When Do My Disability Insurance Benefits Start?
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When Do Disability Insurance Benefits Start?
Once you are approved by the Social Security Administration (SSA), which could take anywhere from three months to over two years, your coverage will commence for either SSDI or SSI. If you are approved for SSI disability benefits, your monthly benefit payments will start right away.
If you are approved for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, there is a waiting period of five full months from your established onset date, the day that the SSA determines you were disabled, before your payments will start. This doesn’t mean the approval date, however – if your approval occurs more than 5 full months after your onset date, you need not wait. Please note that any back pay and retroactive pay you are owed will also be awarded at the time of approval.
Other SSDI Benefit FAQs
- How Does The SSA Determine Disability?
- How Much Will I Get Every Month?
- Once Approved, Do Benefits Ever Stop?
- Can Spouses or Children Get Disability Benefits?
- Can I Still Work and Receive Disability Benefits?
- What Is the Work Incentive Program / Trial Work Period?
- Do I need to be a U.S. Citizen/Taxpayer to Receive Benefits?
- What is the Social Security “Red Book”?
- What’s the Difference Between Back Pay and Retroactive Benefits?
- Do I Need an Advocate?
- How Do Advocates Like Citizens Disability Help Me?

Linda Cosme formerly served as a Member of the Appeals Council (AC) for the Social Security Administration (SSA), and Program Expert for the Social Security Administration and Disability Quality Branch (DQB). Ms. Cosme also served as a Quality Assurance (QA) Reviewer, Initial Disability Examiner, Reconsideration Disability Examiner, and Continuing Disability Examiner (CDR) for the Disability Determination Services (DDS). She is admitted to practice law in Arizona, Georgia, and the United States Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals.
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