Primary Insurance Amount
The primary insurance amount, or PIA, is the base benefit amount for an individual receiving SSDI benefits. The SSA will use a complex formula to determine how much an individual receives based on both the PIA and the Average Indexed Monthly Earnings (AIME). AIME is calculated using up to 35 years of the highest-earnings working years that are then adjusted by the SSA for inflation to reflect changes in wage levels over time.