Can I Work and Receive SSDI?

Published on: November 17, 2015

Right To Work Disability Benefits

In order to be eligible for disability benefits, there are two different earning tests you must pass. One is the recent work test, which is based on how old you were when you became disabled. The second is the duration of work test, which indicates whether or not you have worked enough time under Social Security to be eligible for coverage under the Social Security Act.

It gets pretty complicated, but basically, if you become disabled before the quarter of the year prior to your 24th birthday, then you will need to have worked at least 1.5 years within a three year period. If your disability occurred after the quarter of the year in which you turned 24 years old but prior to turning 31, you will need to have worked half the time after age 21 until you became disabled. If you became disabled after age 31, you generally have to have worked and paid into Social Security for at least 5 of the preceding 10 years.

The Social Security Administration has a program called the Ticket to Work program. This program can assist you if you are receiving a social security disability income and yet still are able to work to some degree. If you are working, you can still receive disability benefits but there are a few stipulations.  

The benefits of the program are that you can still continue disability benefits for a specified period of time while you are working, you can still continue with your Medicare or Medicaid coverage while working, and you can also get assistance with education and training if you are interested in starting a new career.

The program starts with a trial work period in which you are allowed nine months to work to see if you are able to work. You will still get your full disability check each month during this trial work period. It doesn’t matter how much you earn during this period but you do have to report your earnings. Once your trial work period is complete, you then have three years in which you can work and continue to get your disability payments as long as you do not earn over a certain amount.  This is called the Extended Period Of Eligibility.

In 2015 and 2016, Social Security allows applicants to make $1, 090 per month or less.  If you make more, on average,  than this amount, your benefits will cease.  After your benefits stop and you find that because of your condition you are no longer able to work, you have five years to let Social Security know.  You will not have to file a new application as long as it is within this five-year window. You will not have to wait for your benefits to resume either.  

If you work and are disabled, you most likely have to pay for certain items out of pocket that non-disabled people do not have to worry about. For instance, you may have to take a taxi to work instead of the city bus. Social Security may be able to deduct these expenses from the amount that you make each month in order to determine if you still qualify for benefits.   These expenses are called Impairment-Related Work Expenses.

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