To fill out the SSA Disability Update Report (Form SSA-455), answer all seven questions about your work, health, and medical treatment over the past two years, then return the form by mail in the pre-addressed envelope or submit it online through your my Social Security account. The form is two pages, usually takes under fifteen minutes, and the honesty and completeness of your answers determine whether your case moves forward for a full medical review or your benefits continue undisturbed.1Social Security Administration. What is the Disability Update Report and can I complete it online?
What to Gather Before You Start
Every question on the SSA-455 looks back over the last two years, so pull together records from that window before you begin.2Social Security Administration. Disability Update Report
- Names, addresses, and phone numbers for every doctor, therapist, hospital, or clinic you visited for your disabling condition, plus the reason and approximate date of each visit.
- Hospital admissions and surgeries: the facility, the reason, and the month and year.
- Any work you did, paid or self-employed: start and end dates and monthly earnings. For 2026, a month counts as a trial work month for SSDI purposes when earnings exceed $1,210. The substantial gainful activity limit is $1,690 per month for non-blind individuals and $2,830 for blind individuals.3Social Security Administration. Trial Work Period4Social Security Administration. Substantial Gainful Activity
- Any vocational training, schooling, or rehabilitation programs you took part in.
- A current medication list. The form does not ask for one, but keeping it near you helps if a reviewer calls with follow-up questions.
Answering the Seven Questions
The SSA-455 has spaces for your name, claim number, phone number, and date, then seven numbered questions.2Social Security Administration. Disability Update Report Work through them in order.
Question 1: Work in the Last Two Years
Ask whether you worked for someone or were self-employed. If yes, list start date, end date, and monthly earnings. Be exact. SSA already has wage data reported by employers, and a mismatch draws attention. Report any work you did, even a handful of hours a week. Trial work months on their own do not end benefits, so there is no reason to leave them off.
Question 2: Health Better, Same, or Worse
Check one of three boxes describing your health over the past two years. This is the single most consequential answer on the form. Checking “Better” does not automatically end your benefits, but it raises the odds SSA sends the case for a full medical review. Answer truthfully. If your treatment records show a different picture from what you checked, that mismatch damages your credibility if the file goes deeper.
Question 3: Doctor’s Advice About Returning to Work
Answer based on what a physician actually told you, not on your own view of what you can or cannot do.
Question 4: School or Training Programs
Report any schooling or work training you attended. Vocational rehabilitation does not count against you and can support your continued eligibility.
Question 5: Interest in Rehabilitation Services
Checking “Yes” does not change your benefit status. It only tells SSA you are open to services aimed at returning to work.
Question 6: Hospitalizations and Surgeries
List every admission or procedure with the reason and month and year, including admissions for conditions unrelated to your primary disability.
Question 7: Doctor and Clinic Visits for Your Condition
Give the reason and date for each visit and list every provider you saw. A thorough answer here reduces the chance SSA has to chase down additional records on its own, which slows things down.
Signature and Date
SSA removed the signature requirement on all versions of the SSA-455 in 2024, so an unsigned paper form will still be processed.5Social Security Administration. Removal of the Signature Requirement on the SSA-455 CDR Mailer Forms Still fill in the date and your phone number so a reviewer can reach you with questions.
How to Send It Back
You have two options.
By Mail
Use the pre-addressed envelope that came with the form. It is set up for SSA’s automated sorting; a different envelope can slow processing. Fill out the paper version in black ink so the scanning equipment reads your responses cleanly. If you want proof of the mailing date, ask the post office for a certificate of mailing, which costs a few dollars and gives you a dated receipt.
Online
You can submit the SSA-455 through your my Social Security account at ssa.gov. The online version asks the same seven questions and issues a confirmation number when you submit, which serves as your proof of receipt.1Social Security Administration. What is the Disability Update Report and can I complete it online? It is faster and eliminates the risk of a paper form being lost in transit.
How SSA Scores Your Answers
Your responses do not go straight to a human reviewer. SSA runs them through an automated decision program that combines what you wrote with data already in your file, then assigns a score of LOW, MEDIUM, or HIGH reflecting the probability that your condition has improved.6Social Security Administration. Processing Center Instructions for Continuing Disability Review Mailer Forms
A LOW score almost always means no further review and benefits continue until the next scheduled cycle; a reviewer would need compelling information to send a LOW case forward. For MEDIUM and HIGH scores, the reverse is true: a reviewer needs a compelling reason not to refer the file. The exact scoring formula is not public, but the answers about work activity, changes in health, and any doctor’s advice about returning to work carry the most weight.
The practical takeaway: this is not a form to guess on or embellish. A “Same” or “Worse” answer that your medical records do not support can push a case forward once a reviewer sees the file, and once a full Continuing Disability Review begins, you face a much longer questionnaire (Form SSA-454-BK) and possibly a consultative examination.7Social Security Administration. What to do during a Disability review
If You Miss the Return Deadline
Ignoring the form does not make the review disappear. SSA treats a failure to return the SSA-455 as a failure to cooperate with the Continuing Disability Review process. Your monthly benefits can be suspended, and if you stay non-compliant for 12 consecutive months after suspension, SSA can terminate benefits entirely. Getting reinstated after termination is much harder than simply mailing the form back.
If a serious illness, a death in the family, a natural disaster, or another circumstance beyond your control kept you from responding on time, contact SSA and explain. The agency recognizes good cause for late responses, including physical or mental limitations that prevented you from understanding or meeting the deadline. Call 1-800-772-1213 or visit your local field office as soon as you are able.