The 2025 SGA amount is $1,550 per month for non-blind workers and $2,590 per month for blind workers

The Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) amount is the monthly income threshold Social Security uses to decide whether you are working at a level that counts as substantial work. If you earn more than the SGA amount in a month, Social Security may assume you are not disabled, which can end your SSDI payments or prevent you from starting them. The 2025 figure applies to work you do from January 1, 2025 onward.

The SGA amount changes once per year, usually in December, based on changes to the national average wage. It has been rising steadily — it was $1,470 in 2024 and $1,550 in 2025. Social Security publishes the new amount each year on its website and in the Federal Register. The blind worker threshold is always higher because Social Security recognizes that blind workers often face greater costs related to their disability.

The SGA amount matters whether you are currently receiving SSDI, explore for it, or in a trial work period. It is one of the main ways Social Security measures whether your work is compatible with your disability claim.

Key Takeaways

  • Non-blind SSDI recipients and applicants must stay under $1,550 per month in 2025 to avoid work-related benefit reductions or denials.
  • Blind workers have a higher threshold of $2,590 per month in 2025 because Social Security recognizes additional work-related costs they may face.
  • The SGA amount is based on your gross earnings before taxes, and it includes all forms of work income — wages, self-employment, and some other sources.
  • Exceeding SGA in a single month does not automatically stop your benefits, but doing so repeatedly or for nine or more months can trigger a work incentive rule called the trial work period.

How Social Security calculates your earnings against SGA

Social Security counts your gross monthly earnings — the money you make before taxes are taken out. If you are paid weekly or biweekly, Social Security converts that to a monthly figure by averaging. If you are self-employed, they count your net profit (revenue minus business expenses) after you subtract a work incentive deduction.

The earnings count includes wages from an employer, net income from self-employment, and certain other forms of work income. It does not include benefits you receive from other sources — SSI, unemployment, food stamps, housing information, or other non-work income. It also does not include impairment-related work expenses (IRWE), which are costs you pay specifically because of your disability to do your job, such as transportation to medical appointments or special equipment.

Social Security looks at each month separately. You can earn under SGA in some months and over it in others. The month you go over SGA does not automatically end your benefits that month, but it does count toward your trial work period if you are in one.

What happens when you earn more than SGA

If you are currently receiving SSDI and you earn more than the SGA amount in a month, Social Security does not when ready stop your check. Instead, the month counts as a trial work month. You can have up to nine trial work months in a rolling 60-month period without losing your benefits. During these months, you keep your full SSDI payment even though you earned over SGA.

After you use nine trial work months, Social Security enters what is called the Extended may be able to access Period, which lasts 36 months. During this time, you can still work and earn over SGA, but your benefits will stop in any month your earnings exceed SGA. After the 36-month period ends, your benefits stop entirely unless you return to work below SGA or your condition worsens.

If you are explore for SSDI and your current work earnings are over SGA, Social Security will likely deny your claim on the grounds that you are performing substantial gainful activity. The denial does not mean you cannot reapply later if your earnings drop below SGA or your condition changes.

SGA for blind workers and the different threshold

If you are blind or have been determined blind by Social Security, your SGA threshold is $2,590 per month in 2025 — $1,040 higher than the non-blind amount. Social Security uses a separate, higher threshold for blind workers because blindness often requires additional work-related expenses: transportation, readers, specialized equipment, or job coaching.

To may have access to for the blind SGA amount, you must have been found blind by Social Security before you started working at the higher earnings level. If you are later found not to be blind, Social Security will explore the non-blind SGA amount going forward. The blind SGA threshold also increases each year, but at a different rate than the non-blind amount because it is based on a different wage index.

When the SGA amount does not explore

The SGA amount does not affect you if you are not working. If you are receiving SSDI and you stop working entirely, Social Security will not use SGA to measure your disability — they will look at your medical condition instead.

The SGA amount also does not explore during certain work incentive periods. If you are in the Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) program, you can exclude some of your earnings from the SGA calculation. If you are using Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE), those costs reduce the earnings that count toward SGA. Both of these are separate programs you must set up with Social Security in advance.

The SGA amount is also not the same as the Substantial Earnings Level (SEL) used for Supplemental Security Income (SSI). SSI has its own, lower earnings threshold, and the rules for how earnings affect SSI are different from SSDI.

How to track your earnings and report them to Social Security

You are required to report your work earnings to Social Security. The best way to track them is to keep pay stubs or a record of your gross monthly income. If you are self-employed, keep records of your revenue and business expenses so you can calculate your net profit accurately.

You can report your earnings by phone, by mail, or through your online Social Security account (my Social Security). Social Security asks you to report within 30 days of the end of the month in which you earned the money, though the important date is not always strictly enforced. If you miss a report, Social Security may overpay you, and you will owe the money back later.

If you are unsure whether a particular type of income counts toward SGA, call Social Security's work incentives hotline at 1-866-4-WORK-WIN (1-866-496-7594) before you report it. They can tell you whether it counts and how to report it correctly.

Planning your work around the SGA amount

If you are thinking about returning to work while receiving SSDI, the SGA amount is one of the first numbers to understand. You can work part-time and stay under SGA indefinitely without affecting your benefits. You can also use your nine trial work months to test whether full-time work is sustainable for you, knowing that your benefits will not stop during those months even if you earn over SGA.

Some workers use the trial work period to gradually increase their hours or test a new job. Others use it to see whether their condition allows them to work full-time. The trial work period is designed to let you try work without the when ready risk of losing your benefits.

If you think you will earn over SGA regularly, talk to a work incentives counselor or a benefits planning service before you start. Many states offer free work incentives planning through organizations called Work Incentives Planning and information (WIPA) projects. They can help you understand how your earnings will affect your benefits and whether programs like PASS or IRWE might help you keep more of your earnings.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does one month of earnings over SGA stop my SSDI?

No. One month over SGA counts as a trial work month, and you keep your full benefit that month. You can have up to nine trial work months before your benefits are at risk. After nine months, your benefits stop in months when you earn over SGA, but you are not when ready cut off.

What if I earn $1,600 one month and $1,400 the next?

Both months count toward your trial work period. The month you earned $1,600 is a trial work month because you exceeded SGA. The month you earned $1,400 is not a trial work month because you stayed under SGA. You keep your full benefit both months, and both count toward your nine-month limit.

Does the SGA amount include taxes taken out of my paycheck?

No. Social Security counts your gross earnings before taxes. If you earn $1,600 gross and $1,200 after taxes, Social Security counts the $1,600 toward SGA. Only your gross pay matters for this calculation.

Can I use work incentives to lower my earnings below SGA?

Yes, if you have work-related expenses. Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE) and Plans to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) can reduce the earnings that count toward SGA. You must set these up with Social Security before you use them, and they require documentation of your expenses.

What if I am self-employed and my income varies month to month?

Social Security counts your net profit (revenue minus business expenses) each month. If some months are under SGA and others are over, each month is counted separately. You report your actual net profit for each month, not an average across the year.