Function Report (SSA-3373) Tips: How to Describe Your Daily Limitations
TL;DR: The Function Report (SSA-3373) asks how your disability affects daily activities like cooking, cleaning, bathing, shopping, and socializing. Describe your typical and worst days, not your best. Use specific details: times, distances, weights, and frequency. Every section is an opportunity to show how your condition limits your ability to sustain full-time work. Never write "N/A" or leave a section blank.
The Function Report is one of the most underestimated forms in the SSDI and SSI application process. Applicants rush through it, give vague answers, or accidentally undermine their own case by describing their best days. The SSA uses this form to assess your residual functional capacity (RFC), which directly determines whether you are approved or denied.
What the SSA Is Really Looking For
The disability examiner reading your Function Report is not looking for a list of things you cannot do. They are building a picture of what you CAN still do and whether that is enough to sustain any type of full-time work. Every answer you give feeds into this assessment.
The key question behind every section is: can this person reliably perform work-related activities for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week, on a sustained basis? If you can cook a simple meal once a week but are too exhausted to do it the other six days, that matters. If you can walk to the mailbox but need to rest for 30 minutes afterward, that matters.
Section-by-Section Guide
Section 1: Daily Activities (Morning to Night)
This question asks you to describe a typical day. Do not describe a good day. Describe what most days actually look like.
Weak answer: "I wake up, get dressed, eat breakfast, watch TV, eat lunch, rest, eat dinner, go to bed."
Strong answer: "I usually wake up between 8 and 9 AM but stay in bed for 30 to 45 minutes because of stiffness and pain in my lower back and hips. I need help from my wife to put on socks and shoes. I eat cereal or toast because standing long enough to cook causes back spasms after about 5 minutes. I spend most of the morning in my recliner with a heating pad. I try to walk to the mailbox (about 100 feet) but can only manage this 3 or 4 days a week. I nap for 1 to 2 hours most afternoons because my pain medication makes me drowsy. I eat dinner that my wife prepares. I go to bed around 9 PM but wake up 3 to 4 times because of pain."
Section 2: Personal Care
The SSA asks whether your condition affects bathing, dressing, grooming, shaving, feeding yourself, and using the toilet. Even if you can still do these things, explain HOW your condition changes the way you do them.
| Activity | What to Include |
|---|---|
| Bathing | Do you use a shower chair? Grab bars? How long can you stand in the shower? Do you skip days because of pain or fatigue? |
| Dressing | Can you put on socks and shoes? Reach behind your back? Button buttons? How long does it take compared to before? |
| Grooming | Can you raise your arms to brush hair? Stand at the sink? How often do you skip grooming? |
| Toileting | Do you need a raised toilet seat? Is getting up and down painful? Do medications cause issues? |
Section 3: Meals and Food Preparation
If you can still cook, describe what you cook and how often. There is a massive difference between reheating a microwave meal twice a week and preparing a full meal daily. Be specific about what limits you:
- Standing time at the stove or counter
- Ability to lift pots, pans, or plates
- Chopping, stirring, or reaching into cabinets
- Concentration and memory (forgetting things on the stove)
- How often someone else cooks for you
Section 4: Household Chores
The SSA wants to know if you can do housework and yardwork. Again, frequency and duration matter more than yes or no.
Weak answer: "I can do some light housework."
Strong answer: "I can fold a small load of laundry if I sit down, which takes about 30 minutes with breaks. I cannot carry the laundry basket to or from the machine. I cannot vacuum because pushing the vacuum causes back pain within 2 minutes. I cannot mow the lawn or do any yard work. My daughter comes over on Saturdays to clean the house."
Section 5: Getting Around
This covers driving, using public transportation, and walking. The SSA is assessing whether you could reliably get to a workplace.
- Do you still drive? How far? How often?
- Do you avoid driving because of medications, pain, or seizures?
- Can you use public transportation? Stand at a bus stop?
- How far can you walk before needing to stop? (Be specific: "about 200 feet" or "one block")
- Do you use a cane, walker, or wheelchair?
Section 6: Shopping
Do not just say "I go shopping." Explain the reality:
- Do you use a motorized cart at the store?
- Can you carry bags? How heavy?
- How long can you spend in a store before pain or fatigue forces you to leave?
- Do you shop online instead of going to stores? Why?
- Does someone else do your shopping?
Section 7: Money Management
This section asks about paying bills, handling bank accounts, and counting change. For most physical conditions, this section is straightforward. For mental health conditions, explain any difficulties with concentration, memory, or decision-making that affect your ability to manage finances.
Section 8: Hobbies and Social Activities
This is where many applicants accidentally hurt their case. If you say you go fishing every weekend, the examiner may wonder why you cannot sit at a desk job. Be honest, but provide context.
Helpful approach: "I used to fish every weekend and attend church on Sundays. Now I have gone fishing twice in the past year and had to leave after an hour both times because of pain. I stopped going to church 6 months ago because I cannot sit in the pew for more than 15 minutes."
Compare what you used to do with what you do now. The contrast shows how your condition has changed your life.
Section 9: Cognitive Function
This section asks about memory, concentration, following instructions, and getting along with others. Even if your primary condition is physical, pain and medications can affect these areas.
| Question | What to Consider |
|---|---|
| Memory | Do you forget appointments, medications, or conversations? Do you need reminders? |
| Concentration | How long can you focus on a task? Can you follow a TV show? Read a chapter? |
| Following instructions | Do you need written instructions? Can you follow multiple-step directions? |
| Getting along with others | Have you become irritable or withdrawn? Do you avoid people? |
| Handling stress | Does stress worsen your symptoms? How do you react to unexpected changes? |
Section 10: Physical Abilities Summary
The form asks about lifting, squatting, bending, standing, reaching, walking, sitting, kneeling, climbing stairs, and using your hands. For each one that is affected, give specifics:
- Lifting: "I can lift about 5 pounds, like a bag of sugar. Anything heavier causes sharp pain in my lower back."
- Standing: "I can stand for about 10 minutes before I need to sit down or shift position."
- Sitting: "I can sit for about 20 minutes in a regular chair. I need to get up and move around or recline."
- Walking: "I can walk about one block (300 feet) before my legs go numb."
The Three Biggest Function Report Mistakes
Mistake 1: Describing Your Best Day
On your best day, you might cook dinner, take a short walk, and fold laundry. On your worst day, you cannot get out of bed. The SSA wants to know what you can do reliably, consistently, day after day. Describe your typical day, and mention that you have worse days 2 to 3 times per week (or however often they happen).
Mistake 2: Writing "N/A" or Leaving Blanks
Every blank or "N/A" is a missed opportunity to show your limitations. If a question does not seem to apply, explain why. "I do not do yard work because I cannot bend or lift" is much better than "N/A."
Mistake 3: Being Too Brief
One-word answers do not give the examiner enough information. The more specific detail you provide, the clearer your functional picture becomes. Use the full space provided, and attach additional pages if needed.
How ClaimPath Helps With the Function Report
ClaimPath's AI Intake asks you plain-English questions about your daily life and translates your answers into the specific, measurable language that SSA examiners need to see. Instead of guessing what to write, you answer simple questions and get SSA-compliant descriptions back. Our Application Strength Score also flags weak sections of your Function Report before you submit it.
Start your application now and get Function Report language that works.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the process for function report (ssa-3373) tips: how to describe your daily limitations?
TL;DR: The Function Report (SSA-3373) asks how your disability affects daily activities like cooking, cleaning, bathing, shopping, and socializing. Describe your typical and worst days, not your best. Use specific details: times, distances, weights, and frequency.
What the SSA Is Really Looking For?
The disability examiner reading your Function Report is not looking for a list of things you cannot do. They are building a picture of what you CAN still do and whether that is enough to sustain any type of full-time work. Every answer you give feeds into this assessment.
What should I know about section-by-section guide?
This question asks you to describe a typical day. Do not describe a good day. Describe what most days actually look like.
What should I know about the three biggest function report mistakes?
On your best day, you might cook dinner, take a short walk, and fold laundry. On your worst day, you cannot get out of bed. The SSA wants to know what you can do reliably, consistently, day after day.
How ClaimPath Helps With the Function Report?
ClaimPath's AI Intake asks you plain-English questions about your daily life and translates your answers into the specific, measurable language that SSA examiners need to see. Instead of guessing what to write, you answer simple questions and get SSA-compliant descriptions back. Our Application Strength Score also flags weak sections of your Function Report before you submit it.