Working part time can push your income over the limit for Social Security Disability, causing you to be denied benefits. Your ability to work must be severely limited to get SSD. Check if your work will disqualify you.
Protecting Your Eligibility for Social Security Disability
If you’re seeking Social Security Disability, you may be able to work part time, or some limited amount, without getting denied benefits.
Be careful what part-time jobs you apply for and take, because too much or certain kinds of work could cause you to lose disability benefits. Benefits are meant for people who can’t work much.
Talk the Morgan Weisbrod Dallas disability attorneys about how to claim disability benefits if you still have some income from work.
We can tell you about Social Security’s measure for when you’re working too much to qualify for disability benefits—Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA).
If you’re looking ahead to receiving benefits and planning a return to work, we can tell you about programs that let people try working without immediately jeopardizing their disability benefits.
Money is tight, and it’s understandable you want to work at least a little for cash to survive.
The problem is that Social Security could view any work you do as a sign you’re able to work enough to support yourself and reject your disability benefits, which otherwise could provide long-term financial assistance.
You must meet strict income limits when you’re receiving disability benefits. Don’t do anything that could risk your access to this financial lifeline.
Whether you’re ready to apply for Social Security Disability or wondering what happens after you’ve been receiving benefits and think you could return to work on a trial basis, consult the disability lawyers of Morgan Weisbrod.
We’ll help you maintain your financial stability.
Morgan Weisbrod has helped thousands of Texans win disability benefits.
To get our help, you pay no fee until you win benefits.
How Social Security Decides if Your Part-Time Work Is “Substantial Gainful Activity”
When you’re wondering how much you can work and still get disability benefits, the most important measurement you need to understand is called “Substantial Gainful Activity.”
If you can earn enough money to reach the SGA threshold, the government might think that you can work enough to support yourself, and you don’t need Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits.
As of 2026, the numbers to keep in mind are:
- $1,690 per month for non-blind people
- $2,830 per month for people with blindness
These are gross earnings, not your take-home pay after taxes and other deductions are taken out. Earn more than that, and your chance at benefits approval is at risk.
Tips, bonuses and employer-provided benefits could also count towards your SGA calculation.
Even if you don’t think your wages will reach SGA, taking a part-time position that requires significant mental or physical stamina could affect your SSDI benefits.
Social Security may see that as a sign you could work more and deny you.
So be careful if you try to work while you’re applying for or receiving disability benefits. You also need to make sure you report any wages to Social Security.
The Moran Weisbrod Texas disability lawyers can tell you more about how you can work, keep your benefits, and protect your financial independence in these tough times.
Get a FREE disability claim evaluation.
How Impairment-Related Expenses in Your Job Could Save Your Social Security Disability
Many people who take on a part-time job while on disability benefits require accommodation in the workplace.
Any accommodation that your employer makes for you should be considered and possibly subtracted from your SGA calculation when the Social Security Administration (SSA) looks at your wages from part-time work.
There are also other Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWEs) that can affect your SGA calculation. These are expenses you face due to your disability when you work.
Some common examples of IRWEs include:
- Prescription medications you need to be able to function on the job
- Expenses related to vehicle modifications or other specialized transportation needs
- Medical and assistive technology you need to do your job
- Other accommodations your employer makes for you, like giving you less work than other employees or extra breaks
When Social Security looks at your earnings, your workplace’s accommodations and IRWEs can count toward lowering your total.
This means that your paycheck could exceed SGA, but you still could be eligible for disability benefits because health-related expenses offset some of your income.
Carefully track these expenses and report them to the SSA to protect your benefits.
Our Dallas disability attorneys can tell you more about how this may apply to you and help you avoid common pitfalls that endanger disability benefits.
How a Trial Work Period Can Keep You from Losing Disability Benefits if You Work Part Time
Later in the disability benefits process, when you try to work part time while receiving SSDI, a Trial Work Period can allow you to protect your benefits while testing out your ability to return to work.
In a Trial Work Period, you’re allowed to work and earn money, even if it exceeds SGA, for up to nine months during a 60-month period. Any month you can work and earn over $1,210 will count toward your trial.
Keep in mind this is different from the SGA threshold. Don’t assume that a month doesn’t count as a part of this nine-month trial work period because you didn’t earn enough to cross that SGA line.
If you can return to work and support yourself, that is great news.
But if it turns out you can’t keep working because your health problems are still too much to deal with, with a Trial Work Period you don’t endanger your benefits.
Working While Receiving SSI Benefits
You may also be able to work part-time while receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits. Working will reduce your SSI payments by $1 for every $2 earned over $65 per month.
If you work while receiving SSI, you need to remember this is a program based on financial need. If you have too much income or too many assets available to you, you cannot continue to receive SSI benefits even if you have a disability.
If you start working on SSI and your payments stop, you can ask the SSA to restart your benefits at a later date when your disability begins to interfere with your ability to work again.
You don’t need to file a new Social Security Disability claim if it’s been less than five years since you stopped receiving SSI.
As with working on SSDI, it’s extremely important to keep Social Security in the loop about your status.
If you don’t properly report income from part-time work, that could affect your benefits or even result in overpayments from Social Security that later cause major financial headaches.
If you have any questions about whether you can work while on disability or if you’ll lose your disability when you work part-time, talk to someone who knows Social Security Disability.
Even if you know the general rules about Social Security and part-time work, everyone’s situation is different. The Morgan Weisbrod Texas Social Security Disability lawyers can help you make sure you don’t do anything to endanger your benefits.
We’ve been helping Texans with their disability claims for more than 50 years in Dallas, Arlington, Plano, Fort Worth and all across the state.
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