If you have been injured or become ill and can no longer work for a living, you may qualify for Social Security Disability benefits. The Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program provides benefits to about 11 million disabled workers and dependents, including about 200,000 Kentucky residents.
Because of the size and complexity of the SSDI program, it can take several months to process applications for benefits, and most initial applications are denied. That requires the Social Security Administration to make back pay payments to many Kentuckians once their eligibility for SSDI is approved.
It is important to understand back pay eligibility and its limitations if you are looking forward to receiving SSDI benefits. This article addresses how SSDI back pay works, how to know whether you are eligible for back pay, how far back it goes, how back pay is calculated, and how the Kentucky SSDI attorneys at Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer can help you recover the maximum disability benefits back pay you are due.
We are ready to answer all your questions about SSDI retroactive payments and other matters when you contact us to set up a free consultation with our Kentucky Social Security Disability attorneys.
How Does Back Pay Work in Kentucky?
When the Social Security Administration (SSA) finally approves an applicant’s Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, the SSA pays all the benefits the individual would have received from the date of their application or earlier.
Back pay provides you with the benefit payments you should have received each month, starting with when you first applied for disability benefits and ending when your application for benefits was approved. It is potentially several months’ worth of benefits.
However, SSDI benefit payments cannot begin until after a five-month waiting period that starts with your eligibility onset date (EOD). Your EOD is when you first became disabled under the SSA’s definition of disabled. It may be the date you put on your benefits application or a date the SSA decides that your medical records indicate.
Therefore, the period for which you may receive back pay starts five months after your EOD and lasts until the date your disability claim is approved.
The Social Security Administration will advise you of the EOD it calculated for you and let you know how much back pay it believes you should receive. If you disagree with the SSA’s assessment of when you became disabled or how much back pay you deserve, you need our experienced SSDI attorneys to help you challenge the SSA’s determination.
Retroactive benefits usually come as one lump-sum payment along with your first regular monthly benefits check.
Eligibility for Back Pay in Kentucky and How Far Back It Goes
Back pay is not guaranteed to SSDI beneficiaries. It is paid only if there is a long enough lag between your EOD and approval of benefits. There is no interest paid on SSDI back pay.
Even with the SSA’s benefits application backlog shrinking, it is likely that you will be eligible for some back pay. In theory, you can receive up to 12 months of back pay if your EOD can be documented that far back. But remember, with the five-month waiting period, your EOD would need to be 17 months before approval of your benefits to receive a full year of back pay.
If the gap between your EOD and benefits approval is five months or less, you will not be entitled to retroactive benefits.
Factors That Can Affect Your Back Pay Amount
The Social Security Administration considers various factors when determining retroactive benefits owed to SSDI recipients.
First, your monthly SSDI benefit will be based on your average indexed monthly earnings (AIME) and primary insurance amount (PIA).
Your AIME is based on up to 35 years of your employment. The SSA adds your highest indexed earnings years and divides them by the total number of months for those years. Then, the average is rounded down to set your AIME.
Your PIA is the base amount of your benefits. It is calculated using the total of three fixed percentages of your AIME and bend points that change each year to reflect the national average wage index. For 2025, these portions are the first $1,226 of your AIME, the amount between $1,226 and $7,391, and the amount over $7,391. In 2025, beneficiaries will receive 90% of AIME up to $1,226, 32% of AIME up to $7,391, and 15% of AIME that exceed $7,391, according to the SSA.
If you receive other government benefits, such as workers’ compensation, public disability benefits, or pensions based on work not covered by Social Security (for example, some government or foreign employment), it may reduce your SSDI benefits.
To determine your back pay amount, count the months between your EOD and the date you were finally approved for SSDI payments, and then subtract five for the waiting period. Multiply your monthly benefit by that number.
Get the Most out of Your Kentucky SSDI Back Pay
An SSDI lawyer from Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer can make sure your application for SSDI benefits is accurate and complete, so it moves through the approval process as it should. We’ll track the status of your application and respond promptly to any issues the SSA raises.
We will help you compile medical records that thoroughly document your disability and its accurate onset date if your application does not have them already.
If there is enough delay between your SSDI application date or EOD and your benefits approval, we will be ready to advise you about the back pay you should expect and ensure that you get everything you are due.
Seek Legal Assistance from Our Experienced Kentucky Disability Lawyers
Don’t wonder whether you’ll receive back pay on your Social Security Disability Insurance benefit, and don’t wait and hope the Social Security Administration pays what you are owed. Set up your free consultation and let a Social Security Disability benefits lawyer from Morgan, Collins, Yeast & Salyer explain how we can fight to see that you receive your full benefits, including any back pay you are owed.
