Standing in a warehouse setting, a man crosses his arms and grins at the camera. There are limits on how much you can work while applying for disability benefits.
Sitting down in the middle of a construction site, a man holds his hardhat in one hand while dabbing an injury on his forehead with the other. You can only work a certain amount before Social Security will reject you for disability benefits.
How Much Can You Work Before Social Security Disability Rejects You?
Social Security says you can’t get disability benefits if you’re working enough to reach what it calls “substantial gainful activity,” or SGA.
The main point of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits is to provide economic relief when medical conditions leave you unable to work.
You paid for these benefits when they withheld Social Security taxes from your paychecks. This is not a handout.
Under SGA, this is how much an individual could earn per month and still get benefits as of 2024:
- $1,550
The number goes up a little every year with the cost of living.
While some people think—or hope—that they can keep working full-time and supporting themselves while they apply for disability benefits, you can see it’s not so simple.
You may not be able to avoid a gap between your paychecks and your disability checks. You’ll need to prepare for that financially any way you can.
Sometimes, if you work while applying for disability benefits but have to stop after less than six months because of your health problems, you can get Social Security to excuse that work time as an “unsuccessful work attempt.” In these cases, they’ll still consider awarding you benefits.
Be careful, though. Social Security could take any work as a sign you don’t need benefits.
Say if you’re working part-time at 30 hours a week. A Social Security claims examiner might wonder why you couldn’t just do 40.
Of course, don’t forget your own physical well-being, either. It could be bad for your health to keep working. You don’t want to damage your body by trying to push through.
To figure out the best move for your circumstances, you can talk to the Alabama disability lawyer team at Clarkson Pennington Law for a free evaluation of your situation.
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In a workplace setting, two men wearing safety vests and hardhats talk to each other. The Alabama disability lawyers at Clarkson Pennington Law can point people to resources for getting by while waiting for disability benefits.
If I Can’t Work While Waiting for Disability Benefits, How Do I Manage?
What makes this process so hard is that it can take many months—sometimes a year or longer—to get a disability decision. And approval isn’t guaranteed.
How are you supposed to support yourself while waiting to hear about your SSDI?
Most Americans are only a few missed paychecks away from being in real financial trouble.
To get ready for the long haul of seeking disability benefits, our disability law team points people to these options and more:
- Make a claim for short-term or long-term disability insurance from a private insurance company, if your job has that option.
- Rely more on your spouse’s income, if possible.
- Use a source of income other than working, such as rental property, if you have it.
- See what help you could get from friends and family as you go through this process.
- Learn about community resources that could help you get by while you wait.
Now, for people already receiving disability benefits, there is a way to test whether you can go back to work without losing your benefits. Social Security allows you nine months of “trial work period” time during which you can keep receiving SSDI.
After that time, you go into an “extended period of eligibility” for 36 months. During this time, you would lose disability benefits in any month that you earn more than SGA; but you get benefits back in any month when you don’t hit SGA.
Decisions about quitting your job, applying for disability benefits, and surviving while you wait for a disability decision are extremely difficult.
The goal of our disability attorneys is to get you past this hardship and into a situation of more peace and stability.
Let’s talk about what you can do next.
Contact Us Today! »Help for Every Step of Getting Disability Benefits
Are you trying to figure out if you should even try getting disability benefits? Do you need to put in an application? Have you already applied, but been turned down? Your Alabama Social Security Disability lawyer can step in at any point and help you.
How Does Social Security Disability Work? Get Answers.
Social Security Disability is a huge, complicated program that often doesn’t seem like it cares much about you and your needs. Can’t get answers to your questions? Your disability attorney from Clarkson Pennington Law is the one who truly cares and guides you. Talk to us.
Common Questions About SSD »
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