How Much Do Disability Lawyers Charge to Help You File for Benefits in WI?

Get a Social Security Disability Guide—No Fee Until You Win

You need to apply for Social Security Disability benefits to relieve the financial strain of health problems and job loss.

It doesn’t require a law degree to do it—it’s gathering dates and addresses, filling out forms, collecting medical records and sending everything to Social Security. Having a lawyer would make it easier and help you avoid mistakes that could cost your benefits.

But how much can a disability lawyer charge?

Nothing up front. Social Security has rules protecting you from the risk of paying for a lawyer when you’re under financial strain. This is how it works:

• You pay nothing to get a disability lawyer started on your claim, handling the evidence and paperwork, even at the initial application level.
• You only ever pay an attorney fee after you win approval of disability benefits, even if your case required multiple rounds of appeal (You don’t pay if you don’t win.)
• Your attorney fee comes out of your past-due benefits, which you receive when you win your case to cover the time that you were eligible for benefits but waiting.
• Your attorney fee cannot exceed 25% of your back pay.
• Your attorney fee cannot exceed $9,200 (as of 2025), even if you’re getting a large lump sum where 25% would be more. $9,200 is the hard limit.

So, it can’t hurt to get a Social Security Disability lawyer to help you apply for benefits. And it could help, quite a bit, by potentially improving your chances of winning benefits in the first place. (Most people are denied at least once).

You can get highly experienced Wisconsin disability lawyers at Becker Law Office and Hawks Quindel to help you file for benefits. Some law firms won’t help with the first step of applying for benefits, but our attorneys help from start to finish.

We’ve helped thousands in Wisconsin settle their lives after health setbacks.

How Much Does It Cost for a Disability Lawyer? Special Circumstances.

You should be aware of certain exceptions when disability attorney fees can go higher than the usual limit.

These aren’t common, but they can happen:

• You switched attorneys. If you ended up having a couple different attorneys work on your disability claim, they will split the fee, and it’s possible for Social Security to approve a total fee higher than the typical maximum.
• You case goes to advanced levels of appeal. If your case goes to a review by the Social Security Appeals Council or a lawsuit in federal court, the additional legal work involved could mean more costs. But if you win your case, you may be eligible for assistance to help with the extra fees.

But when you’re agreeing to work with a disability lawyer, make sure the original fee agreement….

• Doesn’t go above 25% or $9,200, whichever is lower.
• Doesn’t have a minimum payment due to the attorney.

Social Security will likely reject those kinds of arrangements.

You can talk to Becker Law Office, for FREE, about the disability lawyer fee structure—called a contingency fee because the fee is contingent on you winning—and how it works.

We can also go over your entire disability claim and what to expect.

Get my free initial consultation.

How to Choose a Good Social Security Disability Lawyer for Your Case

Your disability benefits claim is about your future financial stability. Getting the benefits you need is important for your health and well-being.

You need (and deserve) a skilled lawyer who’s going to make sure you get the best chance possible of winning benefits.

Besides how much can a disability lawyer charge, when you’re shopping for a disability lawyer, check these points:

• They’re a licensed attorney. Not a disability advocate who’s not an attorney.
• They have long experience with disability claims. You can tell if they’re experienced if they’ve been handling Social Security Disability cases for several years or have handled hundreds or thousands of cases.
• They focus on Social Security Disability cases. Many law firms do several things. But Social Security Disability is a highly particular kind of law. You want a lawyer who makes it a major focus of their practice.
• They’re local to Wisconsin. You’ll be getting medical documents from local doctors and clinics in Wisconsin and navigating local Social Security offices. A local, Wisconsin disability lawyer brings additional knowledge to your case.
• They’ll work with you directly before your disability hearing. We’ve seen lawyers show up at people’s hearings with disability judges and meet their clients for the first time right there. We’ll get to know you ahead of time and make sure you’re well prepared.
• They give you personal attention. With some firms, you may rarely work directly with your disability lawyer. They may be more interested in checking boxes and pushing paperwork than listening to you. The Becker disability lawyers got into this because we care about helping people—and care about people.

When you need help getting back to steady ground after health problems disrupt your life in Wisconsin, work with the Becker Law Office and Hawks Quindel.

We want to get you to a better situation.

And there’s no attorney fee until you win.

Call us now.