Whether you are a young adult and you are unable to work due to a serious disability or you are nearing the age of retirement but cannot work, it is important to understand how your age could impact your ability to receive Social Security Disability benefits. It is also helpful to review statistics on age and SSDI benefits in order to develop a clearer understanding of this topic and prepare for your financial future.
Unfortunately, some people wrongly assume that they are ineligible solely because of their age or they believe that the process of applying for SSDI is too complex based on their age or other factors.
Looking at the average age of SSDI recipients
According to information provided by the Social Security Administration, the average disabled beneficiary was 55 years old during 2019. Most SSDI recipients were between the ages of 60 and 64 (over 2.7 million), while over 2 million were between 55 and 59. 1.1 million disability recipients were between 50 and 54 in 2019, and over 355,000 were between 35 and 29. In fact, over 26,000 disability recipients were under the age of 25.
Looking at other statistics on SSDI
During December 2019, there were more than 9 million disability recipients (including the children of deceased, retired and disabled workers) and the average monthly payment was $1,257. 4.2 million men received these benefits, compared to 4.1 million women. In December 2019, disabled beneficiaries received more than $11 billion and the SSDI program cut benefits for over 870,000 people. Furthermore, disabled workers represented 89% of those who received payments through this program.
