How Many Hours Can You Work on Disability In 2023?

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI or SSD) is a federal program that pays monthly benefits to those disabled people who can no longer work due to a nonwork-related injury or illness. The Social Security Administration(SSA) does permit disability benefit recipients to work to a limited extent and still receive their monthly disability benefits.

How many hours the person is allowed to work is determined by a number of factors, including the amount they earn and whether they are participating in one of the Social Security Administration’s special work incentive programs.

This blog explains how to determine the number of hours you can work while receiving SSD benefits and how the SSA’s work incentive programs could permit you to earn significantly more.

The Keener Law Firm focuses exclusively on helping disabled people get the federal Social Security Disability (SSD) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits they deserve. Dealing with the complexities of government regulations and procedural requirements can be difficult for anyone who is unfamiliar with the system. This is even more challenging if you suffer from a physical or mental disability. At Keener Law, our entire legal practice is devoted to helping you get your disability benefits.

If you need help preparing your disability claim or you need to appeal a denial of benefits, contact us at The Keener Law Firm today. We’re here to help.

Maximum Allowable Earnings for SSD Benefit Recipients

The Social Security Administration oversees several different benefits programs involving both disabled and retired workers, as well as those who have never been able to work due to their disabilities.

But the SSA wants those who are disabled to work as much as possible and hopefully regain their full employment capacity. To encourage disability recipients to attempt a return to work, the SSA offers work incentive programs that will be discussed in the next section.

For the typical SSD benefit recipient, the number of hours they can work without jeopardizing their continued benefits depends entirely on their income.

Eligibility for Social Security Disability benefits is based on the extent of the claimant’s employment history and the severity of their disability.

The Social Security Administration defines a disability as a “medically determinable physical or mental impairment that lasts or is expected to last 12 months (or result in death) and prevents the person from performing substantial gainful activities or SGAs.

The SSA’s definition of “substantial gainful activities” is working enough to earn at least $1,470 per month. Earning over that amount can disqualify a claimant from receiving benefits. However, there are allowable deductions that can reduce the amount of a person’s countable income, permitting them to earn more than $1,470 if they have disability-related work expenses they must incur to either get to work or to perform their work.

For example, if an SSD benefit recipient earned $1,900 monthly but had to spend $500 for special wheelchair-accessible transportation to and from their job, that cost would reduce their countable earnings below the SSDI income eligibility cap.

Social Security Disability’s Work Incentive Programs

In the past, people receiving Social Security Disability benefits were hesitant to attempt a return to work because they feared they would exceed the program’s earnings cap but still not earn enough on which to live. To remedy this dilemma and encourage disability recipients to try to go back to work, the Social Security Administration established the Trial Work Period program.

Trial Work Period (TWP)

The Trial Work Period program allows SSD benefits recipients to return to work for up to nine months and earn as much as possible while still receiving their monthly SSD benefit payments. The nine months need not be consecutive. Instead, they can be spread over a period of five years.

Any month in which the disability recipient earns more than $1,050 counts as one of their nine Trial Work Period months.

Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE)

After the person exhausts their nine-month Trial Work Period, the SSA provides these disabled workers with an Extended Period of Eligibility. During the 36 months following the end of the worker’s Trial Work Period, the person will receive their full disability benefit payment in any month their earnings fall beneath the SSD’s income eligibility level.

For example, if the person who returned to work earned $3,000 each month from January to April but then earned only $1,200 in May, they would be issued their full SSD benefit check for May. This safety net period lasts for a full three years after the Trial Work Period.

Expedited Reinstatement of Benefits (EXR)

When the 36 months of the worker’s EPE are completed, they will then be protected for another 5 years by an expedited reinstatement policy that will allow them to resume their disability benefits immediately in the event their disability again prevents them from continuing to work. Rather than reapplying for disability benefits as a new claimant, their reinstated claim will resume payments.