Will I Lose My Disability If I Work Part Time?
Working part-time can be more than an additional source of income for someone who is disabled and receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits. It also provides a sense of purpose, but you need to know and follow SSDI work rules.
If you want to return to work on a part-time basis, disability attorney guidance can help you avoid jeopardizing your benefits. Here is a look at the SSDI rules for working while receiving disability benefits.
Substantial Gainful Activity And Your SSDI Benefits
The Social Security Administration uses a definition of disability when evaluating applications for SSDI. Part of the definition is that a person must be unable to perform substantial gainful activity (SGA), meaning the ability to engage in significant work activities for substantial and gainful earnings. You may not think it, but part-time work can be SGA.
Social Security uses average monthly earnings to identify SGA. Depending on how much you earn from part-time work disability benefits may be at risk. The SGA monthly amount changes each year. If you are disabled and work part-time, earning more than $1,620 monthly in 2025, Social Security may determine that you can do SGA and are not disabled.
Working During A Trial Work Period
You can work and keep the money you earn, along with your monthly SSDI benefits, even if you exceed the monthly SGA amount. The trial work period is a work incentive program to help people who want to work without the earnings affecting their SSDI benefits.
A trial work period gives you nine months to work without the earnings affecting your disability benefits, even if you earn more than the SGA monthly amount. You have up to 60 months to use the nine trial months.
Trial work months are any months when your total earnings exceed a specific amount. The amount in 2025 is $1,160. The fact that you have earnings from work that exceed the SGA amount does not affect your SSDI benefits, provided you earn the money during the trial work period and continue to have a disability.
You must notify the Social Security Administration that you want to participate in a trial work period before it can begin. Any income that you earn from working while receiving disability benefits must be reported to Social Security, even if you are not participating in the trial work period program.
What Happens After A Trial Work Period?
Once you use the nine trial months or reach the 60-month program limit, you may continue working during a 36-month extended period of eligibility. If your earnings exceed the SGA limit during the extended period of eligibility, you will not receive a disability payment.
However, SSDI payments restart without reapplying for them when your monthly earnings fall below the SGA amount. The extended period of eligibility is an excellent chance to work part time without being afraid of losing your disability benefits.
Different Rules Apply For Supplemental Security Income
If you receive disability benefits through the SSI program, disability advocate advice is essential before working part time in order to protect your benefits. The SSI program has income and resource limitations, so the money you earn from working part time could cause a reduction in your monthly disability benefits.
SSI is a means-based program that does not have a trial work period, as does SSDI. The first $65 of monthly earnings from part-time work and half of the remaining earnings do not count as income. What is left reduces your monthly SSI benefits.
For example, if you earn $565 from a part-time job this month, only $250 counts as income after deducting the first $65 and half of the balance. If your monthly SSI disability benefit is $640, you would only receive $390 this month.
Get Advice Before Working Part Time
It’s a good idea to schedule a disability lawyer consultation to learn how the money you earn may affect your Social Security disability benefits. Many disability lawyers offer free consultations.
