The medical standard to be approved for Social Security disability requires documentation that you cannot do substantial gainful work activity. The inability to work must be the result of a medically diagnosable physical or mental impairment expected to last for at least one year or result in death.
This medical standard might appear to preclude you from working while on disability through the Social Security Disability Insurance program. The Social Security Administration has work rules for people with disabilities who receive SSDI benefits that allow them to work without it affecting their ability to continue to receive disability benefits.
This blog explains the work rules and how much money can you make on disability by making use of them. Learn how the rules apply to you and your benefits by getting advice and guidance from the disability professionals at Sackett and Associates, the outstanding Northern California disability lawyers helping people nationwide for more than 45 years.
Substantial Gainful Activity Limits
If you receive SSDI benefits, you generally cannot earn more than the substantial gainful activity (SGA) threshold. The medical standard used in the application evaluation process uses the SGA threshold to determine whether you have the ability to work.
The threshold is based on your monthly earnings from working. The threshold changes annually. The 2026 SGA threshold for someone who cannot work because of being blind is $2,830, and $1,690 for someone with a disability other than blindness.
Working and earning more than the disability income limits of the SGA threshold shows you are not disabled. If you receive SSDI benefits, they will stop. However, the Social Security work rules let you work, and in some instances, earn more than the SGA threshold without losing your benefits.
Steps to take when working while receiving disability benefits
Returning to work while receiving Social Security disability benefits offers a way to earn extra income, but it also allows you to test your ability to eventually return to working on a full-time basis. You must immediately notify the SSA about the following:
- When you begin or stop working.
- The hours, duties, and earnings.
- Changes in the hours you work, your duties, and your earnings.
- Expenses you pay because of your disability to be able to work.
You must also report to the SSA the amount of money you earn each month from working.
Social Security work Incentives
SSA work incentives help individuals realize their goal of working while receiving disability benefits. For instance, the Ticket to Work program provides access to the following:
- Vocational rehabilitation
- Job training
- Assistance in finding a job
Those using these services will not be subject to the periodic medical reviews of their SSDI benefits as long as they make progress toward their work goals.
Other work incentives include:
- Trial Work Period
- Extended Period of Eligibility
- Expedited Reinstatement
- Continuation of Medicare
The Trial Work Period lets you work, retain the money you earn, and continue to receive your SSDI benefits even if you exceed the SSDI substantial gainful activity limit.
A trial work period is composed of nine months, though you do not have to use them consecutively. Any month that you earn more than $1,210 is a trial work month in 2026, and you have up to 60 months to use the nine trial work months.
At the end of a trial work period, you may opt to continue working under an Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE). During the EPE, you have 36 months to work while continuing to receive SSDI benefits. However, you will not receive disability benefits for any month that your earnings from working exceed the Social Security disability earnings limit for SGA.
If your benefits stop because of earnings that exceed disability income limits, you have five years to request expedited reinstatement of them. As long as the request is within a five-year EPE, a new application will not be required.
Medicare Continuation And Work Expenses Work Incentives
Working while receiving SSDI benefits does not jeopardize your Medicare coverage when working under an SSA Work Incentive program. For example, if your work earnings during an EPE exceed the SGA threshold, your SSDI benefits stop. The coverage you have through Medicare continues for up to 93 months, provided you continue to be disabled.
If a disability requires you to pay for items or services to make it possible for you to work, you may deduct their cost from your monthly earnings. The deduction may reduce your earnings below the SGA threshold.
Learn More from a Disability Lawyer at Sackett Law
Working while receiving SSDI benefits can provide you with additional income while enabling you to test your ability to do work-related activities. Before you begin working, get advice from the disability professionals at Sackett and Associates to avoid risking the loss of your benefits because of a violation of SSA work rules. Learn more by reaching out to Sackett Law today for a free consultation.
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