The 2023 SSDI payment amounts and how they were set

In 2023, the average SSDI payment was $1,349 per month for a disabled worker. The maximum payment a single person could receive was $3,822 per month. These amounts were set by a Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) that Social Security announced in October 2022, which raised all payments by 8.7 percent starting in January 2023.

The 8.7 percent increase was the largest COLA in four decades. It happened because inflation in 2022 pushed the Consumer Price Index higher than it had been in years. Social Security calculates COLA each year based on inflation data from July, August, and September of the previous year. If inflation is higher, COLA is higher. If inflation is lower or prices fall, COLA can be lower or zero.

Your own payment in 2023 depended on your work history and the age at which you started receiving benefits. Someone who had worked 35 years at average wages would have received a different amount than someone with a shorter work history. Family members receiving benefits on your record—a spouse, ex-spouse, or child—also received payments based on a percentage of your primary insurance amount, which is the base amount Social Security calculated for you.

Key Takeaways

  • The 2023 average SSDI payment was $1,349 per month, with a maximum of $3,822 per month for a single disabled worker.
  • All 2023 payments were 8.7 percent higher than 2022 payments because of a Cost of Living Adjustment announced in October 2022.
  • Your specific 2023 payment amount depended on your earnings record and the age you began receiving SSDI.
  • Family members on your record received a portion of your primary insurance amount, and their payments also increased by 8.7 percent.

How Social Security calculated your individual 2023 payment

Social Security did not use a straightforward chart to assign you a payment. Instead, they calculated your Primary Insurance Amount (PIA) based on your 35 highest-earning years of work. They averaged those years, adjusted them for wage inflation, and then applied a formula that replaced a higher percentage of lower earnings and a lower percentage of higher earnings. This formula is called the bend point formula.

Once Social Security had your PIA, they applied the 8.7 percent COLA increase to it. That new amount was your 2023 payment. If you had started SSDI before 2023, your previous payment was also increased by 8.7 percent unless you had already reached the maximum payment amount, which does not increase further.

If you were receiving SSDI as a family member—for example, as a spouse or child of a disabled worker—your 2023 payment was calculated as a percentage of the worker's PIA. A spouse at full retirement age typically received 50 percent of the worker's PIA. A child typically received 75 percent. These percentages were applied to the worker's 2023 PIA after the COLA increase.

What changed between 2022 and 2023 payments

The only change to most people's SSDI payments between 2022 and 2023 was the 8.7 percent increase. The bend point formula stayed the same. The maximum family benefit—the total amount all family members on one record could receive—also increased by 8.7 percent, from roughly $6,144 in 2022 to roughly $6,672 in 2023, though this amount varies slightly based on the worker's birth year and the formula Social Security uses.

One exception existed: if you turned 62 in 2023 and had not yet started SSDI, your PIA was calculated using the 2023 bend points, which were different from the 2022 bend points. The bend points are dollar thresholds in the formula that change each year based on wage growth. In 2023, the first bend point was $1,115 and the second was $6,721. These numbers were higher than 2022's because average wages had grown.

If you had already started SSDI before 2023, your payment straightforward went up by 8.7 percent. You did not have to do anything. Social Security sent updated payment notices to everyone in December 2022 showing the new amount starting in January 2023.

Where to find your specific 2023 payment record

Your exact 2023 payment amount appears on your Social Security statement, which you can view online through your my Social Security account at ssa.gov. Log in with your username and password, or create an account if you do not have one. Under "Benefit Verification," you can see your payment history month by month.

If you do not use online accounts, you can call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) and ask for a benefits verification letter. This letter shows your 2023 payment amount and is often needed for housing, loans, or other programs that require proof of income. The letter is free and arrives by mail within two weeks.

Your payment stub or direct deposit record also shows what you received each month in 2023. If your payment changed mid-year or you notice a discrepancy, contact Social Security with your payment records in hand. They can explain the reason for any change and correct errors if they occurred.

How 2023 payments compared to other recent years

The 2023 COLA of 8.7 percent was much larger than the previous five years. In 2022, COLA was 5.9 percent. In 2021, it was 1.3 percent. In 2020, it was 1.6 percent. In 2019, it was 2.8 percent. In 2018, it was 2.0 percent. The 8.7 percent jump in 2023 reflected the sharp inflation that occurred in 2022, which was driven by supply chain disruptions, energy prices, and other economic factors.

Because COLA compounds year over year, someone who received SSDI throughout this period saw their payment grow significantly. A person who received $1,000 per month in January 2018 would have received roughly $1,260 per month by January 2023—an increase of 26 percent over five years, though that includes the effects of all six COLA adjustments combined.

What happened to 2023 payments in 2024 and beyond

In October 2023, Social Security announced a 3.2 percent COLA for 2024, which was lower than 2023's increase because inflation had cooled. This meant that 2024 payments were 3.2 percent higher than 2023 payments. The 2024 maximum payment for a disabled worker became $3,822 times 1.032, or roughly $3,946 per month.

COLA is recalculated every year and announced in October for the following year. If you want to know what your payment will be in future years, you can check Social Security's website in October to see the announced COLA percentage, then multiply your current payment by that percentage and add it to your current payment. This gives you an estimate, though your actual payment may differ slightly due to rounding or other adjustments.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why was the 2023 COLA so much higher than previous years?

The 2023 COLA of 8.7 percent reflected inflation that occurred in 2022. Social Security measures inflation using the Consumer Price Index for July, August, and September. In 2022, those months showed much higher inflation than in previous years because of supply chain problems, energy prices, and other economic disruptions. When inflation is high, COLA is high.

Did everyone's SSDI payment increase by exactly 8.7 percent in 2023?

Almost everyone's payment increased by 8.7 percent, but a small number of people did not. If you had already reached the maximum payment amount in 2022, your payment could not go higher, so you received no increase. Additionally, if you were a family member whose total family benefit exceeded the maximum, Social Security may have adjusted your individual payment to keep the family total within the limit.

How do I know if my 2023 payment was calculated correctly?

Check your my Social Security account online or request a benefits verification letter by calling 1-800-772-1213. Compare your 2023 payment to your 2022 payment and multiply the 2022 amount by 1.087. If the result matches your 2023 payment (within a dollar or two due to rounding), it was calculated correctly. If there is a larger difference, contact Social Security to ask why.

Can I find out what my payment would have been if I had started SSDI in 2023 instead of an earlier year?

Social Security does not provide this information because it would require recalculating your entire record using 2023 bend points and wage history adjustments. If you are curious about how your payment was calculated, you can request a detailed earnings record and benefit calculation from Social Security by calling 1-800-772-1213 or visiting your local Social Security office.