If you are a disability worker receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), check your calendar to see if the payment is scheduled to arrive in your bank account on the fourth Wednesday of March. Every month, the Social Security Administration (SSA) sends three large groups of bank transfers to beneficiaries of this federal program.
In March 2025, SSDI beneficiaries in the third payment group (born between the 21st and 31st of any month) will receive their payment on the fourth Wednesday of the month, which is March 26, 2025.
In 2025, the average SSDI benefit is $1,580 per month, but the maximum can be up to $4,018 for beneficiaries who have contributed for a long time and have salaries that fall within the maximum taxable limit of Social Security taxes. All of these amounts include the additional 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment for 2025.
What requirements must I meet to receive SSDI?
To qualify for SSDI benefits, it is not enough to simply go to a Social Security office and say you have a disability; your claim must also include several elements, such as your history of FICA contributions (Social Security taxes), for a sufficient period of time for the process to be completed.
- Work Credits Required:
- 20 credits are needed in the last 10 years before disability (equivalent to ~5 years of work).
- Younger people may require fewer credits (example: those under 24 years of age may need 6 credits).
- Credits are earned by earning a minimum annual amount (in 2025: $1,810 = 1 credit; up to 4 credits can be earned per year, for a total of $7,240).
- The medical condition or disability must be serious and prevent you from performing any gainful employment activity (SGA). In 2025, the SGA income limit is $1,620 per month for people with disabilities who are not blind, and $2,700 per month for people who are blind.
Advanced cancer, multiple sclerosis, serious heart disease, disabling mental disorders (such as schizophrenia), and spinal cord injuries are among the most easily approved conditions for SSDI. If the condition is not on the list, it is assessed to determine whether it prevents employment in any relevant job (functional residual capacity).
Of course, you must be a legal citizen or immigrant with qualifying status, with current documents, between the ages of 18 and 65, and not receive any other benefits. After age 65, your SSDI payment is automatically converted to retirement.
People with disabilities lasting less than 12 months, those without enough work credits, and those earning more than the SGA income limit are ineligible. Dependent family members, such as children under the age of 18, as well as spouses or ex-spouses who care for a disabled child up to the age of 18 (or are over the age of 62), may be eligible for additional benefits.
