Date Last Insured (DLI)

Your Date Last Insured (DLI) is the last date on which you still meet the work-credit requirements for Social Security Disability Insurance. SSDI works like an insurance policy funded by payroll taxes: in general, you must have worked and paid in during roughly five of the last ten years before becoming disabled, and coverage lapses after you stop working.

To win SSDI, you must prove your disability began on or before your DLI. If your DLI has passed, you can still be approved, but the medical evidence must show you were disabled by that date, which often requires older records. People who left the workforce years ago should check their DLI early, because it shapes the entire strategy of the claim.