Listing code
12.05
Adult (Part A)
Body system
12.00
Mental disorders
Subsections
0
No lettered criteria
Step in evaluation
3 of 5
Listing match approves the claim
SSA listing text and criteria
Intellectual disorder (see 12.00B4 ), satisfied by A or B: Satisfied by 1, 2, and 3 (see 12.00H ): Significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning evident in your cognitive inability to function at a level required to participate in standardized testing of intellectual functioning; and Significant deficits in adaptive functioning currently manifested by your dependence upon others for personal needs (for example, toileting, eating, dressing, or bathing); and The evidence about your current intellectual and adaptive functioning and about the history of your disorder demonstrates or supports the conclusion that the disorder began prior to your attainment of age 22. OR Satisfied by 1, 2, and 3 (see 12.00H ): Significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning evidenced by a or b: A full scale (or comparable) IQ score of 70 or below on an individually administered standardized test of general intelligence; or A full scale (or comparable) IQ score of 71-75 accompanied by a verbal or performance IQ score (or comparable part score) of 70 or below on an individually administered standardized test of general intelligence; and Significant deficits in adaptive functioning currently manifested by extreme limitation of one, or marked limitation of two, of the following areas of mental functioning: Understand, remember, or apply information (see 12.00E1 ); or Interact with others (see 12.00E2 ); or Concentrate, persist, or maintain pace (see 12.00E3 ); or Adapt or manage oneself (see 12.00E4 ); and The evidence about your current intellectual and adaptive functioning and about the history of your disorder demonstrates or supports the conclusion that the disorder began prior to your attainment of age 22.
This listing has no lettered subsections. The diagnosis itself, supported by the medical evidence described in the body-system overview, is what SSA evaluates.
Source: SSA Blue Book listing 12.05. Last synced 2026-05-04.
Where claims under 12.05 usually fail
One failure mode is meeting only the intellectual functioning part (for example, an IQ score in the 70s) but not showing the required adaptive-functioning limits in the specific areas listed: understand, remember, or apply information; interact with others; concentrate, persist, or maintain pace; or adapt or manage oneself. Another failure mode is mixing up the IQ thresholds, such as assuming that an IQ of 71 to 75 automatically qualifies without the matching additional requirement about the verbal or performance part score of 70 or below. A third failure mode is only describing current difficulties without evidence that supports that the disorder began before age 22. A fourth failure mode is relying on adaptive problems described in general terms without linking them to the listing's adaptive functioning examples (like dependence on others for personal needs) or the required pattern of extreme limitation/marked limitation across the listed areas.
Medical evidence that strengthens this claim
Evidence can include individually administered standardized testing of general intelligence that supports significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning, such as a full-scale (or comparable) IQ score. For Paragraph B, documentation needs the specific IQ thresholds: a full scale of 70 or below, or a full scale of 71 to 75 plus a verbal or performance IQ (or comparable part score) of 70 or below. For adaptive functioning, documentation should show dependence on others for personal needs (toileting, eating, dressing, or bathing) for the Paragraph A path, or extreme limitation of one area or marked limitation of two areas among understand, remember, or apply information; interact with others; concentrate, persist, or maintain pace; adapt or manage oneself for the Paragraph B path. Records that help support the onset timing before age 22 are important, because 12.05 requires evidence about current intellectual and adaptive functioning and about the history of the disorder showing it began prior to age 22.
What happens if your records do not meet this listing
If the medical criteria for 12.05 are not fully met, the claim still can be evaluated under the remaining disability process using the person's residual functional capacity (RFC). RFC focuses on what functions can still be done despite mental limitations, tied to the four areas of mental functioning used in the mental-disorder listings: understand, remember, or apply information; interact with others; concentrate, persist, or maintain pace; and adapt or manage oneself. In many cases, missing the exact 12.05 IQ thresholds or missing the required pattern of adaptive-functioning limitations means the case moves from the listing itself to this broader RFC-based evaluation. Age and work history factors can then play a major role in whether the RFC leads to a finding of disability.
Work activity and the SGA gate for this condition
Before a favorable decision, work activity limits matter. For people applying for SSDI, SSA generally considers whether the person can do work activity at a level that counts as substantial gainful activity (SGA). If the mental limitations tied to 12.05 include significantly subaverage general intellectual functioning and significant adaptive deficits (including, depending on the pathway, extreme limitation of one or marked limitation of two of the four mental-functioning areas, or dependence on others for personal needs), that pattern may make sustained work more difficult. After approval, work rules still apply: earning above SGA can affect eligibility, while trial work and the extended period of eligibility can apply after an approval. 12.05 specifically also requires evidence the condition began prior to age 22, which is relevant to eligibility but does not change how SGA is applied.
Listing 12.05 FAQ
Questions that come up repeatedly for intellectual disorder disability claims.