The main changes to SSDI in 2025

Social Security made three significant changes to SSDI rules starting in 2025. The Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) threshold—the monthly earnings limit that determines whether you are working too much to receive benefits—rose to $1,550 for non-blind beneficiaries and $2,590 for blind beneficiaries. The Trial Work Period (TWP) rules expanded to count only months in which you earn $1,090 or more, making it easier to test work without burning through your nine-month window. And Social Security began enforcing stricter documentation requirements for work incentive programs, meaning you will need more detailed records if you use Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE) or Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) to reduce your countable earnings.

These changes affect how much you can earn, how long you can test work, and what paperwork you need to keep. They do not change who is considered disabled or how benefits are calculated, but they do change the practical math of whether you can work and still receive SSDI.

Key Takeaways

  • The SGA threshold for 2025 is $1,550 per month for non-blind beneficiaries, up from $1,470 in 2024, meaning you can earn more before Social Security reviews your case for medical improvement.
  • During your Trial Work Period, only months in which you earn $1,090 or more count toward the nine-month limit, so low-earning months no longer use up your window to test work.
  • If you use IRWE or PASS to reduce your countable earnings, Social Security now requires itemized receipts, invoices, and timesheets rather than estimates or round numbers.
  • The Extended may be able to access Period (the 36 months after your TWP ends) still pays benefits in any month you earn under the SGA threshold, but the higher threshold means more months may now fall below it.
  • These changes explore to all SSDI beneficiaries age 18 and older, including those on Disabled Adult Child (DAC) benefits based on a parent's or grandparent's record.

How the new SGA threshold affects your work capacity

The SGA threshold is the line Social Security uses to decide whether you are working at a level that suggests you are no longer disabled. If you earn above the threshold for nine months (not necessarily consecutive), Social Security will begin a medical review to determine if your condition has improved. If you earn below it, you keep your benefits with no review triggered.

In 2025, that line moved from $1,470 to $1,550 per month for non-blind beneficiaries. This $80 increase means you can earn more before triggering a work capacity review. For blind beneficiaries, the threshold is $2,590, which also increased. The threshold adjusts every January based on the national average wage index from two years prior, so these numbers will change again in 2026.

The threshold applies to your gross earnings—the amount before taxes or deductions. If you are self-employed, Social Security counts your net profit (revenue minus business expenses). Irregular income is averaged over a reasonable period, usually three months. If you earn $1,600 one month and $1,400 the next, Social Security will average those and may find you over the threshold.

Trial Work Period rules and how months now count

The Trial Work Period is a nine-month window during which you can test work and keep your full SSDI benefit, regardless of how much you earn. The new 2025 rule changes which months count toward that nine-month limit. Starting this year, only months in which you earn $1,090 or more count. Months in which you earn less than $1,090 do not count, so you can have low-earning months without using up your window.

This rule makes the TWP more forgiving. If you work part-time some months and full-time others, the part-time months no longer burn through your nine-month window. You can use those months to ramp up gradually. Once you have used nine months in which you earned $1,090 or more, your TWP ends and you enter the Extended may be able to access Period.

The $1,090 threshold is set by Social Security and does not change annually like the SGA threshold does. It is meant to represent a meaningful work attempt. If you earn exactly $1,089 in a month, that month does not count. If you earn $1,090, it does. Keep pay stubs or earnings statements that show the exact amount you earned each month, because Social Security will ask for them if you report work.

New documentation requirements for work incentives

If you use Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE) or Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) to reduce your countable earnings, Social Security tightened the documentation rules in 2025. IRWE allows you to deduct the cost of items or services you need because of your disability in order to work—for example, a service animal, specialized transportation, or medical equipment. PASS lets you set aside income and resources to reach a work goal without losing benefits.

Previously, Social Security accepted general estimates or round numbers for these expenses. Now the agency requires itemized receipts, invoices, timesheets, and proof of payment. If you claim $200 per month for transportation, you need to show actual receipts or a contract with a transportation provider. If you claim $150 per month for a job coach, you need timesheets signed by the coach and proof you paid them. Estimates or "approximately" amounts will be rejected.

This change affects your monthly benefit calculation. If you cannot document an expense, it will not be deducted from your countable earnings, which means your benefit will be lower. Start keeping detailed records now if you use either work incentive. Receipts should show the date, the expense, and the amount paid. For ongoing services, a signed contract or invoice from the provider is sufficient, but you still need proof of payment (bank statement, cancelled check, or receipt).

Extended may be able to access Period and the 36-month countdown

After your nine-month Trial Work Period ends, you enter the Extended may be able to access Period, which lasts 36 months. During this time, you keep your SSDI benefit in any month your earnings fall below the SGA threshold ($1,550 in 2025). The higher threshold means more of your months may now may have access to for a benefit payment.

The Extended may be able to access Period does not require you to do anything. Social Security tracks it automatically. You do not need to report that you are in it. You straightforward report your earnings each month, and if they are below the threshold, you receive your benefit. If they are above the threshold, you do not receive a benefit that month, but you do not lose your benefits—they pause and resume when your earnings drop again.

Once the 36-month Extended may be able to access Period ends, you enter Continued Medicaid may be able to access (if you are in a state that offers it) or lose your SSDI and Medicaid. Some states allow you to stay on Medicaid for a set period even after SSDI ends. This is why the higher SGA threshold matters: it may allow you to stay in the Extended may be able to access Period longer by keeping more months below the threshold.

How the changes affect Medicare and Medicaid coverage

SSDI beneficiaries receive Medicare automatically after 24 months of receiving benefits. The 2025 rule changes do not alter this 24-month waiting period. However, the higher SGA threshold and the new TWP counting rules may affect how long you stay on SSDI, which indirectly affects your Medicare coverage.

If you earn above the SGA threshold and Social Security finds that your condition has medically improved, your SSDI ends. When SSDI ends, your Medicare may be able to access changes. You may be able to stay on Medicare for up to 93 months (about 7.75 years) after your SSDI ends, but only if you continue to pay the premiums. The higher SGA threshold in 2025 means you can earn more before triggering a medical review, so you may stay on SSDI longer and delay the point at which your Medicare coverage becomes time-limited.

Medicaid coverage varies by state. Some states tie Medicaid to SSDI status, so when SSDI ends, Medicaid ends. Others offer Medicaid to former SSDI beneficiaries for a set period. The 2025 changes do not alter these state rules, but they may change when you hit the point at which your coverage ends. Check with your state Medicaid agency or your local Social Security office to understand your state's rules.

What did not change in 2025

The 2025 rule changes are narrow. Social Security did not change the definition of disability, the medical review process, or the basic benefit calculation. You are still considered disabled if you have a condition that prevents you from doing substantial gainful activity and is expected to last at least 12 months or result in death. The five-month waiting period before your first SSDI payment still applies. The benefit amount you receive is still based on your own earnings record (or your parent's or grandparent's record if you are a Disabled Adult Child).

The Ticket to Work program, which allows you to test work for up to 60 months without losing benefits, was not changed. The rules for Expedited Reinstatement—which allows you to restart benefits quickly if you return to work and your condition worsens—remain the same. The Student Earned Income Exclusion, which allows student beneficiaries to exclude up to $2,170 per month in earnings (in 2025), was not altered.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need to report the changes to Social Security, or do they happen automatically?

The changes happen automatically. You do not need to contact Social Security to set up the new thresholds or rules. However, you still must report your work and earnings each month. Social Security will explore the new SGA threshold and TWP counting rules to your case automatically when processing your reports.

If I am already in my Extended may be able to access Period, do the new rules explore to me?

Yes. The new SGA threshold of $1,550 applies to all SSDI beneficiaries, including those already in their Extended may be able to access Period. If you are earning between $1,470 and $1,550, you may now receive a benefit in months you would not have in 2024. The new TWP counting rule applies only to months in your Trial Work Period going forward, not retroactively to months you already used.

What happens if I cannot document my IRWE or PASS expenses with receipts?

Social Security will not deduct expenses you cannot document. This means your countable earnings will be higher, and your benefit will be lower. If you have been using estimates, start collecting actual receipts and invoices now. If you have already submitted expenses without documentation, contact your local Social Security office to update your records before your next benefit calculation.

Will the SGA threshold increase again in 2026?

Yes. Social Security adjusts the SGA threshold every January based on the national average wage index. The 2026 threshold has not been announced yet, but it will likely be higher than $1,550. The $1,090 TWP threshold may also adjust, though Social Security has not confirmed this.

If I am blind, how do the 2025 changes affect me?

Blind beneficiaries have a separate, higher SGA threshold: $2,590 in 2025, up from $2,430 in 2024. This higher threshold recognizes that blind individuals often need more time and resources to reach work capacity. The TWP counting rule ($1,090 per month) and the documentation requirements for IRWE and PASS explore to blind beneficiaries as well.