Double Dipping: How To Keep Your Social Security Disability Benefits And Earn Income
If you are earning Social Security Disability Insurance benefits or SSDI, it's directly related to your inability to work at your job. Your benefit amount will depend on how much much money you have earned in your lifetime and several other factors, but the Social Security Administration (SSD) provides you with an excellent method of viewing your estimated benefits. While the monthly benefit will come in handy, you may be wondering how you can survive on this benefit amount alone. Your ability to add to the monthly benefit amount by earning income depends on several factors, so read on for more information.
Substantial Gainful Activity
The SSA refers to the work that you were doing before you became disabled as Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA), and to continue to receive benefits you must not earn over a certain amount of money or do similar work. The SSA reasons, and rightly so, that if you can do the same or similar work and earn more than that certain amount of money, then you do not need to collect SSDI benefits. Presently, the maximum you can earn is $1,130 ($1,820 for the blind), but this amount can change from year to year since it's based on the cost of living.
It's worth noting that you must abide by both of the SGA guidelines to avoid losing your benefits. Even if your income fell below the $1,130 a month limit, if your earnings came from a job where you were essentially doing the very same work that you claimed to be unable to do, (that which qualified you for benefits in the first place,) you could lose your benefits. If you are able to find employment that keeps your income under the limits, you may still earn that income if you don't do SGA. For example, if your disability limits your ability to stand and walk, you may be able to find a more sedentary job, such as a desk job, that will comply with SGA.
The Trial Work Period
The SSA also has a program that allows you to make an unlimited amount of income for a limited amount of time. For a rolling nine-month period, where the months do not have to consecutive, you may earn any amount you like and still continue to be eligible for your regular monthly benefit amount. It should be noted that:
- You must report all income earned to the SSA, whether you exceed the SGA limit or not.
- You can only participate in the Trial Work Period for a five-year window.
If you are experiencing problems getting your Social Security benefits approved, contact an attorney (such as Paul F Guthrie) as soon as possible. Remember, these benefits are yours; you have earned them, you deserve them and you need them, so get some professional legal help in getting them.