Finding Out Whether You Qualify for Social Security Disability Benefits

Applying for Social Security disability can be an arduous process, and it’s not always immediately obvious whether you’ll be eligible for benefits. Many people start their application without all of the information they need to submit a successful claim and then abandon their case after receiving a denial letter, potentially leaving thousands of dollars in past due payments on the table (often when they need the money most). 

If you’re considering applying for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the two types of federal monthly cash benefits available to disabled adults, it’s a smart move to become familiar with the main questions that Social Security will consider when reviewing your application.

Do You Qualify for SSDI or SSI?

Social Security determines if you’re eligible for SSDI by looking at your employment history and how much you’ve earned in work credits. You earn work credits by—unsurprisingly—working and paying into the SSDI program through your payroll or self-employment taxes. To qualify for SSDI, you must pass the agency’s “20/40” test, meaning you must have earned 20 work credits in the past 40 quarters. This generally translates to earning between $5,640 and $7,560 per year for five out of the past ten years. (The exact work credit amount changes each year.)

Unlike SSDI, SSI benefits don’t depend on your work history. However, SSI benefits are reserved only for disabled applicants with very limited earnings and resources. Anybody making over $2,000 a month is unlikely to qualify for SSI, and total assets (things like savings accounts or other investments) can’t be more than $2,000 for an individual. You’ll need to meet the non-medical criteria for either SSDI or SSI or you won’t be able to get benefits, no matter how severe your medical condition is.

Are You Working?

Because part of Social Security’s definition of disability is that you’re unable to work full-time, after receiving your application the agency will check to see whether you’re currently earning any income whatsoever. You’re allowed to work a little bit and still qualify for disability as long as you aren’t earning at or above what Social Security refers to as “substantial gainful activity.” In 2026, this amount is $1,690 per month ($2,830 if you’re blind).

Making more than this amount is a hard and fast rule according to Social Security. Even if you earn the entire $1,690 in one week and are bedridden for the rest of the month, the agency can’t find that you’re disabled. 

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Do You Have a Severe Medical Condition?

Being unable to work is just one part of Social Security’s definition of disability, however. You’ll also need to show that your inability to work is the result of a medical condition that’s lasted (or is expected to last) for at least one year. This distinction is what separates SSDI and SSI from other programs like unemployment benefits or short-term disability insurance.

Generally, that means that you’ll need to have records documenting your treatment for the medical impairment for 12 months or longer. These records should include progress notes from doctors’ visits, objective imaging (like X-rays or MRIs), and other testing (such as blood tests) when relevant. While Social Security understands that medical treatment can be expensive, if you haven’t seen a doctor, it will be hard to convince the agency that your condition is severe.

Does Your Condition Meet a Listing or Keep You From Doing Any Job?

For most disability applicants, these questions are the heart of their claim. Showing that you’re eligible to receive SSDI or SSI, aren’t working above the substantial gainful activity threshold, and have received medical treatment for more than minor issues are relatively easy hurdles to overcome. Proving that your impairment rises to the level of a disability is more difficult, however.

Social Security can award you disability in two ways—by finding that you match the criteria of a Blue Book listed impairment (a category of medical conditions that the agency considers especially severe) or by concluding that there aren’t any jobs you can perform with your residual functional capacity. The first method is called “meeting a listing,” while the second is called a “medical-vocational allowance.” 

Meeting a listing is the harder way to get SSDI or SSI, since the medical criteria for each listing are very specific and require significant functional limitations. It’s more common for disability applicants to qualify through a medical-vocational allowance, since that method takes into consideration additional elements such as your age, education, and work experience.

Social Security will review your medical records, doctors’ statements, and self-reported activities of daily living to decide what functional limitations you have that may meet a listing or rule out all work. Applicants under the age of 50 will need to show either that they meet a listing or that they’re unable to do even the easiest sit-down jobs, while those 50 years of age and older might have an easier time qualifying (as long as they can’t do their past work) under a special set of circumstances known as the “grid rules.”

How Do I Know If I’ll Get Benefits?

While there’s no magic formula that can tell you whether your application for SSDI or SSI will be approved, certain factors can make it more likely that you’ll qualify for benefits. Consistent medical treatment with strongly supportive records (such as an MRI showing severe spinal degeneration, for example, or a cognitive test showing very poor memory skills) plays an important role. Having doctors’ statements corroborating your disabling limitations are also persuasive, and applicants who are closer to full retirement age will likely have an easier time getting approved. Consulting a disability attorney should give you a better understanding of what your odds of approval are and what you can do to strengthen your claim.