Free SSDI Appeal Deadline Calculator
Denied benefits? Enter the date on your letter and see exactly how long you have to fight back.
How Long Do You Have to Appeal?
Denied Social Security Disability or SSI benefits? You generally have 60 days to appeal, and the clock is already running. Enter the date on your denial letter to see your exact deadline.
A denial is not the end of your claim.
Talk to a disability attorney now. Free consultation. No fees unless you win.
Call (617) 683-1983Use the date at the top of the notice, not the day it arrived. Social Security assumes you received it 5 days after that date.
Your Appeal Deadline
Most initial applications are denied, and many of those denials are reversed on appeal. We handle SSDI and SSI appeals every day, and you pay nothing unless you win.
How the 60 day deadline actually works
Federal regulations give you 60 days to appeal after you receive a denial, and Social Security presumes you received the letter 5 days after the date printed on it. The appeal period starts the day after that presumed receipt, which works out to 65 days from the date on the notice. If the last day lands on a weekend or federal holiday, the deadline moves to the next business day. This calculator applies all of those rules for you.
Not sure if you qualify?
Get a free case review from a New England disability team. You only pay if we win.
Call (617) 683-1983The same clock applies at every level
A denied initial application goes to Reconsideration. A denied Reconsideration goes to a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. An unfavorable hearing decision goes to the Appeals Council, and an Appeals Council denial can be taken to federal district court. Each step has its own 60 day window that starts when you receive that decision, so a claim can die at any stage if a single deadline slips by.
What happens if you miss the deadline
Social Security can accept a late appeal only if you show good cause, such as a serious illness, a death in your immediate family, or never receiving the notice. Good cause is decided case by case and is never guaranteed. Without it, you are usually forced to start over with a brand new application, which resets years of waiting and can permanently cost you back pay tied to your original filing date. If your deadline has already passed, call us before you refile. The right move in the first few weeks after a missed deadline can often still save the claim.
Appeal, do not reapply
Many people respond to a denial by filing a new application instead of appealing. That is almost always a mistake. A new application faces the same evidence and the same likely denial, while an appeal preserves your original filing date, your back pay, and your path to a hearing, which is where claimants win most often. If you are unsure which situation you are in, the consultation is free.
Deadlines are calculated from the rules in 20 CFR 404.901, 404.909, 404.933, 404.968 and 422.210, including the 5 day mailing presumption and the extension of deadlines that fall on weekends or federal holidays. Your actual deadline can differ, for example if you can show you received the notice late, and some situations carry shorter deadlines, such as the 10 day window to keep benefits paying during an appeal of a medical cessation. This calculator is for general information only. It is not legal advice, it does not guarantee any outcome, and using it does not create an attorney-client relationship. If your deadline is near or has passed, contact an attorney immediately. Attorney Advertising.