Working While on Disability: SGA Calculator

The 2026 SGA limit is $1,690 per month in countable earnings for most people, and $2,830 if you are statutorily blind. Countable means after subtracting impairment-related work expenses and the value of any employer subsidies. These limits adjust every January with the cost-of-living adjustment, so check back each year.

Gross pay, your earnings before taxes, but after two important deductions: impairment-related work expenses you pay out of pocket, and the value of special help your employer gives you. That is why the calculator asks about all three numbers, plenty of people who look over the limit on gross pay are actually under it once the deductions are applied.

Things you pay for out of pocket that you need in order to work because of your condition: prescription copays, counseling, special transportation, attendant care to get you ready for work, wheelchairs, service animals, or job-related equipment. Keep every receipt. Social Security subtracts documented IRWE from your gross earnings before comparing to the SGA limit.

If your employer pays you full wages but you produce less than full value, extra breaks, fewer duties, a helper, close supervision, or a family business keeping you on out of loyalty, the difference is a subsidy. Social Security only counts what your work is actually worth. Documenting a subsidy takes a statement from your employer, and it can pull earnings that look over the limit back under it.

If you already receive SSDI, you get 9 trial work months, not necessarily consecutive, within a rolling 60-month window, to test working with no limit on earnings. In 2026, any month you gross over $1,210 uses one of the 9. During the trial period you keep your full benefit no matter how much you earn. After it ends, the SGA limit starts to matter again.

You enter a 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility. During it, you get your full check for any month you are under SGA and no check for months you are over. If your benefits end because of steady work above SGA and your condition later forces you to stop, expedited reinstatement lets you restart benefits within 5 years without a brand-new application.

Yes, but differently. Because self-employment income does not always reflect the value of work, Social Security looks at your hours, your role in the business, and what your services would be worth, not just profit. Working 60 hours a week in your own shop for little profit can still be SGA. These cases are fact-heavy, get advice before assuming you are safe.

Context matters. If you are applying, a short attempt at work that failed because of your condition, generally under 6 months, can be classified as an unsuccessful work attempt and not count against you. If you are on benefits, one over-SGA month during your Trial Work Period costs you nothing but a TWP month. The worst move is hiding work from Social Security, unreported earnings create overpayments that SSA will collect.

Working under the SGA limit does not automatically disqualify you, but it is evidence Social Security weighs about what you can do. A few hours a week that your condition clearly limits is very different from near-full-time work just under the dollar line. If you need to work while your claim is pending, keep it clearly under the limit and talk to us about how it affects your case.