CAN I KEEP WORKING ONCE I’M RECEIVING SSDI BENEFITS?

If you would like to keep working, you can do so as long as your income is not too high. Once your income reaches the maximum amount and SSA determines you are able to engage in “substantial gainful activity,” you will lose your SSDI benefits.

When you first start working, you get a trial work period during which you get full SSDI benefits regardless of your income. Your trial work period ends after 9 months. You then get 36 more months, during which you can work and still get SSDI benefits. During these 36 months, called the extended period of eligibility, you get SSDI benefits as long as your earnings that month are less than “substantial.” In 2013, SSA determined that any income above $1040 was “substantial.” Once you earn more than a substantial income in any month, you get a grace period of three months and then you will lose your SSDI benefits.

If you lose your SSDI benefits because you have substantial income, you have five years to ask for your SSDI benefits back if your disability again prevents you from working. During those five years, you do not have to reapply for SSDI or wait for a disability reevaluation and your benefits will be reinstated in an expedited manner.

It is important to note that you should be honest and straightforward about your employment, even if you are being paid “under the table.” If you cannot prove how much you are making, it is often assumed that you are making over the limit and your benefits may be lost. Not documenting how much income you earn may also undercut your credibility, and your credibility may be one of the most important factors in the outcome of an appeal.