What SSDI allows you to earn each month

Social Security Disability Insurance has an earnings limit called the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) threshold. If you earn more than this amount in a month, Social Security may decide you are no longer disabled and can stop your benefits.

For 2024, the SGA threshold is $1,550 per month for most people receiving SSDI. For people who are blind, the threshold is $2,590 per month. These amounts change each year based on national wage data, so the 2025 threshold will be different.

The key word is "may"—earning above the threshold does not automatically end your benefits. Social Security looks at whether your work shows you can do substantial work, not just whether you crossed a dollar line. But crossing the threshold triggers a review, and that review can result in a benefits stop.

Key Takeaways

  • You can earn up to the SGA threshold ($1,550 in 2024 for most people) without automatically losing SSDI, but earning above it triggers a review that may end your benefits.
  • The first nine months you earn above SGA in a 60-month period are called your Trial Work Period, during which you keep your full benefit check regardless of earnings.
  • After your Trial Work Period ends, you enter the Extended Period of may be able to access, where you keep benefits for any month you earn below SGA, even if other months are above.
  • Work incentives like Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE) and Plans to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) can reduce your countable earnings and protect your benefits while you work.
  • You must report all earnings to Social Security within the month you earn them, or you risk overpayment and having to repay benefits.

The Trial Work Period: nine months of full benefits

When you start working while on SSDI, you enter a Trial Work Period (TWP). During this period, you can earn any amount and keep your full SSDI check. The catch is that the TWP lasts only nine months, and those nine months do not have to be consecutive.

Social Security counts a month toward your TWP if you earn $240 or more in that month (this amount also changes yearly). So if you work three months, stop, then work again six months later, you have used six months of your nine-month window. The remaining three months stay in your account until you use them or until five years pass without using them.

The TWP is designed to let you test whether you can work without when ready losing your safety net. Many people use it to build up work history, test a new job, or see whether their condition allows sustained work. Once your nine months are used up, the rules change.

After the Trial Work Period: the Extended Period of may be able to access

Once your nine Trial Work Period months are exhausted, you move into the Extended Period of may be able to access (EPE), which lasts 36 months. During the EPE, you keep your SSDI benefit for any month you earn below the SGA threshold, even if you earn above it in other months.

This means you can have a high-earning month and lose that month's benefit, then drop back below SGA the next month and get your benefit back. You do not lose SSDI permanently just because you had one good month. The EPE gives you a three-year window to test whether work is sustainable for you.

After the EPE ends, if you are still working and earning above SGA, your SSDI stops. You can request reinstatement within five years if your work does not last, but you will not receive benefits during the gap.

Work incentives that reduce what you earn

Social Security has programs that let you subtract certain costs from your earnings before they count toward the SGA threshold. These are called work incentives, and they exist because the goal is to get people working, not to penalize them for trying.

Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE) are costs you pay because of your disability that allow you to work. Examples include prescription medications, therapy sessions, medical equipment, transportation to medical appointments, or a personal assistant who helps you at work. If you pay $300 a month for these expenses, Social Security subtracts that $300 from your earnings before checking whether you crossed the SGA line.

Plans to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) are more complex. A PASS is a written plan you create with a work incentives counselor that sets a work goal and describes how you will use your income to reach it. For example, you might plan to save money from work to pay for job training or to buy equipment for a business. While you are following the PASS, the income you set aside for the plan does not count as earnings. A PASS can protect a much larger portion of your income than IRWE alone.

Other work incentives include the Student Earned Income Exclusion (if you are under 22 and a student), the Earned Income Exclusion (the first $65 of monthly earnings plus half of the rest), and Subsidy and Unincorporated Work Expenses for self-employed people. Each has specific rules and limits.

How to report your earnings to Social Security

You must report all earnings to Social Security within the month you earn them. You can report by phone, by mail, or through your online my Social Security account. Failing to report is one of the most common reasons people end up owing Social Security money back.

When you report, tell Social Security the gross amount you earned (before taxes), the dates you worked, and your employer's name. Social Security will use this information to calculate whether you crossed the SGA threshold and whether you are still in your Trial Work Period or Extended Period of may be able to access.

If you do not report and Social Security discovers the unreported earnings during a review, you will owe back the benefits you received in months when you should not have. This debt can be large, and Social Security will deduct it from future benefits or pursue other collection methods.

Self-employment and business income

If you are self-employed, Social Security counts your net profit (income minus business expenses) as earnings. The rules are the same: if your net profit exceeds SGA, you trigger a review. But self-employment has additional complexity because you must separate legitimate business expenses from personal expenses, and Social Security scrutinizes this distinction closely.

If you own a business, you should work with a work incentives counselor before you start or expand it. A counselor can help you structure the business, track expenses correctly, and potentially use a PASS to protect income while you build the business. Many people who are self-employed while on SSDI benefit from this guidance.

What happens if you earn too much

If you earn above SGA and you are no longer in your Trial Work Period, Social Security will stop your SSDI benefit. This does not happen when ready—there is usually a lag of one or two months while Social Security processes the information. But once the stop takes effect, you lose your monthly check and your Medicare coverage (though you can usually buy into Medicare for a period after your benefits stop).

If you later stop working or your earnings drop below SGA, you can request that your benefits be reinstated. If you request reinstatement within five years of the stop, Social Security will restart your benefits without requiring a new medical review—they assume your condition has not improved. If you wait longer than five years, you must file a new claim and go through the medical review process again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I work part-time and keep my SSDI?

Yes. Part-time work that keeps you below the SGA threshold ($1,550 in 2024) will not affect your benefits outside of your Trial Work Period. During your nine-month Trial Work Period, you can earn any amount. After that, you have 36 months where you keep your benefit for any month you stay below SGA.

What if I earn money one month but not the next?

Social Security counts each month separately. If you earn $2,000 one month and $500 the next, you lose the benefit for the high-earning month but keep it for the low-earning month—assuming you are in your Extended Period of may be able to access. During your Trial Work Period, you keep your benefit both months.

Do I have to report tips and cash payments?

Yes. Social Security wants your gross earnings, which includes all income from work: wages, tips, bonuses, and cash payments. Failing to report cash income is considered fraud and can result in overpayment, penalties, and criminal charges in serious cases.

Can work incentives help me keep more of my earnings?

Yes. IRWE lets you subtract disability-related work costs, and PASS lets you set aside income for a specific work goal. Both reduce your countable earnings and can help you stay below SGA or protect more of your income during your Extended Period of may be able to access. A work incentives counselor can tell you which applies to your situation.

What if I want to go back to work after my benefits stop?

If you request reinstatement within five years of your benefits stopping, Social Security will restart them without a new medical review. After five years, you must file a new claim. Either way, you can work again and use your Trial Work Period and Extended Period of may be able to access a second time.