SSDI Trial Work Period: Minnesota Benefits Guide

Returning to work while receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits is one of the most anxiety-inducing decisions a Minnesota claimant can face. The fear of losing hard-won benefits often keeps people from attempting employment, even when they genuinely want to try. The Trial Work Period (TWP) exists precisely to remove that barrier — but its rules are nuanced, and misunderstanding them can cost you thousands of dollars in benefits you were legally entitled to keep.

What Is the SSDI Trial Work Period?

The Trial Work Period is a federal Social Security Administration program that allows SSDI recipients to test their ability to work without immediately losing their monthly disability benefit. During the TWP, you can earn any amount of income and still receive your full SSDI check — no matter how much you make in a given month.

The TWP consists of 9 trial work months, which do not need to be consecutive. These months are counted within a rolling 60-month (5-year) window. A month counts as a trial work month when your gross earnings exceed a threshold set annually by the SSA. For 2025, that threshold is $1,160 per month. If you are self-employed, the SSA also looks at hours worked — 80 or more hours in a month can trigger a TWP month regardless of earnings.

The critical protection here is clear: during these 9 months, the SSA cannot suspend or terminate your SSDI payments based on your work activity alone. Minnesota claimants who are medically stable but uncertain about their functional capacity should view the TWP as a genuine safety net, not a technicality.

How Trial Work Period Months Are Counted in Practice

Many Minnesota beneficiaries are caught off guard by how the SSA tracks TWP months. Because the 60-month window is rolling rather than fixed, months can accumulate gradually over years — sometimes without the claimant realizing they are burning through their TWP allocation.

Consider a common scenario: a Minnesota worker receiving SSDI attempts part-time work at a warehouse in January 2023, earns above the threshold for 4 months, then stops. Two years later, they try again and exceed the threshold for 5 more months. That claimant has now exhausted all 9 TWP months — even though the attempts were years apart and never felt like a sustained return to work.

Key rules to understand:

• Months below the earnings threshold do not count as TWP months, even if you are working.
• The SSA is supposed to notify you when your TWP is ending, but delays in processing are common.
• You must report your work activity and earnings to the SSA promptly — failure to do so can result in overpayments you will be required to repay.
• Self-employment income, partnership income, and in-kind pay can all trigger TWP months and must be reported.

What Happens After the Trial Work Period Ends

Once you have used all 9 TWP months, your case enters the Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE) — a 36-month window during which the SSA evaluates whether your work activity constitutes Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA). In 2025, SGA is defined as earning more than $1,620 per month for non-blind individuals and $2,700 per month for blind individuals. These figures are adjusted annually.

During the EPE, your SSDI benefits are suspended — not terminated — in any month your earnings exceed SGA. If your earnings drop below SGA in a subsequent month within the 36-month EPE window, your benefits can be reinstated without filing a new application. This is an important distinction: suspension during the EPE preserves your eligibility, whereas termination does not.

After the EPE ends, if you are still working at SGA levels, the SSA will formally terminate your SSDI benefits. However, you may still be eligible for Expedited Reinstatement (EXR) for up to 5 years after termination if your medical condition worsens and prevents you from continuing to work at SGA levels.

Minnesota-Specific Considerations and Resources

While the TWP is a federal program governed by SSA rules, Minnesota offers several state-specific resources that can significantly impact how you navigate this process.

Medical Assistance for Employed Persons with Disabilities (MA-EPD) is a Minnesota Medicaid program that allows disabled workers to maintain health coverage while earning income — up to 250% of the federal poverty level, with a sliding-scale premium. For SSDI recipients in Minnesota, this program is critical: it means that returning to work does not necessarily mean losing access to the healthcare you depend on. This is separate from the federal Medicare continuation protections that apply automatically during and after the TWP.

Minnesota also has an active network of Vocational Rehabilitation Services (VRS) offices throughout the state, including locations in Minneapolis, St. Paul, Duluth, Rochester, and St. Cloud. VRS counselors can connect you with job training, assistive technology, and employment placement services — all while helping you coordinate timing with your TWP so you do not inadvertently trigger consequences you are unprepared for.

The Ticket to Work program, available in Minnesota through approved Employment Networks, is another federal program worth understanding. Assigning your Ticket to Work to an approved provider generally protects you from continuing disability reviews while you are making timely progress toward your work goals.

Protecting Your Benefits: Practical Steps for Minnesota Claimants

Taking a proactive approach to managing your TWP can mean the difference between a smooth return to work and a devastating overpayment demand from the SSA.

• Report earnings promptly. Notify your local SSA field office — or report online via My Social Security — the month after any month you earn income. Do not wait until year-end.
• Keep documentation. Retain pay stubs, employer letters, and records of any work-related expenses (Impairment-Related Work Expenses, or IRWEs) that may reduce your countable earnings below SGA.
• Understand IRWEs. If you pay out-of-pocket for items or services that allow you to work — such as medications, specialized equipment, or transportation related to your disability — these costs can be deducted from your gross earnings when the SSA calculates whether you are at SGA. Many Minnesota claimants leave this money on the table.
• Request a Benefits Planning Query (BPQY). The SSA can generate a report showing exactly how many TWP months you have used and when your EPE began. This document is essential for planning and is available upon request.
• Consult a Work Incentives Planning and Assistance (WIPA) counselor. Minnesota has WIPA counselors available at no cost who specialize in helping SSDI beneficiaries understand their work incentives before making employment decisions.

The consequences of misunderstanding the TWP are real. Overpayments averaging thousands of dollars are routinely assessed against Minnesota claimants who did not realize their benefits should have stopped — or who failed to timely report income. The SSA has the authority to withhold future benefits, refer accounts to the Treasury for collection, and in cases of fraud, pursue criminal penalties. None of this is hypothetical; it happens regularly, and it is almost always preventable with proper guidance.

If you are considering returning to work, attempting part-time employment, or if you have already been working and are unsure how it affects your SSDI, do not rely on general information alone. The intersection of TWP rules, EPE timing, SGA calculations, IRWEs, and Minnesota-specific programs requires personalized analysis of your specific benefit record and circumstances.

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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