An SSDI decision usually takes months at each stage. SSA’s own booklet says an initial application takes six to eight months on average. If you are denied and appeal, reconsideration adds several more months, and waiting for a hearing averaged 7 to 12 months in August 2026, depending on the hearing office.
So a claim approved on the first try may take well under a year, while a claim that goes to a hearing often takes much longer. Here is what to expect at each stage, using the Social Security Administration’s (SSA’s) own figures.
The short answer
- Initial application: about six to eight months on average, according to SSA. SSA reported an average of 184 days in May 2026.
- Reconsideration: an average of 212 days in August 2026, according to SSA.
- Waiting for a hearing: from 7.0 to 12.0 months on average in August 2026, depending on the hearing office.
- After the hearing: a written decision follows. If you are approved, SSA then processes the award.
Each stage also has a 60-day window to appeal, which adds time if you use all of it. Every claim is different, and these are averages. Results vary and past outcomes do not predict any individual result.
Initial application
At the first level, a state agency called Disability Determination Services gathers your medical records and decides whether you meet SSA’s definition of disability. It may also send you to a consultative exam if your records are not enough.
How long it takes. SSA’s July 2026 disability booklet says processing takes six to eight months on average. Recent SSA figures:
- In fiscal year 2025, the average processing time for initial disability claims was 226 days, according to SSA’s FY 2025 workload and outcome measures.
- SSA reported that the average fell 21 percent, from 233 days in May 2024 to 184 days in May 2026, according to SSA Commissioner Frank Bisignano’s written statement to the House Ways and Means Committee.
What can speed it up. SSA’s Compassionate Allowances program quickly identifies conditions, mainly certain cancers, adult brain disorders and rare childhood disorders, that clearly meet its standards. Complete records at filing also help, because missing records are one of the main causes of delay.
Reconsideration
If you are denied, you have 60 days to request reconsideration. Someone who did not make the first decision reviews the whole file, including any new evidence.
How long it takes. In August 2026, the average processing time for disability reconsiderations was 212 days, and about 302 thousand were pending, down from 239 days and over 372 thousand in August 2025, according to SSA’s performance dashboard.
Reconsideration reverses relatively few denials, so it is also a good time to prepare the record for a hearing. Our appeal guide explains what to add.
Waiting for a hearing
The hearing stage is usually the longest wait. After you request a hearing, your case goes to an SSA hearing office, which schedules it before an administrative law judge.
How long it takes. In August 2026, the average time from hearing request to hearing held ranged from 7.0 months to 12.0 months across SSA’s hearing offices, according to SSA’s Average Wait Time Until Hearing Held Report. In fiscal year 2025, the average processing time for a hearing decision was 284 days, according to SSA’s FY 2027 budget justification.
Once your hearing is scheduled, SSA must send the notice at least 75 days before the hearing date. That gives you time to prepare and to get evidence in, which must generally be submitted at least 5 business days before the hearing.
After the hearing
You generally receive the judge’s decision in writing, by mail, some time after the hearing.
- If you are approved, SSA has to put the decision into effect, calculate your back pay and start monthly payments. Our back pay guide explains how that works.
- If you are denied, you have 60 days to ask the Appeals Council to review the decision. That review adds more time. In fiscal year 2026 through June 26, 2026, the Appeals Council received 67,377 requests for review and issued 70,170 dispositions, and 42,380 requests were pending at the end of that period, according to SSA.
Why wait times differ by hearing office
Your hearing office is generally assigned by where you live, and offices differ a lot. Some have more pending cases, fewer judges, or more hearings per judge. In fiscal year 2026 through August 28, 2026, the average processing time for hearing decisions ranged from 220 days (Jackson, MS) to 347 days (Phoenix North) across SSA’s hearing offices, according to SSA’s Hearing Office Workload Data.
Utah’s hearing office, in Salt Lake City, had an average wait from hearing request to hearing held of 9.0 months in August 2026, according to SSA’s Average Wait Time Until Hearing Held Report. You can look up any office’s wait, workload and decision data on our hearing offices page, and the national picture is in our statistics report. Results vary and past outcomes do not predict any individual result.
Some cases can be moved faster. At the hearing level, SSA treats certain cases as “critical” and expedites them, including terminal illness, a 100% permanent and total VA disability compensation rating, military service members wounded on active duty on or after October 1, 2001, Compassionate Allowance conditions, homelessness, dire financial need that threatens your health or safety, and people who are suicidal or potentially violent. If one of these applies, tell SSA in writing.
What to do while you wait
The wait is hard. A few things can protect your claim and your finances:
- Keep treating. Ongoing treatment records are the evidence that matters most at a hearing. If you have a gap, write down the reason and make sure your provider records it.
- Keep SSA’s file current. Report a new address, new providers, new diagnoses and hospital stays. Missed mail can mean a missed deadline.
- Meet every deadline. Each appeal level has a 60-day window. File early, and add records as they come in.
- Apply for SSI too, if you may qualify. If your income and resources are low, an SSI application can be filed alongside SSDI. Our guide to SSI vs SSDI explains the difference.
- Ask for expedited handling if a critical-case category applies, and give SSA documentation.
- Plan your hearing preparation. If a hearing is scheduled less than about 3 months out when you contact us, we usually ask SSA to postpone it so the case can be prepared properly. With 3 or more months, there is usually time without one.
Our page on hearing representation explains how we use the waiting period to prepare.
Common questions
What is the fastest way to get SSDI approved?
Apply with complete medical records and every provider listed, respond to SSA quickly, and appeal on time. Compassionate Allowance and other critical cases move faster.
Why is my hearing taking so long?
Hearing offices have large workloads. As of August 28, 2026, 349,461 cases were pending across SSA’s 158 hearing offices, based on our sum of SSA’s Hearing Office Workload Data.
Does having a representative make SSA faster?
SSA’s processing times are the same for everyone. A representative can help avoid delays caused by missing records, missed deadlines or a hearing that is not ready.
Can I work while I wait?
Earnings above SSA’s substantial gainful activity level ($1,690 a month in 2026 for non-blind applicants) generally rule out disability, so talk it through before taking a job.