Can I Receive Both SSI and SSDI Benefits?

Experienced Tampa Social Security Disability Lawyer

If you’ve been disabled by an injury, illness, or other condition, but were awarded a low Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefit amount, then you may be wondering if you are also qualified to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) to help cover all your monthly expenses.

After all, it can be tough to get your life back on track after a disability, particularly if the Social Security Administration (SSA) has decided upon a rather low benefits payment — an amount that is simply insufficient.  In the alternative, if you’re already be entitled to SSI benefits, you may be concerned about whether those benefits will be lost if you submit a claim for SSDI benefits based on your disability.

Fortunately, you do have options.  In some cases, you can receive both SSDI and SSI benefits at the same time.

Let’s take a closer look.

Concurrent Benefits May Be Available

You may be entitled to receive both SSDI and SSI benefits — referred to as “concurrent benefits” by the SSA — under a very limited set of circumstances.

Specifically, you may be entitled to concurrent benefits if you receive a low monthly SSDI benefit amount (such that it does not interfere with your SSI unearned income limits).  This can be confusing, so let’s clarify!

Worth noting, the amount of SSDI benefits you receive will depend on a number of different factors, including: a) work history; b) age of the disability; c) wages over the course of your work history; and d) severity of the disability.

The SSI program pays out on the basis of your countable income — which includes both earned and unearned income.  If you receive income in excess of the income limits imposed by the SSI program, then you will not be eligible for said benefits.

SSDI benefits qualify under the unearned income category, which — as of 2020 — has a limit of $803 per month.  As such, if your unearned monthly income (including SSDI benefits) is in excess of $803, then you cannot receive SSI benefits in addition to SSDI benefits.  You will only receive SSDI benefits under these circumstances.

Contact a Tampa Social Security Disability Lawyer at Mike Murburg, P.A.

If you would like to get in touch with an experienced Tampa Social Security disability lawyer regarding possible concurrent benefits, we encourage you to contact Mike Murburg, P.A. for immediate guidance.

Attorney Mike Murburg has several decades of experience in the social security space, working tirelessly on behalf of a range of claimants — SSDI and SSI alike — to help them secure the benefits they need to survive and move forward with their lives.  Attorney Murburg specializes in such claims and understands the unique challenges associated with submitting a claim (and challenging any adverse decision made by the SSA).

Call us at 813-264-5363 or complete an online intake form through our website to schedule a free and confidential consultation.  We look forward to speaking with you.