Date of Last Insured

Date of Last Insured, or DLI, is the ‘expiration’ date of your Social Security Disability Insurance work credits. A technical requirement of an individual seeking SSDI benefits is to be insured with recent working credits; typically five years after an individual stopped working is when their date of last insured will be. It will coincide with a yearly quarter and will mark the last date the SSA will accept medical records for a claim. An individual filing for benefits must prove their disability was severe enough to stop working, but must prove that disability prior to their date of last insured. The DLI is calculated by the SSA based upon the amount of work credits earned throughout the history of employment and date someone stopped working. Unlike a medical based denial, a denial because of an expired DLI or working credits, to appeal a technical denial an individual must prove that the SSA is incorrect in their earnings findings. It is important to periodically check that wages are correctly reported to the SSA each year to avoid missing crucial benefits.