subject: The Attorney Fees Charged By A Social Security Disability Attorney [print this page] The social security disability attorneys are now the most sought after professionals for the claimants choosing to file social security disability case for deriving their social security disability benefits. These social security disability attorneys do not charge any upfront fees or any other type of retainer expenses as charged by other attorneys in the field of their respective specializations. The claimant who would like to first hire a disability attorney either for claiming Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Social Security Income (SSI) benefits must sign a fee agreement that allows the Social Security Administration or SSA to pay their attorney in case the concerned claimants claim is approved.
The SSA will then review the agreement to make sure that it meets the fee agreement guidelines and to ensure that the concerned social security disability attorney gets his or her due share of fees. The fee for the social security disability attorney is limited to 25% of the past due benefits that the concerned claimant is awarded that may go up to a maximum of $6000. However, the social security disability attorney will be paid only out of the claimants past-due benefits or back pay. Where there are no back dated benefits are awarded then the attorney will not be eligible to receive fee nor are they permitted to ask the claimant to be paid a fee.
Usually for the claimant, hiring a disability attorney does not cost a single cent, as the fee will be paid out of the disability award that the claimant would eventually receive. Nevertheless, some social security disability attorneys may ask their clients to pay a nominal amount as out-of-pocket costs at the beginning of the case. These costs may relate to the concerned claimants (clients) medical, school, work records and sometimes medical or psychological examinations that may prove expensive to the claimant. The client must pay for these costs separately from the attorneys fee (of 25% of back pay fee). The other costs may pertain or be related to stationery expenses.
Before hiring a social security disability attorney, the claimant must ask whether he or she will be charged for out of pocket expenses in addition to the attorneys fees and what types of expenses might be included in totality.
