Disability insurance pays part of your income if an illness or injury keeps you from working. It can come from three places: Social Security (a federal program you pay into through payroll taxes), a state program (only in some states), and a private or employer policy. Each one has its own rules. Here are the facts, with sources and dates.
Checked October 13, 2026
Type the date your disability began. We count the months the way SSA's rules describe them. This is arithmetic only: SSA decides your actual onset date and whether you qualify.
To get SSDI you must have worked in jobs covered by Social Security and have a condition that meets SSA's strict definition of disability. SSA says it pays only for total disability, not partial or short-term disability.
SSA decides with five questions: Are you working? Is your condition severe? Is it on SSA's list of disabling conditions (or as severe)? Can you do your past work? Can you do any other work?
Sources: SSA: How does someone become eligible? · SSA POMS DI 10105.070: waiting period, checked October 13, 2026.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a separate SSA program that also covers disability; the average SSI payment for ages 18–64 was $786.79 a month in August 2026 (SSA Monthly Statistical Snapshot, August 2026 (released September 2026)). The higher earnings limit for blind people does not apply to SSI (SSA: Substantial Gainful Activity (2026 amounts)).
Sources: SSA: Trial work period (2026 amount) · SSA: Medicare information for disability beneficiaries. Rules can change; report work to SSA promptly.
A few states have their own programs for illness or injury that isn't from your job. New York's Workers' Compensation Board calls New York "one of a handful of states" that require employers to provide this coverage. These are the programs we checked:
| State | Program | Key facts | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| California | State Disability Insurance (SDI), run by EDD | Up to 52 weeks for your own non-work illness, injury or pregnancy; $50 to $1,765 a week; benefit is 70–90% of wages earned 5–18 months before the claim start date. | California EDD: About Disability Insurance |
| New York | Disability Benefits Law (DBL), employer-provided | 50% of your average weekly wage for the last eight weeks worked, capped at $170 a week; up to 26 weeks in any 52 consecutive weeks (combined with Paid Family Leave); 7-day waiting period; subject to Social Security and Medicare taxes. | NY Workers' Compensation Board: Disability Benefits Law |
| New Jersey | Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) | Up to 26 weeks as certified by your health care provider. To qualify in 2026: 20 weeks earning at least $310 a week, or $15,500 total in the base year. | NJ Dept. of Labor: Temporary Disability Insurance |
| Hawaii | Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) | Partially replaces wages for non-work disability (no medical care). Eligibility: at least 14 weeks of Hawaii employment, each with 20+ paid hours and at least $400 earned, in the 52 weeks before the disability. | Hawaii DLIR: About TDI |
| Rhode Island | Temporary Disability Insurance (TDI) and Temporary Caregiver Insurance (TCI) | TDI pays weekly benefits to workers who miss work for a non-work illness or injury. TCI offers up to 8 weeks of paid leave to care for a seriously ill loved one or bond with a new child (apply within 30 days). | Rhode Island DLT: TDI and TCI |
Each checked October 13, 2026 on the state's own site. If you live elsewhere, ask your state labor department whether it has a paid leave program. Injuries at work are covered by workers' compensation instead.
These are insurance policies you buy yourself or get through work. Every policy is different, so the contract is what counts. State insurance departments explain the key terms:
Sources: Mass.gov Division of Insurance: Disability Insurance · NC Dept. of Insurance: Consumer's Guide to Disability Income Insurance · Rhode Island DBR: Disability insurance consumer guide · Oregon DFR: Disability Income Insurance FAQ, checked October 13, 2026.
Source: IRS Pub. 525 (2025): Sickness and Injury Benefits. Social Security disability benefits follow separate rules. Not tax advice.
Most private-employer disability plans fall under a federal law called ERISA. The U.S. Department of Labor's rules say:
Source: U.S. Dept. of Labor: Benefit Claims Procedure Regulation FAQs. For an individual policy, use the insurer's appeal process or contact your state insurance department.
SSA's 2026 substantial gainful activity limit is $1,690 a month ($2,830 if you are statutorily blind). If you already get benefits, any month you earn more than $1,210 counts as one of your 9 trial work months.
Generally five full calendar months. SSA pays the first benefit in the sixth full month after the date it finds your disability began, and may pay up to 12 months of back benefits before you applied.
After 24 months of disability benefit entitlement, according to SSA.
Generally 40 credits, 20 of them in the last 10 years ending with the year your disability begins; younger workers may need fewer. In 2026 you earn one credit for each $1,890 of earnings, up to 4 a year.
VaultRubric lists California (SDI), New York (DBL), New Jersey (TDI), Hawaii (TDI) and Rhode Island (TDI), each from the state's own site.
Per IRS Pub. 525: benefits from a plan your employer paid for are generally taxable; if you paid the entire cost yourself, they are not; if both paid, only the employer-paid share is taxable.
No. VaultRubric republishes facts from SSA, the IRS, the Department of Labor and state agencies with dates. We don't sell insurance or give quotes.
Facts, not insurance advice. We don't sell insurance or provide quotes; confirm coverage and requirements with the insurer, an agent or your state insurance department.