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Social Security disability insurance doesn't have a limit on unearned income, but there is a limit on how much you can make from working.
By Bethany K. Laurence, Attorney · UC Law San Francisco
Social Security disability insurance (SSDI) is available to people who can no longer work due to a disability (physical or mental). But only those who've paid taxes into the Social Security system for at least several years are eligible for SSDI (see our article on SSDI eligibility to see how many work credits are required). Applicants who are approved for benefits receive monthly SSDI payments that are determined by their earnings records over the last 35 years (the average SSDI amount is $1,537 in 2024).
SSDI Income Limits
The SSDI program doesn't put a limit on the amount of assets or unearned income you have, unlike the low-income disability program, Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
But the Social Security Administration (SSA) does put a limit on the amount of money that you can earn through work when you receive Social Security disability benefits, because if you can earn a substantial amount of income, you aren't considered disabled.
No SSDI Limits on Unearned Income and Assets
A person collecting SSDI can have any amount of assets and any amount of income from investments, interest, or a spouse's income. These are all types of "unearned income." You (and your spouse, if you're married) can have an unlimited amount of unearned income. Unearned income includes:
- interest income
- dividends
- rent from property you don't actively manage
- income that your spouse earns
- pensions
- state disability payments
- unemployment benefits, and
- cash or gifts from friends and relatives.
Any type of gift, even an expensive gift, doesn't affect SSDI benefits at all. You don't have to report gifts to the SSA as income.
SSDI's Limit on Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)
A person with a disability applying for or receiving SSDI can't earn more than a certain amount of money per month by working; this rule isn't because of an income limit, but rather because the SSA wouldn't consider that person disabled.
If you can do what the SSA calls "substantial gainful activity" (SGA), you aren't disabled. A person who earns more than a certain monthly amount is considered to be "engaging in SGA," and thus not eligible for SSDI benefits.
In 2024, the SGA amount is $1,550 for disabled applicants and $2,590 for blind applicants. (The SGA amount increases a bit each year due to federal regulations that use the national average wage index to set the income limit.)
The SGA rules differ for business owners, since their monthly income might not reflect the work effort they put into their business. For more information, see our article on SGA for small business owners.
SSDI's Trial Work Period
Some people receiving SSDI may experience enough improvement in their condition that they want to try to return to the workforce, but they're afraid that they'll be unable to keep a job due to their disabilities. To encourage SSDI recipients with disabilities to try to return to work, the SSA provides an exception to the SGA rules. This exception is called the "trial work period."
During the trial work period (TWP), a person receiving SSDI can have unlimited earnings and still receive full benefits, without risking getting their benefits terminated.
The trial work period gives you nine months (that do not need to be consecutive) out of a 60-month period where you can try out working without having your disability benefits terminated. What counts as one of the nine trial work months? In 2024, any month in which you earn more than $1,110 is considered a trial work month. (Notice that this amount is lower than the SGA amount.)
After you've worked for nine months making more than $1,110, the SSA will start evaluating your work each month to see if it is over the SGA limit. If your work is over the SGA amount, your disability benefits will continue for three months (a grace period) and then stop.
But if the SSA terminates your benefits because you're working over the SGA limit, the SSA will restart your benefits anytime within the next 36 months that you fail to earn the monthly SGA amount for a month. The SSA will also restart your benefits (without your having to file a new application) if you become completely unable to work again due to the same disability.
For more information, see our article on the trial work period and the 36-month period following the TWP.
Updated December 12, 2023
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