What are the different types of social security disability

Learn about the different types of Social Security benefits and how they are paid, including retirement, disability, dependents, and survivors benefits.

Four basic types of Social Security benefits are paid based on the record of your earnings: retirement, disability, dependents, and survivors benefits. These benefits all fall under the OASDI program. OASDI stands for Old Age, Survivors and Disability Insurance (OASDI).

Types of Social Security Benefits

Many people think of retirement benefits when they think of Social Security (SS) benefits. But the Social Security Administration (SSA) actually offers four types of benefits to those who have paid into the Social Security trust fund over a number of years, or to their family members.

Social Security Retirement Benefits

Workers who have worked in "covered employment" for a sufficient number of years are eligible for retirement benefits when they retire. Usually, you must work a total of at least ten years, either at a nongovernmental job, where you pay FICA taxes, or for yourself, paying self-employment taxes.

You may choose to begin receiving retirement benefits at any time after you reach age 62. But Social Security offers incentives to wait until your "full retirement age," which is between 66 and 67, depending on the year of your birth.

If you begin claiming benefits before you reach full retirement age, Social Security will reduce the amount of your benefits by a certain percentage. As a further incentive to keep working, the amount of your benefits will be slightly, but permanently, increased for each year you wait until age 70 to put in your claim. But sometimes it doesn't make sense to delay collecting your benefits ( see If I delay my retirement, will I get more money from Social Security?). Also, no matter how long you wait to begin collecting benefits, the amount you receive will be only a portion of what you were earning.

Social Security Disability Benefits

If you haven't reached full retirement age but you've worked enough to meet the requirements (usually five to ten years, depending on your age), you could be eligible for benefits from the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program. To receive benefits, you must have a physical or mental impairment that prevents you from working full-time for at least a year. If Social Security considers you disabled under its medical guidelines, you can receive benefits roughly equal to what your full retirement benefits would be.

Social Security Dependents Benefits

If you're the spouse of a retired or disabled worker who qualifies for Social Security retirement or disability benefits, you may be entitled to benefits based on the worker's earnings record. This is true whether or not you actually depend on your spouse for your support.

Spousal benefits are available for those who reach age 62 or are taking care of the worker's child age 16 or under. Read about spousal dependents benefits here.

Minor children, and older children who became disabled before age 22, can also collect dependent benefits based on the worker's earnings record. Read about child dependents benefits here.

Social Security Survivors Benefits

If you're the surviving spouse of a worker who qualified for Social Security retirement or disability benefits, you and your minor or disabled children can be entitled to benefits based on your deceased spouse's earnings record. As a widow or widower, you can begin to collect benefits once you reach age 60, or age 50 if you have a disability that prevents you from working. Survivors benefits are also available to minor children and older children who became disabled before age 22. For more information, read our article on survivors benefits.

Same-Sex Spouses Eligibility for Social Security Benefits

On June 26, 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision in Obergefell v. Hodges holding that same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry in all states. Since then, Social Security has granted eligibility for Social Security benefits to same-sex spouses who are married. For more information, read our article on how the law changed regarding Social Security benefits for same-sex spouses.

Want More Information on These Benefits?

For information on whether you qualify for these benefits, read Nolo's Social Security FAQ and visit our Social Security Disability section.

Updated June 30, 2022

There are at least five major types of Social Security disability benefits.

Disability Insurance Benefits (DIB) is the most important type of Social Security disability benefits. It goes to individuals who have worked in recent years (five out of the last 10 years in most cases) and are now disabled.

Disabled Widow's and Widower's Benefits (DWB) are paid to individuals who are at least 50 and become disabled within a certain amount of time after the death of their husband or wife. The late husband or wife must have worked enough under Social Security to be insured.

Disabled Adult Child benefits (DAC) go to the children of persons who are deceased or who are drawing Social Security disability or retirement benefits. The child must have become disabled before age 22.

(For Disability Insurance Benefits, Disabled Widow's or Widower's Benefits and Disabled Adult Child benefits(DAC), it does not matter whether the disabled individual is rich or poor. Benefits are paid based upon a Social Security earnings record.) 

Supplemental Security Income benefits (SSI), are paid to individuals who are struggle financially and who are disabled. It does not matter for SSI whether an individual has worked in the past or not. SSI child's disability benefits are a variety of SSI benefits paid to children under the age of 18 who are disabled. The way in which disability is determined is a bit different for children.

Child's Disability Benefits (CDB) are paid to children under the age of 17. CDB is another form of SSI, however, the Social Security Administration takes into consideration different factors when considering a child's claim versus an adult's claim. Children who may qualify for CDB are those that have severe or limiting physical and mental conditions. Additionally, there are also limitations with regard household incomes. Those households that exceed a certain amount are excluded from consideration.

How many types of Social Security disability are there?

We manage two programs that provide benefits based on disability or blindness, the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program.

What are the 3 main types of Social Security benefits?

Social Security pays five types of benefits:.
Retirement..
Disability..
Spouse's/dependent children..
Survivors..
Medicare..

What is the difference between SSDI and SSD?

What Is the difference between SSI and SSDI? The major difference is that SSI determination is based on age/disability and limited income and resources, whereas SSDI determination is based on disability and work credits.

What is the most approved disability?

What Is the Most Approved Disability? Arthritis and other musculoskeletal system disabilities make up the most commonly approved conditions for social security disability benefits. This is because arthritis is so common. In the United States, over 58 million people suffer from arthritis.