The Trial Work Period begins the first month you earn over $940 in a single month

Your Trial Work Period (TWP) does not start on a fixed date set by Social Security. It starts the first calendar month in which you earn more than $940 in wages or net self-employment income. That month counts as month one of your nine-month period, even if you only earned $941.

Social Security tracks this automatically once you report your work. You do not need to request that the TWP begin — it begins the moment your monthly earnings cross that threshold. The $940 figure is set by federal law and does not change based on your state or your specific situation.

If you stop working or your earnings drop below $940 in a later month, that month does not count toward your nine months. The clock does not run during months you earn $940 or less. This means your TWP can stretch across more than nine calendar months if you have breaks in work or low-earning months in between.

Key Takeaways

  • Your Trial Work Period starts the first month you earn over $940, not when you tell Social Security you are working.
  • Only months in which you earn more than $940 count toward your nine-month period; low-earning or no-work months do not advance the clock.
  • You must report your work to Social Security within 30 days of starting a job or changing your earnings, or your benefits may stop without warning.
  • After your nine months end, you enter the Extended Period of may be able to access, during which you can still receive benefits in months you earn under the substantial gainful activity limit.

How to Report Work and Trigger the Trial Work Period

You are required to tell Social Security that you have started working. Call your local Social Security office or the main SSDI line at 1-800-772-1213 within 30 days of starting work. Have your job start date, employer name, and expected monthly earnings ready.

Social Security will ask you to estimate your monthly gross wages or net self-employment income. This estimate is what they use to determine whether you have crossed the $940 threshold and whether your TWP has begun. If your estimate is wrong and you later earn significantly more or less, you will need to report the correction.

You can also report work online through your my Social Security account, though the phone call is faster and creates a clear record. Do not assume that Social Security knows you are working because you filed taxes or because your employer reports wages — you must tell them directly.

What Happens During the Nine Months

During your nine-month Trial Work Period, you keep your full SSDI benefit check every month, regardless of how much you earn. There is no earnings limit during these nine months. You could earn $500 one month and $5,000 the next, and your benefit stays the same.

The only requirement is that you report your earnings to Social Security. If you do not report, and Social Security discovers you were working, they can overpay you and demand repayment later. The safest approach is to report your earnings every month, either through your my Social Security account or by calling your local office.

These nine months do not have to be consecutive. If you work three months, take two months off, then work again, only the months you earned over $940 count. The months you did not work or earned under $940 do not count, and the clock pauses during those months.

Tracking Your Months and Knowing When the Period Ends

Social Security keeps an official record of which months count toward your nine. You can see this record in your my Social Security account under "Work Activity" or by calling your local office and asking them to read your Trial Work Period months to you. Write down the months they tell you — this is your proof of where you stand.

Once you have used nine months, Social Security will send you a notice explaining that your Trial Work Period has ended and that you are now in the Extended Period of may be able to access. This notice usually arrives within a few weeks of your ninth month ending. If you do not receive it, call and ask for confirmation of your TWP end date.

Do not rely on memory or a calendar you keep yourself. Social Security's record is the official one, and if there is a disagreement, theirs is what matters for your benefits. If you believe they have counted a month incorrectly, ask for an explanation in writing and request a correction if needed.

What Happens if You Miss the Reporting important date

If you start working and do not report it within 30 days, Social Security may not count that month toward your TWP. Worse, if they discover the unreported work later, they can overpay you and demand the money back, even if the overpayment was their mistake in not catching it sooner.

If you have already missed the 30-day window, report the work now. Explain to Social Security when you started and when you should have reported it. They may still count the month if you report it before they discover the unreported earnings on their own, but there is no may provide. The safest rule is to report within 30 days every time.

The Difference Between Trial Work Period and Extended Period of may be able to access

After your nine Trial Work Period months end, you move into the Extended Period of may be able to access (EPE), which lasts 36 months. During the EPE, you can still receive your SSDI benefit in any month you earn under the substantial gainful activity limit — currently $1,550 per month for non-blind beneficiaries and $2,590 for blind beneficiaries.

The EPE is not a second work period where you can earn unlimited amounts. It is a safety net. If you earn under the limit in a month, you get your full benefit. If you earn over the limit, you do not get a benefit that month. Once the 36-month EPE ends, your benefits stop unless you return to work and then stop again, which can restart the whole process.

Many people confuse the TWP with the EPE and think they have unlimited earning time for 36 months. They do not. The TWP is your nine months of unlimited earnings; the EPE is your 36 months of conditional earnings. Understanding which period you are in is critical to knowing whether your benefit will continue.

What to Do if Social Security Disagrees About Your Start Date

If Social Security tells you that your TWP started in a different month than you expected, ask them to explain which month they are using and why. The start month should be the first month you earned over $940. If you earned $500 in January and $1,200 in February, your TWP should start in February.

If there is a disagreement, ask Social Security to send you a written statement of your Trial Work Period months. You can then review it and request a correction if it is wrong. If they refuse to correct it, you can file a request for reconsideration with your local office, which triggers a review by a different Social Security employee.

Keep records of your own earnings by month — pay stubs, bank deposits, or self-employment records. If Social Security's record does not match your records, you have proof to show them. This is especially important if you are self-employed, because Social Security sometimes miscalculates net self-employment income.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can my Trial Work Period start in the middle of a month?

No. Social Security counts by calendar month, not by the day you started working. If you earn over $940 at any point in a calendar month, that entire month counts as month one of your TWP. The day you started does not matter — only whether you crossed $940 in that month.

What if I earn exactly $940 in a month?

That month does not count. The threshold is over $940, not $940 or more. You must earn $941 or higher in a month for it to count toward your nine months. If you earned $940, that month is skipped and the clock does not advance.

Do I have to report my earnings every month during the Trial Work Period?

You should report them every month to avoid overpayment problems later. Social Security requires you to report within 30 days of the end of the month in which you earned the money. Monthly reporting through your my Social Security account is the fastest and safest method.

What happens to my benefits if I forget to report work during my Trial Work Period?

Your benefits will not stop during the TWP itself — you keep your full check regardless of earnings. However, if Social Security discovers unreported work later, they can overpay you and demand repayment. Report promptly to avoid this problem.

Can my Trial Work Period start and stop multiple times?

No. You get one nine-month Trial Work Period per work attempt. Once those nine months are used, they are gone. You then enter the Extended Period of may be able to access for 36 months. After that, if your benefits end and you return to work later, you would be starting a new work attempt with a new TWP, but this is a separate situation.