A few weeks ago we talked to you about 4 facts you didn’t know about SSDI. Well, we’ve got a few more for you, and these facts might make all the difference in understanding how your disability benefits work.
More Facts You Didn’t Know About SSDI
- The lower your income, the higher your benefits: Last week we told you how SSDI benefits were calculated, but you might not have known that the percentages used in those calculations go down as your income increases. This means that doubling your Social Security payroll tax input doesn’t yield you extra benefits down the line.
- You need more than a disability to qualify for benefits: In addition to having a qualifying disability, you have to earn credits for working and paying Social Security taxes in order to qualify for SSDI. The Social Security Administration uses these credits to determine if you’ve worked long enough to qualify for benefits, and the amount of credits you need is determined by your age. You earn one credit for every $1,260 of wages/self-employment income you make and you can only accumulate four credits in a year. To see how many credits you need, check out this handy chart from the SSA.
- Federal interest rate increases don’t affect the Social Security Trust Fund: The Social Security Trust Fund invests in bonds to help maintain its balance, so many people get frightened when interest rates go up and the value of bonds decrease, but this isn’t a problem for SSDI. The bonds purchased by the trust fund are special, and can never lose their initial value, so rate decreases don’t affect these bonds.
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This information has been brought to you by the Tulsa, Oklahoma disability attorneys at Troutman & Troutman.
