CAN YOU WORK WHILE RECEIVING SSDI BENEFITS?

Social Security's guiding philosophy is that a person cannot work and be disabled at the same time.  Work, when it reaches a certain level, automatically terminates an SSDI benefit.  So, how much are you allowed to work on SSDI?

If you are receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits (SSDI), you are not permitted to work full-time or at "substantial gainful activity" (SGA).  Simply put, in 2019, you cannot earn at least $1,220 per month in wages, salary, tips, or self-employment income.  If you do earn at least $1,220 per month, you become ineligible for SSDI benefits and your check will be terminated, even if you still consider yourself to be "disabled."  It is the work which disqualifies you, not the income.  Remember, you can't work and be disabled at the same time according to Social Security's rules and beliefs.

I might point out, also, that all your wages get reported directly to Social Security by your employer.  Employers are required to deduct FICA taxes, which is a Social Security tax.  These wages are reported quarterly to Social Security and there is a computer in Baltimore that matches these wages to your Social Security number.  It may take them months, or even years, but they will know if you work.

If you reach the maximum threshold of $1,220 per month in wages, the computer will generate a "take action" notice and you will be contacted about the termination of SSDI benefits. However, Social Security is slow in everything they do, so you may work for months, even years, before they contact you about your earnings.  In that case, you may have received a lot of SSDI benefits that you will have to repay.  I've known of individuals who had to repay $30,00 or $40,000 to Social Security because they worked and failed to report it.

The above information refers only to SSDI (Title 2) benefits, not to Supplmental Security Income (SSI) benefits.  Any income, from almost any source, and in any amount, may affect eligibility under an SSI claim.  The rules for SSI are different.

Technically, you are allowed to work and earn below $1,220 per month while on SSDI benefits.  However, earnings may still trigger a Continuing Disability Review (CDR) because Social Security may want to re-examine your disability to see if you are now capable of full-time work.  So, if you work and earn $1,100 per month, you are under the SGA limit.  But that may still trigger a review to determine whether you are still disabled under Social Security's rules.  ("If you can earn $1,100 you could earn $1,220" mentality).

So, be extremely careful with work-related earnings or wages while receiving SSDI benefits.  If you are confused about any of this, you may want to get some professional advice before you potentially run into trouble with Social Security.