Disability Income Budget Calculator

This calculator builds a monthly budget around a fixed disability income base — SSDI benefit, other benefits (SSI supplement, state disability, VA), and any part-time work income — rather than assuming a typical paycheck. It totals those three income streams, then estimates essential spending: food at 20% of total income, transportation at 10%, and utilities at 8%, added to whatever housing and medical costs you enter directly (since those vary too much to model as a percentage). The difference between income and essentials becomes your monthly surplus or shortfall. Two features are specific to disability finances.

First, the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) check flags your supplemental work income against the $1,550/month threshold (the 2024 non-blind limit) — earning above it can jeopardize SSDI eligibility, so the flag is a warning to check with the Social Security Administration, not a hard cutoff the calculator enforces. Second, the ABLE contribution capacity estimates how much of your surplus could go into an ABLE account (a tax-advantaged savings vehicle for people with disabilities) — it's simply half your surplus, capped at $1,500/month, as a conservative planning figure rather than the account's actual $18,000 annual/$100,000 balance limits. Keep in mind the 20/10/8 percentages are rough guidelines, not your actual grocery or utility bills, and the SGA limit itself changes yearly and differs for blind recipients — always confirm the current figure against SSA's published limits before making eligibility decisions.