How do I keep getting paid while I appeal a benefits cessation?

Use the free tool — Disability Appeal Clock

What is a cessation notice?

A cessation notice means Social Security decided your disability has ended and your SSDI or SSI benefits will stop. It is different from an initial denial of a new claim. If you disagree, you can appeal — and you may be able to keep getting paid while the appeal is decided.

The 10-day rule to keep benefits paid

To keep your benefits paid during the appeal, you must ask for reconsideration and request that your benefits continue, within 10 days of receiving the cessation notice (20 CFR 404.1597a). This 10-day request is separate from — and much shorter than — the general 60-day appeal deadline. If you miss the 10 days, you can still appeal, but Social Security may stop your payments while it decides.

The 60-day appeal deadline still applies

Besides the 10-day continuation request, you generally have 60 days to ask for the appeal itself, counted from when you receive the notice. Social Security presumes you received the letter 5 days after the date on it, unless you show otherwise (20 CFR 404.909 · 404.901). So it is safest to count 65 days from the date on the letter and file well before that.

If you think you are already past the deadline, do not assume nothing can be done. Social Security can accept a late appeal for good cause. File the appeal now with a short written explanation of why it is late, and call a representative today.

What to gather

The full cessation notice
A list of every doctor and clinic you have seen since your original application, with dates
Pharmacy records
Any new diagnoses or treatments
The dates you stopped working or tried to work
A short statement about your daily activities
Statements from people who see your limitations

Who can help

You can appeal online, by mail, or at a local office (ssa.gov/apply/appeal-decision-we-made). To confirm your exact deadlines, call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), or find your local office at ssa.gov/locator. Free civil legal help in Florida is listed at floridalawhelp.org. Disability representatives usually work on contingency — a fee set by Social Security's rules, paid only if you win — and should never ask for money up front; you can search for one at nosscr.org. You can also call 211.

This is not legal advice. Disability Appeal Clock can be wrong — confirm every deadline with Social Security.

What to do next

Paste your cessation notice into the free tool. It reads your own letter and gives you the 10-day continuation deadline, the 60-day appeal deadline, and the appeal level and form that apply to your notice — in English or Spanish. Nothing you paste is stored.

The full version — $9

Appeal statement + checklist · One letter: full reading, appeal statement, good-cause note if late, gathering checklist

Use the free tool

Disability Appeal Clock explains a Social Security letter in plain language; it can be wrong, and it is not legal advice. Deadlines are from SSA regulations as published (20 CFR Part 404 and 416) — confirm with SSA and file early. It never predicts whether a claim will win. Free legal aid: floridalawhelp.org · representatives paid only if you win: nosscr.org. Nothing you paste is stored.