If you are eligible for DIB benefits, your claim will be transferred to one the SSA’s payment centers. The payment center will calculate what your monthly benefit is and how much you are owed in back pay. The benefit value is based on what you have paid into the SSA. There is a five month waiting period after your established onset date before the SSA can start paying DIB benefits; and the furthest back the SSA will pay DIB benefits is a year prior to your application date.
If you are eligible for SSI benefits, your claim will be sent to your local SSA office. A claims representative at the local office will calculate your benefits. You will be asked to provide information regarding the value of any bank accounts, assets, household income, etc., because SSI benefits are based upon financial need. If approved for SSI, you are eligible for benefits from the date of your application or the established onset date of your disability, whichever is later.
After the payment center or local SSA office has finished calculating payments, a Notice of Award will be issued. The Notice of Award will outline your monthly benefit amount, back payment, and any deductions that may have been made such as attorney fees, workers compensation benefits, and if SSI the value of other income you may have. The Notice of Award will also indicate when you can expect your first monthly check. Frequently, claimants start receiving their monthly benefits before their back pay is released.
If you are eligible for DIB and SSI benefits, you will receive both a DIB and SSI award letter. However, the SSA does not pay you both types of benefits. You will receive benefits from whichever program would pay you more each month. If you are eligible for both, it sometimes takes the SSA longer to calculate your payments.
For more information on the payment process review the SSA’s article “My Social Security disability benefit amount.”
