How Many Hours Can You Work On Disability?

How Many Hours Can You Work While on Disability?

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If you are disabled and receiving disability benefits from the Social Security Administration, those benefits are probably an essential source of financial support and stability during a time when you’re unable to work and earn income as you otherwise would. If that’s the case, it’s understandable that you probably want to do all you can to ensure that you protect and preserve your right to continue receiving those benefits for as long as you need them. Often, however, as time goes on, you may find yourself able to work again, at least in some capacity. If this is the case, you may wonder whether returning to work will result in the termination of your disability benefits. If not, how many hours can you work and still receive benefits? Let’s take a closer look at the law together.

What is the “Substantial Gainful Activity” Limit?

Although the law can seem complex, the general rule concerning an attempt to return to work is that an individual cannot do so long-term and continue to receive benefits if they are consistently earning above the “substantial gainful activity” limit.

The Social Security Administration uses the term “substantial gainful activity” to describe a particular level of work activity and earnings. It generally considers work to be “substantial” if it requires that an individual engage in significant physical or mental activities, and “gainful” if it is performed for pay or profit and is of a nature generally performed for pay or profit.

For those engaged in substantial gainful activity, the Social Security Administration sets an annual limit on earnings without risking discontinuation of benefits. In 2026, the SGA limit for blind individuals is $2,830 per month, while the SGA limit for non-blind recipients is $1,690 per month.

While this may sound concerning, it’s important to remember that even if your benefits are discontinued, you will ideally be earning income to replace them. It’s also important to understand that benefits will usually not terminate immediately. Typically, the Social Security Administration allows a “trial work period” to occur before benefits are discontinued.

What is a “Trial Work Period”?

As it sounds, the “trial work period” is a period in which disability benefit recipients can attempt to return to work without losing access to their disability benefits. After all, many who may want to return to work might feel reluctant to do so if they felt that their benefits might immediately be discontinued.

The trial work period usually lasts for nine months, although those nine months do not have to be consecutive. Instead, they exist within a rolling 60-month period. The trial work period is automatically initiated when a beneficiary earns above the SGA amount in a given month. In some cases, a beneficiary may work for one month in a new job, find it not a good fit, and then try another job a few months later. As we have noted, the nine months do not have to run consecutively, so the time the employee was not working will not typically count toward the trial work period.

It may also be helpful to know that even after the nine-month trial work period ends and benefits are set to be discontinued, there is generally a 36-month grace period. During the grace period, at any time in the 36 months that you earn less than your SSDI benefit amount, you may request to collect your benefit to compensate for the difference.

A Look at Return-to-Work Incentives

Ultimately, the Social Security Administration wants recipients to be able to return to work. In addition to offering the trial work period, the Social Security Administration offers other incentives for those attempting to return to work. One important incentive that many recipients often choose to use is the Ticket to Work program.

The Ticket to Work program offers a variety of resources to help those attempting to return to work. Some of these resources include vocational rehabilitation, job training, and other forms of employment-related assistance. During an individual’s participation in the Ticket to Work program, disability benefits typically continue uninterrupted and in the full amount.

Muse Disability – Here For You

At Muse Disability, we know that your disability benefits are very important to you. We know that they can make a significant difference as you try to provide for yourself and your family during a very difficult time. That’s why we’re here to help you do all you can to protect those benefits and pursue your legal rights under the law. Our talented and experienced team of attorneys understands every aspect of disability benefits law, and we’d love to learn your story and let you know how we can help. If you’re ready to get started today, give us a call. We look forward to speaking with you soon.

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