Do I Qualify for SSDI Benefits?

What SSA Actually Looks For Before Approving You

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a federal insurance program created under 42 U.S.C. §423. To qualify you must first pass the insured-status test: you need 40 work credits in general, with 20 earned in the last 10 years before you became disabled. In 2026 you earn one credit for every $1,810 in wages or self-employment income, up to four credits per year. Younger workers can qualify with fewer credits under a special sliding-scale rule, so do not assume you are locked out because you are under 40.

Once insured status is confirmed, SSA runs a five-step sequential evaluation. Step 1 asks whether you are doing Substantial Gainful Activity — earning more than $1,620/month in 2026 (or $2,700/month if you are blind). If you are, the analysis stops and you are denied. Steps 2 and 3 look at whether your condition is severe and whether it meets or equals a listed impairment in the Blue Book. Steps 4 and 5 ask whether you can return to past work or adjust to other work in the national economy. Most approvals at the initial level come at Step 3 or Step 5 via a medical-vocational allowance.

New York applicants face an average initial denial rate above 60 percent, which is why understanding the rules before you file matters. Our attorneys review your work history, pull your earnings record from SSA, and map your medical records to the five-step framework before a single form is submitted. We handle everything in English and Spanish — hablamos español — and charge no attorney fee unless we win your case. The fee is capped by federal law at 25 percent of back pay, not to exceed $7,200.