The SSA announced a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment for 2025, and has now confirmed a 2.8% COLA for 2026. This cost-of-living adjustment, COLA for short, can help to offset the effects of rising inflation on your quality of life while receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.
In addition to understanding changes to Social Security disability benefit payments, it is important to familiarize yourself with 1) the payment benefit amounts associated with each type of recipient and 2) the structure and approximate calculations behind these Social Security disability benefit payments. To make your life even easier, the team at Michael Armstrong Law has put together a straightforward guide to help you understand the key points and payment structures behind SSI and SSDI respectively.
Note: The U.S. saw two partial government shutdowns in early 2026 — a brief 4-day shutdown that ended February 3, and a 76-day DHS-only shutdown that ended April 30, 2026 (the longest in U.S. history). Throughout both shutdowns, all SSI and SSDI benefit payments have continued on schedule with no disruption. While no clients called or asked about the existing shutdown that just ended, our team would like to clarify that shutdowns seldom, if ever at all, affect SSDI and SSI payments. This is due to the SSA being funded separately from the annual appropriations process and SSI and SSDI benefit payments being classified as mandatory spending that continues even when other federal agencies pause. You can learn more about how government shutdowns affect your disability benefits here.
The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) Payment Chart for 2026
The 2.5% COLA increase was effective as of January 2025. For 2026, the 2.8% COLA will be effective January 2026 (with SSI payments beginning December 31, 2025).
The following SSI pay chart is now applicable for 2026 and is solely applicable for SSI benefit payments. You can find this information directly on SSA.gov for SSI Federal Payment Amounts for 2026:
| SSI Payment Amounts for 2025 and 2026 | ||||
| Type of SSI Recipient | 2025 Monthly | 2026 Monthly | 2026 Annual | Change |
| Eligible Individual | $967 | $994 | $11,929 | +$27 |
| Eligible Couple | $1,450 | $1,491 | $17,892 | +$41 |
| Essential Person | $484 | $498 | $5,978 | +$14 |
| Source: SSA.gov – SSI Federal Payment Amounts | ||||
The Social Security Disability Insurance Calculations and Structure for 2026
Unfortunately, the calculations for SSDI are individual-specific and pertain to your earnings covered by Social Security (you paid Social Security taxes on these earnings). Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) operates under a different formula than SSI. Most importantly, it requires the fulfillment of these elements for eligibility:
- You must have worked long enough in an occupation covered by Social Security to earn sufficient work credits. Typically, this is the accumulation of 40 work credits within a consecutive, 10-year period.
- Your condition must meet the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) strict definition of a qualified disability.
- The disability must be expected to last at least a minimum of 12 months or result in death.
- You must be unable to perform Substantial Gainful Activity that exceeds the SGA limit as defined by the SSA ($1,620 per month for non-blind individuals and $2,700 per month for statutorily blind individuals in 2025; increasing to $1,690 and $2,830, respectively, in 2026).
The details of the exact calculation can be confusing, but we find that many SSDI payments fall in a broad range depending on individual earnings history. For reference, the average monthly SSDI benefit is approximately $1,630 in 2026 — an increase of roughly $44 per month from the 2025 average of approximately $1,586, reflecting the 2.8% COLA. The SSA uses your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME) over your covered earnings (you paid Social Security taxes on these earnings) over multiple years in order to calculate your SSDI benefit payments.
How the SSA Calculates Your SSDI Payment in 2026
Your SSDI payment starts with your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME) and runs through a three-step formula to produce your primary insurance amount (PIA) — the monthly benefit you receive before any adjustments. For workers who first become disabled in 2026, the SSA applies these percentages using the official 2026 “bend points” of $1,286 and $7,749:
A worked example: suppose your AIME comes out to $5,000 per month. The formula gives you 90% of $1,286 ($1,157.40), plus 32% of the remaining $3,714 ($1,188.48). That totals $2,345.88, which rounds down to a PIA of $2,345.80 per month. Keep in mind that these bend points apply to workers who become disabled in 2026 — if your disability began in an earlier year, that year’s formula applies instead, plus each intervening COLA. And no matter how high your earnings were, the maximum SSDI benefit for 2026 is $4,152 per month.
SSDI Income Limits for 2026
These are the earnings limits that govern whether the SSA considers you able to work. Exceeding the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit while applying — or after approval — can affect your benefits:
| 2026 Income Limit | Amount |
| Substantial Gainful Activity (non-blind) | $1,690 per month |
| Substantial Gainful Activity (statutorily blind) | $2,830 per month |
| Trial Work Period month | $1,210 per month |
| Earnings needed for one work credit | $1,890 per credit |
For a deeper look at how earnings interact with your benefits, see our guide to the SSDI income limit.
What Your Family Can Receive on Your SSDI Record
Your spouse and children may each qualify for up to 50% of your PIA as auxiliary benefits. However, there is a ceiling: the disability family maximum is the lesser of 85% of your AIME or 150% of your PIA, and it can never fall below your own PIA. This disability-specific cap is stricter than the one used for retirement benefits, so higher-earning families in particular often receive less in total than they expect. Your own benefit is never reduced by the cap — only your family members’ auxiliary benefits are trimmed to fit under it.
Important Parting Notes About SSDI And SSI Benefit Calculations
If you are represented in your SSDI case by an attorney or non-attorney representative, please be advised that this individual cannot negotiate your monthly benefit. The benefit formulas are strictly developed by Social Security’s own rules and regulations. While we are unable to provide an estimate or calculation of your benefits, we will work with you to get the benefits you deserve. Benefit payments for SSDI can vary significantly between individual cases. We have found that using the SSA’s disability calculator or calling the SSA at 1-800-772-1213 is the best option for receiving further info on estimating your probable SSDI benefit amounts.