Work Credits

• Social Security Disability pays a monthly annuity for the duration of your disability. The maximum work credits required for disability are 40 credits or 10 years of employment in a position that pays into the Social Security system. The maximum credits required for disability are the minimum credits for retirement benefits. You do not need work credits for SSI disability, but you must qualify with low income and few resources. You must meet the same disability standards for SSI as for SSDI.
  
  

Young Workers

• Social Security disability benefits require fewer work history credits for younger workers. Workers under age 31 need about half of the time between age 21 and 31 in work credits, or five years. You may also have six credits in the last three years immediately prior to the disability -- another example of approximately half of the years required in work credits. Work credit calculations for disability begin with your disability date and work back.
  
  

Social Security Statement

• If you are over the age of 25 and pay into Social Security, you receive a Social Security statement once a year. This statement estimates your retirement benefits if your income continues at the same rate. This statement also provides an approximation of your disability payment. Your retirement is a projection of expected earnings; Social Security bases your disability estimate on current figures with no future earnings estimate.
  
  

Maximum Payment

• The maximum monthly payment for SSI from the federal government in 2011 is $674. Some states supplement the federal benefits, and all states except California permit SSI recipients to receive food stamps or Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Payments. The maximum possible payment for Social Security disability for the worker is the maximum retirement benefit, which is $2,366 per month in 2011 for a worker retiring at age 66. This retirement benefit is available to a retiree making the maximum contribution allowed each year for 35 years. The contributions base in 2011 is $106,800. December 2009 figures show that the average disabled worker received $1,064 per month in Social Security disability. The average age for a disabled worker in 2009 was 52.7 years.
  
  

Dependents

• A disabled worker under SSDI may have dependents who qualify for benefits based on the worker's history and relationship. These dependents receive a percentage of the disabled worker's benefit amount, up to a maximum payout for the work history. December 2009 figures show that spouses received on average a $287 monthly payment, with minor children of the disabled worker receiving $318. SSI provides no benefits to dependents of a disabled individual.