What the 2014 SSDI income limits were

In 2014, Social Security Disability Insurance had two separate income limits that mattered depending on your situation. If you were working while receiving SSDI, you could earn up to $1,070 per month before Social Security started reducing your benefits. If you were blind, the limit was higher: $1,690 per month. These numbers are called Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) thresholds, and they change every year based on national wage averages.

The second limit applied if you had not yet been approved for SSDI but were still working. Social Security looked at your average monthly earnings over the past 12 months. If that average was above the SGA threshold, they would typically deny your claim because the assumption was that you could still work at a substantial level. This is why the 2014 limits mattered both during the process process and after you started receiving payments.

Key Takeaways

  • The 2014 SGA limit for non-blind workers was $1,070 per month; for blind workers it was $1,690 per month.
  • These limits determined whether you could work and still receive your full SSDI payment without reduction.
  • Earning above the SGA limit did not automatically stop your benefits, but it triggered a review and possible reduction.
  • The limits were set by Social Security each January based on changes in the national average wage index from the previous year.

How the 2014 limits affected your benefits if you were working

If you were receiving SSDI in 2014 and earned more than $1,070 per month (or $1,690 if blind), Social Security did not when ready cut off your benefits. Instead, they used a formula called the benefit reduction formula. For every dollar you earned above the limit, your monthly benefit was reduced by 50 cents. This meant that if you earned $1,170 per month, you would lose $50 in SSDI benefits that month.

There was also a separate rule called the trial work period, which allowed you to test your ability to work without losing benefits at all. During a trial work period, you could earn any amount and still receive your full SSDI payment. In 2014, a trial work period lasted nine months within a rolling 60-month window. After the trial work period ended, the SGA limits kicked in, and the benefit reduction formula applied.

Why 2014 limits matter if you're looking at past records

If you are reviewing old SSDI decisions or correspondence from 2014, the income limits in those documents are specific to that year. Social Security raises the SGA threshold almost every year, so the 2014 limits are no longer in effect. However, understanding what the limits were in 2014 can help you understand why a decision was made the way it was at that time.

For example, if you were denied SSDI in 2014 based on your earnings, and your circumstances have changed since then, you may have grounds to reopen your case. The current year's limits are higher, so your earnings might now fall below the threshold. You would need to contact Social Security directly to discuss whether reopening your case makes sense.

How the 2014 limits compared to other years

The 2014 SGA limit of $1,070 for non-blind workers was slightly higher than 2013, when it was $1,040. By 2015, it had risen to $1,090. This pattern of annual increases reflects the fact that Social Security adjusts the limits based on wage growth in the economy. The blind worker limit of $1,690 in 2014 was also higher than the previous year and continued to increase in subsequent years.

These year-to-year changes mean that your ability to work without losing benefits improved gradually over time. If you had been denied in 2013 based on earnings just above the limit, you might have had a better chance of approval in 2014 or later years, even with the same income, because the threshold had moved up.

What happened if you earned above the limit in 2014

Earning above the SGA limit did not mean you automatically lost SSDI. Social Security reviewed your case, and if your earnings were consistently above the limit, they would eventually determine that you were no longer disabled and could work at a substantial level. This information could take several months because Social Security looked at trends in your earnings, not just a single month.

If your earnings went above the limit for just one or two months, Social Security typically did not take action. They were looking for a pattern that showed you could sustain work above the SGA level. If you had a temporary spike in earnings but then returned to lower amounts, you could explain that to Social Security, and it would not necessarily trigger a benefit termination.

Understanding the difference between SGA and other work incentives in 2014

The SGA limit was one way to measure work capacity, but Social Security also had other programs in 2014 that let you work and keep benefits. The Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) program allowed you to set aside income and resources for a specific work goal without it counting against your SSDI. The Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWE) program let you deduct certain costs of working—like medical equipment or transportation related to your disability—before Social Security calculated your earnings.

These programs existed in 2014 and still exist today, but they required advance planning and approval from Social Security. If you had been working in 2014 and wanted to use PASS or IRWE, you would have needed to contact your local Social Security office to set up the program before your earnings climbed too high. Many people did not know these options existed, which is why understanding them now can be useful if you are reviewing old decisions.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I earned $1,200 a month in 2014, would I lose all my SSDI?

No. You would lose $65 per month in benefits (half of the $130 you earned above the $1,070 limit), but you would still receive the rest of your SSDI payment. The benefit reduction formula reduced your payment by 50 cents for each dollar over the limit, not dollar-for-dollar.

Did the 2014 limits explore to Supplemental Security Income as well as SSDI?

No. SSI has its own income limits, which are different from SSDI SGA thresholds. In 2014, SSI had a monthly resource limit and a separate earned income exclusion. If you were receiving both SSDI and SSI, the SSDI SGA limit applied to your SSDI, but your SSI was governed by different rules.

If I was denied SSDI in 2014 because I earned too much, can I reapply now?

You may be able to reopen your case if your circumstances have changed significantly. Contact your local Social Security office with information about your current health status and work capacity. If your medical condition has worsened or you are no longer working, Social Security can review your case under current limits and rules.

How did Social Security know what I earned in 2014?

Social Security received earnings reports from your employer through the wage reporting system, and you also reported your earnings directly to them. If you were self-employed, you reported earnings on your tax return. Social Security cross-checked these sources to verify your income.