At What Age Can You Get Disability Benefits in Pennsylvania?

At any age, you might receive a diagnosis that changes the course of your life and leaves you unable to work. When that happens, you might be able to qualify for disability benefits in Pennsylvania, if you meet the right age requirements.

While you can be quite young to qualify for disability benefits in Pennsylvania, most individuals are not eligible until they have worked for at least a decade. The cut-off age for disability benefits is 67, after which point your monthly payment will stay the same amount but have a different name under the Social Security retirement benefits program. If you worked your whole life and applied for disability benefits in your late 60s, you may qualify for the maximum monthly benefit. If you’re too young to get disability benefits yourself, you might be able to receive payments through a parent’s earning record.

If you need access to disability benefits in Pennsylvania, our attorneys can help. For a free case evaluation with the Pennsylvania disability lawyers at Young, Marr, Mallis & Deane, call today at (215) 515-2954.

At What Ages Do Disability Benefit Start and Stop in Pennsylvania?

In order to qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits in Pennsylvania, you must have a good earning record and a qualifying condition. Essentially, you must have had a job, or several, to qualify for disability benefits. Because of that, age can play a factor into whether or not a person is eligible for disability benefits in Pennsylvania.

Generally, people can only get disability payments through their own earning records when they’ve worked for about ten years, the equivalent of earning about 40 work credits. So, the youngest you can be to get SSDI benefits through your own earning record really depends on when you started working.

The oldest you can get SSDI benefits is retirement age, or 67 years old for anyone born after 1960. That doesn’t mean your disability payments will stop once you reach a certain age. Instead, they will convert into different Social Security retirement payments and stay at the same amount. If you’re within the right age range to receive SSDI benefits and believe you qualify, call our Philadelphia disability lawyers to learn if you’re eligible.

At What Age Can You Get the Maximum Monthly Benefit in Pennsylvania?

The older you are when you apply for disability benefits in Pennsylvania, the higher your monthly payment may be. That’s because people with a longer work history and earning record are the most likely to qualify for the maximum monthly benefit in Pennsylvania.

You qualify for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits by paying into the system over time. From each paycheck, your employer must take out taxes for Social Security. The more paychecks you get, the more taxes are taken out. This earning record is part of what ultimately qualifies you for SSDI benefits. There’s no need for you to do anything other than work; it’s your employer’s responsibility to account for Social Security taxes.

This process is what determines your monthly benefit amount. The more you work, the higher that monthly benefit may be. In 2023, the maximum monthly benefit for SSDI recipients is $3,627.

It’s important to note that getting the monthly maximum benefit amount is rare. To qualify for this benefit, you will have had to do work most of your adult life and be near retirement age, which is 67. Figuring out your monthly benefit is necessary so that you can prepare for your expenses while on SSDI. Our Springfield disability lawyers can assess your age and work history to estimate your monthly benefit.

What if You Are Too Young to Get Disability Benefits in Pennsylvania?

Not every disabled person unable to work has a sufficient earning record to qualify them for SSDI benefits in Pennsylvania. Remember, most people need about 40 working credits, or ten years of working experience, to receive benefits. So, what if you’re too young?

If you were diagnosed with a qualifying illness, injury, or disability before you turned 22, you might be eligible for disability benefits through a parent’s earning record. Call our attorneys if you require disability benefits and are too young to qualify based on your earning record. Our Northeast Philadelphia disability lawyers can explain how you might be able to use your parent’s work history to get monthly payments.

In order to use your parent’s earning record to qualify for disability benefits in Pennsylvania, your parent must be eligible themselves. That means you must either have a parent currently receiving Social Security retirement or disability benefits or a parent who is deceased but has an earning record that would qualify them for benefits.

The size of your monthly benefit will depend on your parent’s earning record. So, if they worked until retirement, they may qualify for the maximum monthly benefit for SSDI payments.

If you are too young and have not worked enough years to qualify for SSDI benefits yourself, and you do not have a parent with sufficient work history, call our Pennsylvania disability lawyers. You may qualify for other kinds of disability benefits that can supplement your income.

Call Our Pennsylvania Lawyers About Disability Benefits Today

If you need to apply for disability benefits in Pennsylvania, our attorneys can help. If you need access to disability benefits in Pennsylvania, our attorneys can help. For a free case evaluation with the Montgomery Country disability lawyers at Young, Marr, Mallis & Deane, call today at (215) 515-2954.