SSDI Only Incentives
SSDI Beneficiaries can test their skills and abilities before SSA suspends their cash payment.
Trial Work Period—The Trial Work Period (TWP) gives an SSDI beneficiary nine months (within a rolling 60-month period) to test their ability to work while they continue to receive their full SSDI monthly cash benefit. Months are only counted when earnings are over $1,050 gross per month (in 2023), but beneficiaries can earn any amount during a Trial Work Period and continue to receive full cash benefits.
See the Trial Work Period here: https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/twp.html
Since the trial work period is an opportunity for beneficiaries to test their ability to work, the nine months do not have to be consecutive and the work does not have to be for the same employer. This provides the chance to try different jobs and test abilities and stamina to find the most suitable position or work schedule.
After completion of the 9-month TWP and the three-month grace period which immediately follows the TWP, SSDI is suspended if income exceeds SGA.
Trial Work Period Example 1
Ashleigh became disabled in 2018. In February 2023, she decides to return to work and earns $1,500/month. Ashleigh’s trial work period is:
2/2023, 3/2023, 4/2023, 5/2023, 6/2023, 7/2023, 8/2023, 9/2023, 10/2023
The trial work amount for 2023 is $1,050. Ashleigh will receive her full SSDI benefit during this trial work period and during the 3 grace months that follow.
Trial Work Period Example 2
Joe has been disabled since 2017. In January 2023, he decides to return to work part-time to test out his abilities. If his monthly income through 2023 is as follows:
| January | $1,580 |
| February | $1,200 |
| March | $750 |
| April | $1,200 |
| May | $925 |
| June | $925 |
| July | $950 |
| August | $800 |
| September | $900 |
| October | $805 |
| November | $950 |
| December | $950 |
Remember, the trial work amount for 2023 is $1,050. Only the months where he earns over $1,050 count towards his TWP. So in this example, he would use three of his nine trial work months.
Extended Period of Eligibility—If the Trial Work Period is complete, a 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility begins in the next month. The benefit of the 36 months is that you can continue to test your ability to work above the substantial gainful activity level without the fear of completely losing your benefit if you cannot sustain working at that level. During this period, you receive full benefits for all the months that your earnings or work activities are below the SGA level. Cash benefits are suspended for months your earnings are over the SGA level, but if your earnings drop below the SGA level in this period, your benefits start again.
Extended Period of Eligibility Example
Returning to Ashleigh in Example 1 above, following her TWP, her Extended Period of Eligibility begins 11/2023 and she continues to earn $1,500/month.
11/2023, 12/2023, and 1/2023 are grace months where she will continue to receive full SSDI benefits.
The 2023 SGA limit is $1,470, her SSDI benefits will be suspended beginning in February as long as she continues to earn above SGA in her Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE). Cash benefits will terminate at month 37 of the EPE.
But what if Ashleigh suffers a complication when she returns that limits her ability to work? Since she is still within the 36-month extended period of eligibility, if her monthly income in March drops to $950, her SSDI benefit will be reinstated in April of this year.
Subsidies or Special Considerations can also lower countable earned income. Employer-provided subsidies are supports that may result in your receiving more pay than the actual value of the services you perform. Special considerations refer to support and on-the-job assistance provided by your employer, or by someone other than your employer, for example, a vocational rehabilitation agency. Subsidies and Special Considerations do not affect your SSI payment but are simply a form of job assistance available for individuals with disabilities.