Your SSDI payment stops when your work earnings cross a specific threshold, but the threshold itself depends on whether you are still in your first year of work or past it

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) has two separate earning limits. The first is the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit, which is the amount of monthly work income that causes Social Security to assume you are no longer disabled and stops your cash payment. The second is the Trial Work Period, a nine-month window early in your work history where you can earn any amount without losing benefits. Which one applies to you depends on when you started working.

For 2024, the SGA limit is $1,550 per month if you are blind, and $1,470 per month if you are not blind. These figures change each year based on the national average wage index. If you earn more than the SGA limit in any month, Social Security will count that month as a work month and begin tracking your nine-month Trial Work Period if you have not used it yet.

The reason these limits exist is that SSDI is designed for people who cannot work. Once your earnings show you can work at a substantial level, the program assumes your disability has improved and your benefits should end. However, the system gives you time to test your ability to work without losing everything when ready.

Key Takeaways

  • You can earn up to $1,470 per month (or $1,550 if blind) in 2024 without triggering a work month that counts toward losing your benefits.
  • During your nine-month Trial Work Period, you can earn any amount and keep your full SSDI payment each month, but each month you earn over the SGA limit counts as one of your nine months.
  • 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 under the SGA limit, even if you earned over it in other months.
  • Once you have used your Trial Work Period and then earn over the SGA limit for nine months in any 60-month period, your SSDI payment stops, though you may still be covered by Medicare for up to 93 months total.
  • The SGA limit changes every January, so you need to check the current year's amount on the Social Security website or by calling 1-800-772-1213.

The Trial Work Period: Nine months to test your work ability

Your Trial Work Period is a nine-month window that begins the first time you earn over the SGA limit after you start receiving SSDI. During these nine months, you keep your full SSDI payment every month, no matter how much you earn. This is the most generous part of the SSDI work rules because it lets you test whether you can actually sustain work without financial risk.

A month counts as a work month only if you earn over the SGA limit in that month. If you earn $1,400 in January and $1,600 in February, only February counts as a work month. You could theoretically spread your nine work months across several years if you earn over the limit only occasionally. However, most people use up their nine months within a few months of starting work because they are working regularly.

Once you have used all nine months of your Trial Work Period, you move into the Extended Period of may be able to access. This is where the rules change and where many people lose track of what they can earn.

The Extended Period of may be able to access: Keeping benefits month by month

After your Trial Work Period ends, you enter a 36-month Extended Period of may be able to access. During this time, you keep your SSDI payment for any month in which you earn under the SGA limit, even if you earned over the limit in other months. This means you can have a high-earning month and lose that month's payment, then earn less the next month and get paid again.

For example, if you earn $2,000 in March, you lose your March payment. If you earn $1,200 in April, you get your April payment. The months are counted separately. You do not have to average your earnings across the month or the year.

The Extended Period of may be able to access lasts 36 months from the end of your Trial Work Period. During these 36 months, you can work as much as you want in some months and very little in others, and your benefits will follow your monthly earnings. This period is designed to let you gradually increase your work capacity while keeping a safety net.

What happens after the Extended Period ends

Once your 36-month Extended Period of may be able to access ends, the rules tighten. You now enter what Social Security calls the Expedited Reinstatement period, which lasts five years. During this time, if you earn over the SGA limit for nine months in any 60-month rolling window, your SSDI payment stops permanently.

This does not mean you lose benefits after nine months of work. It means that if you work at a substantial level for nine months within any 60-month period, Social Security will end your case. The 60-month window is rolling, so it recalculates every month. If you work over the limit in months 1 through 9, your benefits stop. If you then stop working and stay under the limit for months 10 through 60, the window shifts and months 1 through 9 fall out of the calculation.

However, if you stop working and your benefits end, you can request reinstatement within five years without having to go through the full SSDI process process again. This is the Expedited Reinstatement provision, and it is one of the most important work incentives in the program.

Medicare continues even after SSDI payments stop

One of the most valuable parts of the SSDI work rules is that your Medicare coverage does not stop when your cash payment stops. Once you have been on SSDI for 24 months, you become may be able to access for Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance). If your SSDI payment ends because you are working, your Medicare continues for an additional 93 months (approximately 7.5 years) from the month your payment stopped.

This means you can work and lose your SSDI cash benefit but keep your health insurance. For many people, this is the real value of the work incentives—you can test your ability to work without losing coverage for medical care related to your disability.

After the 93-month Medicare continuation period ends, you can buy Medicare coverage yourself if you are still working and earning enough to afford it, or you may be able to switch to your employer's health plan.

How to track your earnings and report them to Social Security

You are required to report your work activity to Social Security. You can do this by calling your local Social Security office, by mailing a form SSA-777 (Statement Regarding Your Work Activity), or by using your my Social Security account online. Social Security uses your reports to determine which months count as work months and to track your Trial Work Period and Extended Period of may be able to access.

You should report your earnings within the month you earn them, or as soon as possible after. Do not wait until the end of the year. If you report late, Social Security may make an overpayment information—paying you for a month you should not have been paid for—and you will owe the money back.

Keep records of your pay stubs, invoices, or other proof of earnings. If you are self-employed, keep records of your gross income and your business expenses. Social Security may ask for documentation to verify the amount you reported.

The SGA limit changes every year

The Substantial Gainful Activity limit is adjusted each January based on the national average wage index. In 2024, the limit is $1,470 per month for non-blind beneficiaries and $1,550 for blind beneficiaries. In 2023, it was $1,470 and $1,550 respectively. The amount typically increases by a small percentage each year, but the increase is not may provide.

You can find the current year's SGA limit on the Social Security website at ssa.gov, or you can call 1-800-772-1213 to ask. Do not assume the limit is the same as last year. If the limit increases and you are earning close to the old limit, you may suddenly find yourself over the new limit and triggering a work month you did not expect.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I earn money without losing SSDI if I stay under the SGA limit?

Yes, but only during your Trial Work Period and Extended Period of may be able to access. Once those periods end and you are in the Expedited Reinstatement phase, earning under the SGA limit keeps your payment that month, but nine months over the limit in any 60-month period will end your case. After five years with no SSDI payment, you lose the right to reinstatement.

What counts as earnings for SSDI purposes?

Wages from a job count. Self-employment income counts. Bonuses and commissions count. Unpaid work does not count. Gifts, loans, and money from family do not count. Social Security looks at your gross income before taxes. If you receive a one-time payment like a tax refund or inheritance, it does not count as earnings for the SGA calculation.

If I lose my SSDI payment because I am working, can I get it back?

Yes, if you request reinstatement within five years of the month your payment stopped. You do not have to reapply or go through the full disability information process again. You can also request expedited reinstatement if you stop working and your medical condition has not improved. After five years, you lose this right and would have to file a new SSDI process.

Does my spouse's or child's SSDI payment stop if I earn too much?

No. Family members receiving benefits on your SSDI record have their own separate earnings rules. If you are the disabled worker and your payment stops, your family members' payments continue as long as they meet their own requirements. However, if a family member is also a disabled worker on their own SSDI record, their payment follows their own earnings.

What if I earn money in one month but not in others—do I lose my whole payment?

After your Trial Work Period, you are paid month by month. If you earn over the SGA limit in March, you lose your March payment. If you earn under the limit in April, you get your April payment. You do not lose your entire case unless you earn over the limit for nine months in any 60-month period during the Expedited Reinstatement phase.