How Much Money Will I Receive from Social Security Disability in Dallas?

The monthly checks you get from Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) are calculated using your past earnings and benefit limits. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) rates are pre-determined by the government.

How Much Money Does Social Security Disability Pay?

When serious health problems force you out of work, Social Security Disability benefits can help stabilize your finances and give you space to focus on your health.

Naturally, one of the first questions people in Dallas ask is: How much money will I actually get each month?

Disability benefits provide crucial support to help you cover essential costs, but getting benefits isn’t like winning the lottery. Your finances will still be tight, but you can breathe a little easier.

The amounts Social Security pays change year to year. Here’s what benefits looked like at the start of 2025:

• Average Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) payment: $1,537/month
• Maximum SSDI: $3,822/month (for high lifetime earners)
• Maximum Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefit:
  • $967/month for individuals
  • $1,450/month for a married couple

If you qualify for both SSDI and SSI, your payment may combine benefits, or you could switch from one program to the other, depending on your financial situation.

Morgan Weisbrod has Dallas Social Security Disability lawyers who help people across Texas understand how these programs work and what their benefits could be.

We’ve helped thousands of people for over 50 years sort out their options and win these hard-to-access benefits.

SSDI vs. SSI: What You Need to Know About Monthly Disability Payments

The two disability benefits programs calculate monthly payments differently.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

• Based on your work history and lifetime earnings.
• The more you paid into Social Security through taxes, the more you could receive.
• But it has limits and, in many cases, pays less than the income you made on the job.
• Under certain circumstances, spouses and children can qualify for additional payments under your Social Security record.

Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

• Based on financial need, not work history.
• The government sets a standard amount that applies to everyone.
• If you have other income—like a small amount of work, a pension, unemployment, or support from a spouse—Social Security may reduce your SSI benefit.
• The SSA deducts $1 for every $2 you earn after the first $65 each month.
• Your SSI is also affected by one-time sources of money you may get, such as legal settlements, insurance payouts or inheritances, because to qualify for SSI, your overall assets, not just current income, must be low.

With SSDI, you also get early access to Medicare health coverage after a waiting period. And SSI qualifies you for Medicaid.

Medicare and Medicaid don’t come in the form of checks to you. They mean you can go to doctors and have your health care covered under those systems.

Both disability benefit programs are designed to provide monthly income for people with health impairments that prevent working, and both come with complex rules.

Working with someone experienced—like the Dallas disability attorneys at Morgan Weisbrod—can help you get the support you deserve.

Start with a FREE consultation on your disability claim.

How Are Your Social Security Disability Benefits Calculated?

Understanding how your monthly disability benefits are calculated helps you know what to expect—and how to protect your eligibility.

For SSDI:

Your benefit amount is determined by your lifetime earnings and how much you contributed in Social Security taxes.

First, you become eligible by earning work credits. You get a Social Security credit for earning a certain amount. You can earn four credits a year. Credits to qualify for disability benefits vary with age. But for everyone 31 and up, you need 20 credits in the 10 years before you needed disability benefits.

The Social Security Administration then uses a formula to set your benefit amount based on your:

• Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME), which averages the pay you made throughout your working life.
• Primary Insurance Amount (PIA), which is the final figure you’ll receive. The exact amount depends on where your average earnings fall on a three-tier scale.

For SSI:

SSI is needs-based, so it doesn’t depend on your past earnings. Instead, Social Security calculates your monthly amount by subtracting any countable income from the federal benefit rate.

Other Factors That Can Affect Your Disability Checks:

• Receiving other government benefits (workers’ comp, VA disability benefits, etc.) could cause adjustments to your monthly disability checks, or if the other benefits are high enough, they could make you ineligible for SSI.
• Having dependent children who may qualify for auxiliary benefits affects your total household benefit.
• Working part-time changes your benefit or disqualifies you if you have too much income from work.

At Morgan Weisbrod, we’ve spent decades helping Texans across Dallas-Fort Worth, Houston and all surrounding areas successfully navigate the disability system.

We make sure your application for disability benefits reflects your unique situation—so you get the maximum benefits possible.

You pay no legal fee unless we win.

Contact us today.