I’m on Disability. Can I Work and Keep My Benefits?
Yes, you can work and keep your disability benefits –for a while.
You may be thinking that it would be great to make some money on your own again. But, if getting disability benefits was a hard-won ordeal, you may feel hesitant to try working again for the fear of losing the cash you count on every month. You may not even feel sure that you can handle a job.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) understands this, which is why they provide a program to help people with disabilities get back to work without losing benefits, including Medicare coverage.
It’s called the “Ticket to Work” program. It provides employment resources and training opportunities so that, if you want to work but don’t know how to look for work that suits your situation, you’ve got resources to help you.
What can you expect if you want to try the program?
• SSA gives you a “ticket”
• Your ticket gives you access to free training and job referrals to help you get a job.
• The period of time you try working is called a Trial Work Period, or TWP.
• If you earn $720 or more in one month, (the 2010 earnings amount) it’s called a TWP month.
• You need to earn nine TWP months within a 60-month rolling period. These months do not have to be consecutive.
• The trial work period is a test period for you. And, all the while, you keep your benefits.
You don’t have to participate in the Ticket to Work program, but it does provide a great opportunity to help you if you want to try working again.
There’s more to know. Click here to find out what happens to your benefits after your test time is over and you’re gainfully earning again.
Learn More About Your Disability Benefits:
Ticket to Work Program
Attend a Free Seminar on How to Get a Job While on Social Security Disability Benefits
Physical Issues not a Problem at Freedom Disability- Freedom Disability Calls Out to Disability Community – We Have Jobs
How Long Can I Keep My Disability Benefits?
Social Security Disability FAQ’s
How the Social Security Administration Will Calculate Your SSDI Cash Benefits
i,m 58 yrs old on social security disability. can i make extra money without losing my social security benifits.
You can work but you can't earn more than $1,000 a month while collecting benefits. Please read our article about the Ticket to Work program. Here is more information from SSA on working while on disability.
Possibly, but be careful. Social Security allows you to work if you are not engaged in what it calls "gainful activity," currently defined as earning $1,000 per month or more gross income from employment. Technically, you might be able to work part-time and not forfeit your SSDI benefit. However, it is tricky ground. Social Security does have a rule that allows you to work up to 9 months while keeping your disability benefit if you are trying to transition off disability and back to work. If you want to keep disability long term, be careful with work that Social Security may alledge is "gainful activity." The waters around this issue are shark invested. Get good advice before swimming too far from shore.
I have been on disability for two years and will so be 65 ,will i get retirement ,at that time or will it still be disability,and can i go to work part time and still keep my retirement?
Eddie, If your full retirement age is 65, your disability benefit will transition into your retirement benefit. And yes, you can work while receiving retirement benefits.
I have a permanent learning disability and I want to apply for social security disability. I live in Canada and do I have to see my doctor about this? Does my doctor have forms in his office? Please let me know,thanks.
You will need a doctor or psychologist to support a learning disability claim. If you are in school, counselors and teachers may also give valuable support. No, most doctors do not keep Social Security forms. You can apply on line or by telephone (1-800-772-1213). As to living in Canada.....? Are you a US citizen who lives in Canada?
Peg, Medical support from your doctors is a crucial component to proving that you qualify for Social Security disability benefits. You also must have a recent-enough work history that paid into the U.S. Social Security system through payroll taxes as a worker in the United States. Please read our article "Can You Medically Support Your Social Security Disability Claim?"
I have received SSI since 1996 for PTSD/Agoraphobia and Va Service Connected Disability, Anxiety Disorder (50%) since 2010. I would like to be trained to volunteer as a VA Disability Advocate as I know I cannot work full-time or even part-time on a regular basis. How may I receive this training? I live in the Central Texas area.
Carol, Veterans service organizations like the American Legion or Veterans of Foreign Wars often have volunteer opportunities to help veterans in the community.You could try one of those.
I am in a wheel chair due to amputation of my entire left leg. I have had my nine months of WORK TICKET. I work in my wheelchair as a part time teacher at a for profit college. My hours worked depends upon student enrollment which is not predictable. On Nov 19 the current term ends and I shall have grossed $12,000 for the year. A new term starts on Nov 28th and ends in February. Accepting classes for that term puts me over the limit of money I can gross fro 2011. Not accepting the classes puts me out of a very good job. Is there a way I can accept this job, gross about $13,000 and not lose my SSI disability payments? Thank you
Ted, If you are getting SSI disability payments, or Supplemental Security Income, this is a needs-based program for people with low income and resources. If you make above the allowable limit, your SSI payment is compromised. If you are referring to Social Security disability insurance payments, and are making above substantial gainful activity (SGA) in any given month, you lose your benefits. However, your benefits will be reinstated if your income falls below SGA or if your disability prevents you from working within five years after your benefits were discontinued. Here's more to know about Ticket to Work. It's great that you have the opportunity to work at a good job. Good luck with it.
Thanks for your prompt reply Ted
I just want to understand it right. I am on SSDI and if I took the ticket to work, do I still get my monthly check? Because than if I tried and didn't I couldn't pay my bills. And what if I tried and failed? Thank you.
Angie, The purpose of SSA's Ticket to Work program is to help people on SSDI ease back into working again, or, to give it a try. You do keep your SSDI benefits during the trial work period.and you have a specific period of time to try working, which is basically 60 months. Any month in which you earn $720 is called a trial work period (TWP) month. The months do not have to be consecutive. If you build up ability to work again and start earning more than $1,000 a month, which is substantial gainful activity, you won't get SSDI for that month. Our article on the Ticket to Work program explains the basics of the program. If you think you want to give it a try, I think that's great. You certainly shouldn't feel like you failed if you tried and couldn't continue. Good luck to you.
What are the details concerning making $1000 or less to stay on SSDI. Does SS base that amount off of how many hours you work a month or what your paychecks amounts are. Example, I could work 100 hours at 10 bucks an hour and make 1000$ for the month. Sometimes though, there are months where one receives 3 paychecks. So is the limit based on hour many hours plus pay you worked or what actual cash you received in the dated month.
Chad, Most of the time, SSA looks at gross wages earned in a month, which is called "gainful" activity. Your gross wages must be $1000 a month or less. Even if you got three paychecks representing three pay periods at once, it is the monthly earnings period that SSA cares about. "Substantial" means how many hours you worked. So, even if you earned very little money in a month, if you were able to go to work every day and put in a lot of hours every day, this would indicate to SSA that you have the phsyical or mental ability to do significant work activity, which could disqualify you from disability. I hope this helps.
If I'm on Social Security Disability, am I precluded from fundraising for my county SPCA? One of the questions my Adm. Law Judge asked at my hearing was if I participated in any fundraising activities and I responded no because I wasn't at the time. Thank you.
Mike, At your hearing, the judge asked you the fundraising question because the tasks involving volunteer work might have shown an ability to do similar work for pay. A judge wants to know about all activities that could translate to work activity. For example, if you did phone fundraising requiring you to call a list of people, that function could demonstrate that you could do telemarketing work. Or, entering information in a computer program might suggest that you could do similar non-volunteer clerical work. You're not precluded from doing fund-raising or volunteer activities by reason of a pending application but what you do and how long you are able to do it, and what accomodations are made to help you do it, might be viewed by a judge as showing ability to work at a job for pay. Keep in mind that Social Security does do periodic reviews on all recipients of disability benefits called Continuing Disability Reviews. Please read our article "How Long Can I Keep My Disability Benefits" so that you are aware of this process.
I'm a little confused when it comes to how much income one can make within the 9 month trial period. In somes cases it says you can't make over a thousand dollars, but I also read it says you can make unlimited income and still get benefits. So my question is if I'm on ssdi and I want to try to return to work can I make over a thousand dollars and still receive my benefits? Also is there a way to just keep your medicare part D only if you go back to work? Another words if my cash benefits stop can I still keep prescription plan?...thanks in advance!
Jay, According to what I know about the Ticket to Work program if you're trying work through the program, any month in which you earn over $720 a month is called a trial work month, which continues until you accumulate nine months within a 60-month period. While in the program, you keep your SSDI benefits and Medicare. If you succeed in transitioning back to work after the trial period, any month you earn over substantial gainful activity ($1000) you won't get your SSDI benefit. If you lapse back into not being able to work within five years of trying, you SSDI benefits will be reinstated. If you work longer than five years and lapse back, you'll have to reapply for SSDI. You also get to keep your Medicare coverage for eight and a half years while working. I hope this helps. Our article on the Ticket to Work program covers the basics. It's great if you can work and the program is designed to be helpful to people who want to try, so, good luck with it.
The purpose of SSA's Ticket to Work program is to help people on SSDI ease back into working again, or, to give it a try. I have only made $502.63 since Aug 2011 to Dec 31, 2011 as I am not able to work much due to my physical health I have come to the realization that I couldn't work fulltime if I wanted to.I cannot even handle working 2 days in a row. I am simply too sore, fatigued and get sick when I push myself beyond any of my current responsibilities.I want what everyone else wants to have adult interaction keeps you out among others and connected to the world. I know that I am not able to make much so making 720 a month would be a dream so with that said I could still jeopardize me losing my SSDI?? Thanks for a reply