Disability āŗ While you wait
How long will I wait, and what happens meanwhile?
For anyone who has applied for SSDI or SSI and is waiting to hear back. By the end you’ll know how long SSA is taking, when SSDI payments start, how back pay works, and how to check where your claim stands.
SSA’s average time for a first disability decision was 185 days in September 2026. If you are approved for SSDI, payments start after a 5-month waiting period, with no wait for ALS. SSA can also pay back benefits for up to 12 months before the month you applied.
How long does SSA take to decide?
SSA publishes its own processing times. In September 2026:
| Stage | Average time (September 2026) | Claims waiting |
|---|---|---|
| First decision | 185 days (down from 209 days in September 2025) | About 911,000 |
| Reconsideration (the first appeal) | 201 days | About 297,000 |
These are averages. Your claim may take more or less time. If you are denied, you have 60 days to appeal. See what to do after a denial.
What is the 5-month waiting period?
This rule applies to SSDI. SSA explains it this way: “Generally, there is a five-month waiting period.” Your first benefit is for the sixth full month after the date SSA finds your disability began. The five months must be full calendar months in a row.
Example: SSA finds your disability began on March 10. March is not a full month, so the waiting period is April through August. Your first SSDI month is September.
ALS is the exception. People with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also called Lou Gehrig’s disease) have no waiting period for claims approved on or after July 23, 2020.
What is back pay?
Back pay is benefits SSA owes you for months that have already passed. SSA calls it past-due benefits. It can cover two stretches of time:
- Months while SSA was deciding. If your benefits start before your approval, the months in between are owed to you.
- Months before you applied. SSA can pay SSDI for as many as 12 months before the month you filed your application.
Back pay never covers the 5-month waiting period. Those months are not paid.
If you have not applied yet, don’t wait. Each month past the 12-month limit is a month SSA can’t pay. See how to apply.
How do I check my status?
You can check an application or an appeal two ways:
- Online. Sign in to your my Social Security account through SSA’s status page. my Social Security is SSA’s online account.
- By phone. Call 1-800-772-1213 and say “application status.” This automated line works 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Keep going to your doctor while you wait. Your medical records are the evidence SSA reads.
Open every letter from SSA the day it arrives, and keep them together in one folder. If a letter says you were denied, the 60-day clock to appeal has started. SSA assumes you got the letter 5 days after the date printed on it.
What about health coverage while I wait?
Health coverage depends on which program you applied for:
- SSDI leads to Medicare, but not right away. You get Medicare automatically after 24 months of disability benefits. Coverage starts in the 25th month. Because the 24 months count after the 5-month waiting period, that is about 29 months after your disability began.
- ALS: Medicare starts as soon as your disability benefits start. The 24-month wait for ALS has been waived since July 1, 2001.
- SSI can lead to Medicaid sooner. In DC and 34 states, SSA’s SSI approval also makes the Medicaid decision. Elsewhere, you apply to your state.
Our guide to Medicare and Medicaid with a disability covers ways people bridge the gap, and Medicaid before Medicare explains your state’s rules.
Free tool: Check the basic SSDI and SSI rules for your situation, and get an SSI estimate.
Start āRelated
Sources. SSA, “SSA Performance,” ssa.gov/ssa-performance (last updated Oct 26, 2026) Ā· SSA, disability qualification page, ssa.gov/benefits/disability/qualify.html (read Nov 12, 2026) Ā· 20 CFR 404.315 (waiting period) and 404.621 (retroactive benefits), eCFR, current Nov 12, 2026 Ā· SSA POMS DI 11036.001 (ALS), TN 4 (02-25) Ā· SSA, “Check application or appeal status,” ssa.gov/apply/check-application-or-appeal-status Ā· Medicare.gov, “Before 65” Ā· SSA POMS HI 00801.146 (Medicare entitlement), TN 73 (05-24) Ā· SSA POMS SI 01715.010 (Medicaid and SSI by state), rev. Sept 30, 2026 Ā· 20 CFR 404.909 (appeal deadline) and 404.901 (date you receive a notice).
Last verified: November 12, 2026. We re-check these figures every January and whenever the rules change.
Benefits Insider is an independent publisher, not a government agency. This page is general information, not legal or financial advice for your situation. For a decision on your case, contact Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or your state Medicaid office.