You can work and keep SSDI, but your earnings will be tracked against specific dollar limits

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) does not automatically stop when you work. Instead, Social Security measures your monthly earnings against a threshold called Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA). In 2025, the SGA limit is $1,550 per month for non-blind individuals and $2,590 per month for blind individuals. If your earnings stay below these amounts, you keep your full SSDI payment. If you exceed them, your benefits pause or reduce depending on how much you earn and which work incentive you are using.

The key is that Social Security counts only your work earnings, not other income like savings, rental income, or gifts. They also do not count certain types of work activity during specific trial periods. Understanding which earnings count and which do not is what determines whether you can work without losing benefits.

Key Takeaways

  • The 2025 SGA limit is $1,550 per month for non-blind workers; earnings above this amount can reduce or pause your SSDI payment.
  • Social Security has a nine-month Trial Work Period during which you can earn any amount and keep your full SSDI payment, as long as you report the work.
  • After the Trial Work Period ends, the Extended may be able to access period lets you work up to the SGA limit for 36 additional months without losing benefits.
  • You must report all work to Social Security within 30 days of starting a job, even if you think your earnings will be below the limit.
  • Some work expenses—like attendant care, equipment, or transportation related to your disability—reduce the earnings Social Security counts against the SGA limit.

The Trial Work Period: Nine months of unrestricted earnings

When you start working while on SSDI, you enter a nine-month Trial Work Period. During these nine months, you can earn any amount and Social Security will not reduce your SSDI payment. The only requirement is that you report the work to Social Security. A month counts toward the Trial Work Period only if you earn $240 or more in that month (this threshold does not change year to year).

The nine months do not have to be consecutive. If you work three months, stop for six months, then work again, the months you actually worked count toward your nine-month total. This flexibility lets you test whether you can sustain work without when ready losing your safety net.

After you use all nine months, the Trial Work Period ends. At that point, your earnings will be measured against the SGA limit. If you exceed SGA, your benefits will pause for that month and any following months in which you continue to exceed it.

Extended may be able to access: 36 months after the Trial Work Period

Once your nine-month Trial Work Period is over, you enter Extended may be able to access. This period lasts 36 months. During Extended may be able to access, you can work and earn up to the SGA limit ($1,550 in 2025 for non-blind workers) without losing your SSDI payment. Any month you earn at or below SGA, you receive your full benefit. Any month you earn above SGA, your benefit does not pay that month.

Extended may be able to access gives you a longer runway to see whether work is sustainable. If you find that you cannot maintain employment or that work triggers your disability symptoms, you can stop working and your benefits resume the next month you fall below SGA. You do not have to formally reapply.

If you continue working and earning above SGA throughout the entire 36-month Extended may be able to access period, your SSDI will end. Social Security will send you a notice before this happens, and you will have the chance to stop working if you want to keep benefits.

What earnings count toward the SGA limit

Social Security counts your gross wages—the amount before taxes, insurance, or other deductions. If you are self-employed, they count your net profit (income minus business expenses). They do not count income from savings, investments, rental property, or gifts.

Certain work-related expenses reduce the earnings Social Security counts. These include costs for attendant care, transportation to and from work, equipment or devices needed because of your disability, and medical devices. If you pay $200 per month for transportation to work because of your disability, Social Security subtracts that from your gross earnings before comparing to the SGA limit. You will need to document these expenses and report them to Social Security.

Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE) are the formal name for these deductions. You report them when you tell Social Security about your work, and you can update them if your expenses change. Keeping receipts and a record of what you spend is important, because Social Security may ask you to verify the amounts.

Reporting your work to Social Security

You must report work to Social Security within 30 days of starting a job. You can report by phone, mail, or online through your Social Security account. When you report, tell them your job title, the date you started, how many hours you work per week, and how much you earn per month. If your earnings or hours change, report the change within 30 days.

Failing to report work is one of the most common reasons SSDI beneficiaries lose benefits by mistake. Social Security may discover unreported work through tax records or other means, and when they do, they can overpay you (meaning you owe the money back) or suspend your benefits. Reporting is free and takes a few minutes, so it is worth doing right away.

If you are unsure whether your job counts as work under SSDI rules, report it anyway. Social Security will tell you whether it affects your benefits. It is better to report and learn you do not need to worry than to skip reporting and face problems later.

What happens if you earn above the SGA limit

If you earn above the SGA limit ($1,550 in 2025 for non-blind workers) in any month, your SSDI payment does not pay for that month. You do not lose the benefit permanently—it pauses. The next month, if your earnings drop back to or below SGA, your payment resumes.

This is different from losing benefits entirely. Your Medicare coverage continues even when your SSDI payment pauses, so you do not lose health insurance. Your work record stays active, and you do not have to reapply or go through the approval process again.

If you consistently earn above SGA for nine months out of any 60-month period, Social Security will send you a notice that your SSDI is ending. This gives you time to adjust your work hours or earnings if you want to keep benefits. If you do nothing, your benefits end at the end of that month.

Medicare and Medicaid while working

When your SSDI payment pauses because you earned above SGA, your Medicare coverage does not stop. You keep Medicare Part A (hospital insurance) and Part B (medical insurance) for at least 93 months (about 7.5 years) after your Trial Work Period ends, even if you are earning well above SGA and your SSDI payment has stopped. This is called Extended Medicare Coverage.

Medicaid rules vary by state. In some states, Medicaid ends when your SSDI payment ends. In others, you may stay on Medicaid if your income is still below the state limit, even though you are no longer receiving SSDI. Contact your state Medicaid office or your local Social Security office to find out what applies where you live.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I work part-time and still get my full SSDI payment?

Yes, as long as your monthly earnings stay at or below the SGA limit ($1,550 in 2025 for non-blind workers). During your nine-month Trial Work Period, you can earn any amount and keep your full payment. After that, you have 36 months of Extended may be able to access to work up to the SGA limit.

Do I lose SSDI when ready if I earn above the SGA limit?

No. Your payment pauses for that month only. If you earn above SGA again the next month, it pauses again. If you drop back to or below SGA, your payment resumes. You only lose SSDI permanently if you earn above SGA for nine months out of any 60-month period.

What if my job is temporary or seasonal?

Report it to Social Security the same way you would report any other work. Temporary or seasonal earnings still count toward SGA and toward your Trial Work Period. If you work seasonally and earn above SGA only during certain months, your payment will pause only those months.

Do I have to tell my employer I am on SSDI?

No. Your SSDI status is private. You do not have to disclose it to your employer. You only have to report the work itself to Social Security, not to your employer.

What if I start working and realize I cannot handle it because of my disability?

Stop working and tell Social Security. Your SSDI payment will resume the next month you earn below SGA. You do not lose benefits permanently, and you do not have to reapply. Your work history stays on record, so if you want to try working again later, you can pick up where you left off in your Trial Work Period or Extended may be able to access.