Americans who have a new disability in 2024 may have heard about SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance). To get Disability Insurance benefits, you must have a qualifying disability or be blind.
Then, if you meet one of those 2 requirements, you should check if you have earned enough work credits to get SSDI. To do so, you can easily download a Statement from the Social Security website using “my account”.
Who else can receive extra SSDI family benefits?
After finding out whether you could receive Social Security Disability Insurance or not, you should pay close attention to your family’s eligibility. Yes, some of them may be eligible for monthly payments.
Bear in mind that if you are the child, the spouse, or ex-spouse of someone receiving Social Security Disability Insurance, you may be eligible for what SSA calls family benefits.
In certain situations, some grandchildren may also be eligible for these family benefits. Social Security will take into account marital status, age and other factors to determine whether your family can get benefits while you receive SSDI.
SSDI and family benefits average payments
SSDI recipients receive $1,537 on average. For your information, this is just an average amount. Each recipient qualifies for a different amount and it depends on the age they file, the earnings they had as a worker, the number of years they worked, and the taxes they paid to SSA.
As of June 2024, the average payment for spouses of workers with a disability is $420. Children of workers with a disability can also get monthly benefits. Their average amount is $493.
If you believe that you have too many expenses and you cannot make ends meet because you have a really low income while on SSDI, apply for Supplemental Security Income at the same time. SNAP benefits can also help you buy groceries.