Free tool
Appeal deadline calculator
The deadline is the one thing in a disability claim that can't be fixed later. Enter the date on your letter and find out where you stand.
When is my appeal due?
Usually top right. Use the date on the notice, not the day you opened it.
Nothing you enter is sent anywhere. This runs in your browser.
Your appeal deadline
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Social Security assumes you received the notice five days after the date on it, then gives you 60 days from there.
See your appeal optionsWhere the 65 days comes from
The regulation gives you 60 days from receipt of the notice. Because nobody records when a letter was opened, Social Security presumes you received it five days after the date printed on it. Add the two and you get 65 days from the printed date.
You can rebut the presumption if you actually received it later — a forwarded address, a long postal delay — but you have to show it. Don't plan around that. Plan around 65 days.
File first, gather evidence second
The most common way people lose a claim is waiting to file the appeal until the medical records are assembled. Filing takes minutes and can be done online through your my Social Security account. Once it's open you can add records, a medical source statement, and anything else for as long as the appeal is pending.
For what to do after you file, read what actually happens next after a denial.
Common questions
How long do I have to appeal a Social Security disability denial?
Sixty days from the date you receive the notice. Social Security presumes you received it five days after the date printed on the letter, which makes the practical deadline 65 days from that printed date.
What happens if I miss the deadline?
You can ask Social Security to accept a late appeal for good cause — serious illness, a death in the family, a notice sent to the wrong address, or misleading information from the agency itself. Put the reason in writing and file immediately. If good cause is denied, you would file a new application, which resets your filing date and reduces the retroactive benefits available.
Should I appeal or file a new application?
Appeal, in almost every case. A new application faces the same evidence that produced the denial and moves your filing date forward, shrinking the twelve months of retroactive benefits you can collect. Appealing preserves the original date.
Can I file the appeal before I have new medical evidence?
Yes, and you generally should. File first to protect the deadline, then supplement the file with records, a medical source statement, and anything else afterward. The appeal being open is what buys you the time.
Free · Takes about a minute
See your appeal options
Answer a few questions about your situation and we'll tell you where you stand — no cost, and no obligation to hire anyone.