As soon as a medical condition prevents an individual from working, they should apply for Social Security disability benefits. Some applicants make two key mistakes that lead to waiting too long. The first is waiting for five months before submitting their application. The five-month time period is the time between the application being approved and the first benefit payment from Social Security Disability Insurance. However, there is no need to wait to submit the application. Some applicants also confuse the one-year requirement. In order for a disabling condition to qualify, it must prevent the applicant from working for at least a year. The applicant does not have to be disabled for a year before applying for benefits in order to be eligible.