How do ssdi attorneys get paid

Social Security Disability lawyers generally use a contingency fee contract to get paid. A contingency fee means that unless we win your case, we do not get paid. Our fee is withheld from your winnings. You may be familiar with this term, as it is used in other areas of law, such as automobile accidents, workers compensation, medical malpractice, and other areas.

When you are dealing with a Social Security approved attorney, the payment process is quite simple. Once we win your case, Social Security calculates the amount of past-due benefits for which you are entitled. And yes, you must be approved as a Social Security Disability lawyer to practice in a Social Security case! Next, Social Security calculates the amount of attorney fees we are entitled to receive, based on those past-due benefits.

Social Security then sends the attorney fees directly to the attorney and the remainder of the past-due benefits directly to the claimant. In essence, you never have to pay attorney fees to the attorney out of your pocket.

This payment method is true for any attorney on a Social Security case, so long as the attorney is enrolled in the direct fee payment program, and has been approved. The amount of attorney fees may vary, depending on which level of appeal your case is at. However, the most common level for attorney fees to be paid is at the hearing level before an Administrative Law Judge. You should ask your prospective Montgomery Social Security lawyer if he or she is a Social Security approved attorney eligible to receive direct payments.

This is the only way a Social Security attorney can get paid directly by Social Security and the only way you will know that the attorney is complying with all Social Security regulations and will be paid only the amount that is approved by Social Security. Better yet, call the Sellers Law Firm! You know that our lawyers are Social Security attorneys approved for direct pay! It can't get much easier than that!

When you have a contingency fee contract with a lawyer, you know that you and the lawyer are sharing the risk on your case. In a typical Social Security case, an attorney will pay copying fees and postage to get records to help prove that a claimant is disabled.

Those records might be located at hospitals, doctors' offices, schools, or mental health facilities, among other places. Some facilities may give the lawyer your records for free, but most places charge a fee to copy your file, sometimes as much as 25 cents per page although in some states, facilities aren't allowed to charge for medical records.

While lawyers in Social Security disability cases cannot charge upfront fees for their time, they are allowed to charge a reasonable upfront fee to cover expected expenses in a case. So some attorneys will ask you to pay a small amount in advance to cover the costs associated with your case. If the costs are paid in advance, then the attorney must hold your money in a special account called a "trust account.

Most Social Security disability attorneys, however, will not ask you to pay costs in advance. Instead, they will ask you to reimburse them for their costs at the end of the case.

Whether an attorney wants you to pay costs will be included in your written fee agreement. If you have questions about your fee agreement, you should talk to your lawyer. The information provided on this site is not legal advice, does not constitute a lawyer referral service, and no attorney-client or confidential relationship is or will be formed by use of the site. The attorney listings on this site are paid attorney advertising. In some states, the information on this website may be considered a lawyer referral service.

Please reference the Terms of Use and the Supplemental Terms for specific information related to your state. Grow Your Legal Practice. Meet the Editors. A disability lawyer generally gets a quarter of your Social Security back payments, if you win. Fee Agreements and Fee Petitions To get their fees paid, Social Security lawyers enter into written fee agreements with their clients and submit those fee agreements to Social Security for approval.

This is a time for you both to get to know each other and discuss the details of your case. And like with the attorney fee, most lawyers will not charge for these costs until the end of your case.

Also, read your fee agreement thoroughly and ask your SSD attorney about any additional costs that could come up. A good lawyer will be able to outline everything clearly for you. And any large expenses, such as a medical exam, will have to get your approval beforehand. And with more than 20 years of experience helping Social Security Disability applicants win the benefits they need, we know what the SSA is looking for.

Let us give you a FREE consultation to discuss your case and how we can help. To get started today, call us at , or complete the form to the right for your free consultation. Call or text or complete a Free Case Evaluation form.