Living without a paycheck while applying for Social Security Disability Insurance or Supplemental Security Income poses financial challenges. You may not have to give up a paycheck or stop working while applying for disability California provided you follow specific rules.
At Sackett and Associates, Northern California’s premier disability law firm, we focus on helping people with disabilities through rough times with guidance and representation in claims for SSDI and SSI. As you read through this blog about working while applying for or receiving disability benefits, contact us for a consultation.
Applying for disability benefits while working
Applying for disability benefits while working may seem like a contradiction, but it is possible. The Social Security Administration defines a disability as the inability to do any substantial gainful activity caused medically determinable physical or mental impairment that is expected to result in death or to last for at least 12 months.
When evaluating an application for disability benefits, the SSA determines the applicant’s ability to engage in substantial gainful activity based on the applicant’s monthly earnings. The federal government sets a substantial gainful activity earnings threshold that changes each year.
An individual working in 2026 does substantial gainful activity when their monthly earnings exceed $1,690. A person applying for SSDI because of blindness has an SGA monthly threshold of $2,026. Note that the blindness threshold does not apply to applicants for SSI benefits.
A word of caution about substantial gainful activity California. Although you may earn less than the SGA monthly threshold working part-time while applying for benefits, a claims examiner may determine that you have the capacity to do full-time work and earn more.
Self-employed applicants undergo a slightly different evaluation when working while applying for benefits. The evaluation process looks at the effort a self-employed claimant puts into their business. An examiner may determine that the effort amounts to substantial activity.
If applying for Supplemental Security Income benefits, you need to be mindful of SSI income rules CA. The money you earn from working could reduce the amount that you receive after your application is approved.
SSI is a needs-based program with income and resource limits. Work earnings generally reduce monthly SSI benefits, so speak to a Sackett Law representative to learn how working after approval of your application may affect you.
Ability to do past or other types of work
Another issue, besides the SSDI income limits, California has for substantial gainful work activity, has to do with your ability to do past relevant work or to adjust to do other types of work available in the national economy. The Social Security Administration uses a five-step sequential evaluation process to determine whether to approve an application for disability benefits.
Steps four and five of the process use residual functional capacity (RFC) to determine your ability to perform the work that you did in the past five years or to transition to other types of work. An individual’s RFC is the result of an assessment of the limitations they experience from their medical condition and the restrictions it places on their ability to engage in work-related physical and mental activities, such as remembering, lifting, carrying, sitting, and walking.
RFC takes into consideration the work activities that you are capable of performing and those activities restricted due to your physical or mental health impairments. The RFC assessment provides a claims examiner the ability to choose one of the following exertion levels that applies to you:
- Sedentary: Occasionally lift up to 10 pounds, occasionally carry small objects, walk or stand for up to two hours, and sit for six hours.
- Light: Occasionally lift up to 20 pounds, frequently carry up to 10 pounds, walk or stand for six hours, and sit without limitations.
- Medium: Occasionally lift 20-50 pounds, frequently lift 10-25 pounds, frequently carry up to 25 pounds, walk or stand for six hours.
- Heavy: Occasionally lift 50-100 pounds, frequently lift or carry 50 pounds, and walk or stand for six to eight hours.
RFC also considers mental limitations, such as the ability to remember, respond appropriately, concentrate, get along with others, and adjust to workplace changes.
Step five of the evaluation uses RFC, along with the following, to decide whether you can adjust to do other types of work:
- Age
- Education
- Work experience
- Transferable vocational skills
Working while applying for disability benefits may provide a claims examiner with the ability to evaluate the type of work that you do and your duties. This may lead to a determination that you can do past work or adjust to other available types of work.
Contact an experienced Northern California disability attorney
The need for disability benefits and work CA may conflict when applying for SSDI or SSI benefits. The disability professionals at Sackett and Associates provide advice and representation to get you through the process. Contact Sackett Law today for a free consultation and case evaluation.
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