One of the most common questions people have about Social Security Disability Insurance is whether they're allowed to work. The fear is understandable — you fought hard to get approved for SSDI, and the last thing you want is to lose your benefits by earning a paycheck. The good news is that yes, you can work while receiving SSDI. Social Security actually encourages it through several work incentive programs. But there are limits, and understanding them is essential.
In this article, we'll cover:
- Whether working affects your SSDI benefits
- What Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) means and why it matters
- How the Trial Work Period lets you test your ability to work
- The Extended Period of Eligibility and what happens after
- Special rules for self-employment
- How working on SSDI differs from working on SSI
The Substantial Gainful Activity Limit
The key concept for SSDI and work is Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA). Social Security defines SGA as earning above a certain monthly threshold. In 2026, the SGA limit is $1,690 per month for non-blind individuals and $2,830 per month for individuals who are blind.
If you consistently earn above the SGA limit, Social Security may determine that you're able to engage in substantial work and no longer meet the definition of disability. However — and this is crucial — there are built-in protections that give you time to test your ability to work before any decisions are made about your benefits.
The Trial Work Period
Social Security provides a Trial Work Period (TWP) that lets you work for up to nine months without any risk to your SSDI benefits, regardless of how much you earn. During the TWP, you receive your full SSDI payment even if your earnings far exceed the SGA limit.
A trial work month is any month in which you earn more than $1,210 in 2026. The nine trial work months don't have to be consecutive — they can be spread across a rolling 60-month (five-year) window. So if you work for three months, take a break, and then work for six more months, all nine months count toward your TWP.
This is designed to give you a genuine opportunity to see whether you can sustain employment without the fear of immediately losing benefits. It's one of the most generous work incentives in the SSDI program.
The Extended Period of Eligibility
After your nine-month Trial Work Period ends, you enter a 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE). During this period, Social Security looks at your earnings each month. In any month where your earnings are below the SGA limit ($1,690), you receive your full SSDI payment. In any month where your earnings exceed SGA, your SSDI payment is withheld for that month.
The first month after the TWP where your earnings exceed SGA is called your cessation month. After the cessation month, there's an additional three-month grace period where you still receive benefits regardless of earnings. After that, the EPE rules kick in — you get benefits in low-earning months and don't in high-earning months.
Once the 36-month EPE ends, if you're still earning above SGA, your SSDI benefits will be terminated. However, for the next five years (60 months), you can request an expedited reinstatement of benefits if you stop working due to your disability — without having to go through the full application process again.
Deductions That Can Reduce Your Countable Earnings
Not every dollar you earn counts toward the SGA limit. Social Security allows you to deduct certain expenses that are directly related to your disability and necessary for you to work. These are called Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWEs) and can include things like medications, specialized transportation, assistive devices, and attendant care services you need in order to work.
If you earn $1,900 per month but have $300 in qualifying IRWEs, your countable earnings would be $1,600 — below the SGA limit. Documenting these expenses is important and can make the difference between keeping and losing your benefits.
Social Security also has a subsidy deduction for situations where your employer pays you more than the reasonable value of your work or gives you special accommodations. If your employer provides significant support that enables you to do your job, the value of that support can be deducted from your earnings for SGA purposes.
Self-Employment Rules
If you're self-employed, Social Security evaluates your work activity differently. Rather than looking only at your earnings, they also consider how many hours you work and the nature of your contribution. Generally, if you work more than 80 hours per month in your business, Social Security may consider that SGA regardless of your net earnings.
Social Security also looks at whether your work is "comparable" to that of non-disabled individuals in similar businesses. The self-employment rules are more complex than the straightforward earnings test for employed individuals, so it's worth understanding the specifics if you're considering freelance or business work.
How SSDI Work Rules Differ from SSI
If you receive SSI instead of (or in addition to) SSDI, the work rules are quite different. SSI uses a gradual income reduction rather than a hard cutoff. For every $2 you earn above a $65 exclusion, your SSI payment is reduced by $1. There's no trial work period for SSI, and the SGA concept doesn't apply the same way.
If you receive both SSDI and SSI, the rules for each program apply to their respective payments. Your SSDI benefits follow the TWP and SGA rules, while your SSI follows the income reduction formula. This can be complex, and it's worth understanding how both programs interact if you're receiving concurrent benefits.
Returning to work while on SSDI is possible — and Social Security provides real support to help you try. Purple offers checking accounts built for disability benefit recipients, making it easier to manage your finances as your income situation changes.