Working part-time while receiving disability benefits offers more than just additional income. It offers a chance to test your ability to work and a strengthen a sense of purpose. Part-time work and disability benefits can work together, thanks to work incentives provided by the Social Security Administration.
Working While Collecting SSDI Benefits – Trial Work Program
If you receive disability benefits through the Social Security Disability Insurance program, you may have wondered: “Can I work part-time on disability?” You can work, without jeopardizing your SSDI benefits, provided you follow the rules of the trial work program.
Working and earning more than $1,620 monthly means that you can do substantial gainful activity and prevent you from continuing to receive disability benefits. A person who is blind could earn up to $2,700 per month. These amounts apply to 2025 and can change yearly.
The trial work program gives you the chance to earn as much as you can, including earning more than the substantial gainful activity limit, without risking the loss of your SSDI benefits. You start by notifying Social Security that you intend to work and wish to do so under the rules of the trial work program.
The trial work period is nine months, but they do not have to be used consecutively. You have up to 60 months to use them. A trial work month is one where your income from working exceeds $1,160 in 2025.
You get to retain your earnings from working and your disability benefits during the trial work period.
Extended period of eligibility and part-time work
The end of a trial work period need not mean the end of working while receiving SSDI benefits. Whether the trial period ends because you used all nine months of it or reached its five-year limit, the extended period of eligibility lets you continue working for up to 36 months without the income affecting your SSDI benefits.
Unlike during a trial work period, when you could earn as much as you wanted without it affecting your SSDI benefits, substantial gainful activity (SGA) earnings limits apply during the extended period of eligibility. If you earn more than SGA limits, you cannot continue to receive SSDI benefits.
If you lose your disability benefits, you can request reinstatement provided your earnings drop below the SGA limits. Reinstatement does not require a new application, provided you are within the extended period.
Can You Work Part-Time While Receiving SSI Disability Benefits?
If you receive disability benefits through the Supplemental Security Income program, working part-time may affect your monthly benefits. Some of the money you earn from working counts toward reducing the SSI benefits you receive.
Here is an example of what happens when a person receiving SSI benefits works part-time and earns $472 for the month:
- A monthly earned income exclusion of $65 reduces the $475 to $410.
- Of the $410, only half of it, $205, counts as earned income.
- The SSI benefits for the month will be reduced by $205.
A $20 unearned income exclusion also may be available, provided it was not used to exclude unearned income that you had for the month
Consult A Disability Lawyer
It’s essential to know and follow the Social Security rules for working part-time while receiving disability benefits to avoid putting your SSDI or SSI benefits at risk. Get more information by speaking to a disability lawyer.
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