Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a federally run benefits program that provides aid to people who are unable to achieve gainful employment due to a permanent disabling condition.

SSDI is financed by the Social Security tax. Therefore, any person that qualifies as disabled according to the definition provided by Social Security Administration (SSA), and who has paid Social Security taxes long enough to achieve sufficient work credits, can qualify for SSDI. In order to qualify for SSDI, you must suffer from a permanent condition that prevents you from working. In other words, your disability must have lasted, or be expected to last, a minimum of twelve months and you must be unable to earn an income greater than $1000 per month . In addition, an individual must have earned sufficient work credits in order to qualify for SSDI. The normal requirement is a total of 40 credits, 20 of which must have been earned in the 10 years prior to the onset of disability.