Know the Rules of the Social Security Disability Trial Work Period

My situation is a bit different. I had brain surgery in 2013 and I have not worked since. I joined the ticket to work program in July of 15 and graduated nursing school as an LPN in july of 16. December of 16 I began work as a nurse. I talked to SSA and they stated that I had 9 months of a trial work period. They told me I could make 1170 a month and it not count. I called back in the next day to confirm and someone told me anything over 840 counted toward that 9 month trial work period no matter what I made.
Here is my situation: I decided to go to work full time. I begin RN school in June under my ticket to work program and when that happens my work will cease to 2-8 hour shifts a month to keep me employed so I will have a job after RN school. I received a letter today asking me to fill out some paperwork to determine if I can still keep my benefits or not. I'm so confused as to why I got this if I am in my trial work period. Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!
(I just can't afford to lose my benefits and support my family of 5 while in RN school--& I want to go back to work full time and not worry about my benefits so badly. But I need to obtain my degree right now!)

Hi, I hope you can help explain.
I have been on SSDI since 2011 for Multiple Sclerosis. I want to try to work part time to supplement my income because I am single mom and my daughter will be turning 18 (loss of $1000/month) and going to college next year. My MS meds cost $30,000/year but thankfully I have private charity assistance to cover them.

I CAN NOT LOOSE Medicare or my monthly benefits. Please explain, If I stay under the SGA ($1170) will I be able to keep my SSDI? The TWP is $840/month... if I make $1169/month every month for the rest of my life, will I still be able to receive SSDI and Medicare? This is a survival question, so please be straightforward with me as my MS will do nothing but continue to worsen and I need to be able to eat and try to help my daughter with her school...

When googling I see some lawyer sites such as this say after a trial work period they see if during the 9 months you went over SGA and if you did you will lose your benefits. While on the Social Security website it does not say this. I mostly hear that you can earn as much money as you want during a trial work period, but them saying this has me worried. Can you clarify?

Also I am baffled that they seem to not care that some months a person who gets paid once every two weeks (like most people) because of the dates you end up getting paid three times per month thus you end up making no more money than normal just getting a check bi-weekly yet you're exceeding their guidelines. I feel like there's no way with how big Social Security is that this would be some sort of mistake I feel it's a trick to get you to lose your benefits. I would love to hear a counter argument.

Hello.

I am really confused now. I thought that after having completed, successfully, the nine-month trial work period but still being disabled, I could continue to work part-time as my health allows and still receive my Social Security Disability benefits, so long as I do not earn over the SGA monthly limit.

I had been receiving SSDI from 2002 until 2013, at which time I returned to work full-time. However, I again became disabled from regular work in 2015. From what I am reading here, if a person earns (gross?) over $810 in any month, for nine months, whether consecutive or not, then it is considered a successful trial work period and s/he then loses her/his SSDI benefits. If that is the case, then what is the SGA amount for?

I have a disability that is ongoing; however, I would like to continue to work part-time, as I am able to do so, for as long as possible. Now, I am afraid that I can only earn less than the $810 per month if I want to continue to work part-time while on SSDI.

Please help me to clarify this. My understanding had been that a person could successfully complete a trial work period working part-time but still be disabled, even though the trial work period would not be available for that person again, and thereafter, the SGA would apply if the person wanted to continue working while on SSDI. I hope that I am not making this too confusing.

I would greatly appreciate any assistance/general suggestions you could give. Thank you so much!

I just started my disability with social security and I was wondering if I can do uber or lfyt while on social disability insurance can only drive when I'm able to sit long enough to drive

So for 2017...if you are on ssi and ssdi, would you lose your benefits if you were working under $840 (less than TWP) even if it is for a long time-like more than nine months or even years? Or would they still look at it at some point as grounds to take away your benefits? Thank you

I am on ssi and ssdi for a couple of years already. I should be getting a CDR in 2018. If I start a a TWP in 2017, will notifying the ssa of this put a bias against me in the CDR evaluation? Could it be that If I had a couple of months (but not over 9) over sga level level work under 2017 for the TWP program...could my following year 2018 CDR look at these few months and determine that I am not disabled? (even though I did not even finish my TWP? and even if my medical condition did not improve /even got worse since the last CDR?) tHANK YOU

If I get a job and even make under the TWP pay limit, can my disability check be cut to less money?

I'm 61. I've been approved for SSDI. My onset date is October 26, 2016. I'll receive my first check ~May 17, 2017. I can not work out of my house but have been approached to try and do some freelance work at home. Can I attempt to work before I receive benefits or should I wait until I start receiving my first check? It will only be for a week or so but above the SGA.

I have just started receiving my Social security disability benefits. I have been offered a job that I think I can do and would like to try. I will earn over the 1170 by about 4 times that amount. Will I still receive my full benefits during the first 9 months? And will I have to pay it back if I stay working after the 9 month period?

Why is it so confusing?? So after the TWP if I make over $840 a month, that is considered substantial employment and I MAY lose my SSDI indefinitely? How is it determined whether my benefits are stopped or not. What if your disability is permanent and will never change?

So I am working and currently not making above SGA limit, but I will be later this year, only by 30 $, no more trial work period. is there any way to keep my benefits ? current level is 1170, I would be at 1200 ?

I am on SSD and started doing the ride share with Uber for a few hours a day. I know I am only allowed to earn 840.00 a month not to count it as I trial month. But is that 840.00 a month gross or can I deduct the .54 a mile deduction that the IRS allows and other expenses.

I am currently in the appeals process with SS. I had a trial period of work in 1993 where they took two months of my income and divided it by 12, making the monthly income for that year $231 - $31 over the $200 allowed. Fast forward to 2006 where I worked four months and two months were over the SGA. In 2012 SS discontinued my benefits. I have been appealing ever since. I recently read about the 60 month rule and am unclear on how this works. If I worked in 1993 and completed my trial work period, does the trial work period start again in 60 months? I am appealing the 1993 reporting of income, but since it has been so long, my employer does not have records going back that far. In April of 1993 I moved out of state and did not work for the rest of the year. I don't know how to get proof that I moved out of state. Could you please explain the 60 month rule after 1992? Thank you!

I'm completely & totally lost here. I've been on SSDI since 2005. I've used my TWP for the 60 months & am trying to go back to work without loosing my SSDI. How can i do so & what amount do I need to keep my income under so i dont

Chris,

I've been on SSD for 18 months and have several questions.

I am planning on going back to work part time as I cannot survive on my disability payment alone and buy groceries. I found something I think I can do and the pay is $200 per week for part time. I will be paid as a 1099 employee so there will be no earnings sent in by the employer weekly. Do I have to personally inform the Social Security Office that I am attempting to work? and fax/mail check stubs weekly?

I understand the limits of $840/$1170. If I understand this correctly,would that mean on the months that have 5 paydays and I earn $1000 for the month, they would count as 1 of my 9 trial months? ( I think there are 4 of these per year)

If I happen to make some commissions (paid once a month in a separate check) and they were over $40 would it make every month count toward my trial months because my total earnings would be over $840 a month? after 9 months I would lose my benefits ?

So in essence and as I understand it , I will lose my benefits if I take a part time job paying $200 a week and do well at it,( making over 840 month)? Did I also read somewhere that a part time job cannot be over 80 hours a month regardless of income?

Thank You for your help!

I am self-employed as a website designer. My business expenses (software, internet, mobile phone) are $200 per month. My chiropractic and therapeutic massage cost, which helps reduce my pain, is $150 per month. Does this mean I can earn $1190 per month rather than $840?

So far, I have only worked 17 hours per month, far fewer than the 43 hours allowed. I have sent my self-employment profit and loss statement, expenses and time sheet every month for a year. I claimed the business expenses but not the health care costs. I made an average of $225 per month but soon I will be much closer to $800 after these expenses.

Help! The good news is that I am one of the rare ones who applied for SSDI and was approved the first time and without an attorney's help. The bad news is I am completely lost as what to do now.
Here's some background. I was born with cerebral palsy and worked for 30 years without any government programs/assistance. For the last 12 years, I've been self-employed in a sole proprietorship and did well until my health declined because of medical issues unrelated to but made worse because of the CP. I lost the ability to drive, most of my ability to walk and my anxiety and panic disorder worsened because of the stress of the situation.
I applied for SSDI in June or July 2016 after several months of recuperation following emergency back surgery in January 2016. By that time, my income - which had been quite low for several years - dropped down to about $600 a month; that's what I reported to social security officials and I gave them all the financial documents they requested. Because I work for myself, I don't have paycheck stubs; bank records and tax returns are what I offer when asked.
Anyway, once I submitted the paperwork, provided all the necessary medical records and went to the physicians SS requested I see, I went about my life; working when I could, and continuing physical therapy two or three times each week. During that time, my income after expenses ranged anywhere from $200 per month to $1,400 per month. Obviously, I wasn't living well. No one ever asked about my income during that period, and I don't know if I was supposed to report the couple of months that were over the $810 threshold; my average for the entire year was about $740 per month. Frankly, I didn't worry about it because I thought I would be turned down for disability.
Cut to late February of this year, and I received the approval letter. Yay! SSA determined I became officially disabled in July 2015; I am not sure why they picked that date, except that it is about six months before my emergency back surgery. I received my first payment last month, and I soon will receive a lump sum to cover all of 2016. My case review will be in five to seven years.
It's wonderful news. However, I can't stop working completely quite yet and I would like to do some work here and there - $300 to $400 every few months or so if possible.
Here's what I am confused about:
Did I exhaust some trial work periods during the couple months in that I made more than $810 but didn't know I was approved for benefits? Or do the periods start now?
Also, before I received notice of the approval, some great work came my way and it made my March more lucrative than expected. I will probably still clear less than the $840 threshold for 2017 once all expenses are determined, but it will be close. What should I do, and how do I report the income when I do work given that I don't have pay stubs and it take a while for me to even know if I have reached the threshold?