Can You Work While Receiving SSDI Benefits?

Many SSDI recipients in Indiana want to return to work but fear losing their benefits. This is one of the most common concerns disability attorneys hear — and the good news is that the Social Security Administration has built specific rules that allow you to test your ability to work without immediately cutting off your monthly payments. Understanding these rules can make the difference between financial stability and an unexpected disruption in benefits.

The Trial Work Period: Your Protected Window

The Trial Work Period (TWP) is the cornerstone protection for SSDI recipients who want to attempt employment. During this period, you can work and earn any amount of money without it affecting your SSDI cash benefits — as long as you continue to have a disabling condition.

The Social Security Administration allows you 9 trial work months within a rolling 60-month window. In 2025, any month in which you earn more than $1,110 gross counts as a trial work month. You do not need to use these months consecutively. A month counts whether you earned $1,111 or $11,000 — the threshold simply triggers whether that month is counted.

Once you have used all 9 trial work months, the SSA evaluates whether your work constitutes Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA). For 2025, SGA is defined as earning more than $1,550 per month (or $2,590 per month if you are blind). If your earnings exceed SGA after exhausting your trial work months, your benefits may be stopped.

The Extended Period of Eligibility

After your trial work period ends, you enter a 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE). During this window, you remain entitled to receive your SSDI check for any month in which your earnings fall below the SGA threshold. This means that if you attempt to work and then your hours are reduced, you get sick again, or you lose your job, you can receive benefits again without filing a new application — as long as you are still within this 36-month window and your medical condition still qualifies.

This protection is particularly valuable for Indiana workers in physically demanding jobs, where flare-ups and inconsistent work capacity are common. If you had a back injury, a heart condition, or a neurological disorder that forced you onto SSDI in the first place, the EPE gives you a meaningful safety net while you test your capacity to maintain employment.

Work Incentives and the Ticket to Work Program

The SSA administers the Ticket to Work program, a voluntary program available to SSDI recipients between ages 18 and 64. By assigning your ticket to an Employment Network or your state's vocational rehabilitation agency, you gain access to career counseling, job placement support, and training — all at no cost to you.

Indiana's Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS), administered through the Indiana Division of Disability and Rehabilitative Services, is an Employment Network under this program. They can connect you with job training, assistive technology, and supported employment services specific to your disability and local job market.

Additional work incentives that Indiana SSDI recipients should know include:

• Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE): Costs you pay for items or services that allow you to work — such as prescription medications, special transportation, or adaptive equipment — can be deducted from your gross earnings when SSA calculates whether you are at SGA. This can allow you to earn more while remaining under the threshold.
• Subsidies: If your employer gives you special accommodations, extra supervision, or reduced productivity expectations because of your disability, the SSA can exclude the value of that assistance from its SGA calculation.
• Unsuccessful Work Attempt (UWA): If you take a job but are forced to stop within 6 months due to your disability, SSA may disregard those earnings entirely, meaning those months may not count against your trial work period.

What You Must Report to the SSA

Failing to report work activity is one of the leading causes of overpayment demands — and overpayments can reach tens of thousands of dollars. The SSA requires you to report all work activity promptly, including self-employment, part-time work, gig economy income, and any changes in your work status.

In Indiana, you can report work activity by calling your local Social Security field office, reporting online through your my Social Security account, or mailing a written notice to SSA. Keep records of every report you make, including the date, the method, and the name of any SSA employee you spoke with. If you later receive an overpayment notice, documentation of timely reporting is your most important defense.

Self-employment creates additional complexity. The SSA does not simply look at your net profit — it considers the time you invest, services you render, and the overall value of your participation in a business. Indiana SSDI recipients who consult work or start side businesses should seek guidance before assuming their income structure keeps them below SGA.

When Working Can Jeopardize Your Benefits

There are situations where returning to work creates genuine risk. If you exhaust your 9 trial work months and your 36-month EPE, and you are still earning above SGA, your benefits will be terminated. Reinstating benefits after termination requires either a new application or an expedited reinstatement if your condition worsens within 60 months of termination.

Additionally, if SSA conducts a Continuing Disability Review (CDR) while you are working, work activity can trigger a closer look at whether you still meet the medical criteria for disability. Indiana recipients should be aware that CDRs are routine — they are not punishment for working — but they carry the risk of benefit cessation if SSA determines your condition has medically improved.

Part-time work below SGA is generally the safest approach, particularly during the first few years after your SSDI approval. Keeping careful records of earnings, medical expenses, and all communications with SSA is essential regardless of how much you work.

The interaction between work, earnings, and SSDI eligibility involves layers of federal rules applied to individual circumstances. Small details — how your employer pays you, whether you receive fringe benefits, how your disability affects your productivity — can change the outcome significantly. Getting the analysis right before you accept a job offer protects both your income and your benefits.

Need Help? If you have questions about your case, call or text 833-657-4812 for a free consultation with an experienced attorney.

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