the benefits required to secure your financial future. A local Chicago disability attorney can even help you get the Illinois AABD benefits.

At DePaolo & Zadeikis, we understand the challenges that people with disabilities and their families face every day in Illinois. We’re committed to helping them receive the necessary financial support to improve the quality of their lives. We work on a contingency basis, so we don’t get paid until we win your case. Contact us today for a free consultation.