How Much Can I Earn? - Trial Work Level and Substantial Gainful Activity

When you received disability benefits through Social Security, the Ticket To Work program allows for testing to see if you are ready to work without immediately losing cash benefits.  You can earn over Trial Work Level for 9 months (this can be non-consecutive over the course of a 5 year period) before anything will happen with your benefits at all.  The goal of the Ticket To Work program is to ultimately begin earning at least the Substantial Gainful Activity level, but remember this is a voluntary program, and your Employment Network will be there to support you.

For 2025, SSA has set the following levels for earnings when receiving disability benefits:

Trial Work Level: $1160 per month

Substantial Gainful Activity level: $1620 per month ($2700 per month for statutorily blind individuals)

Keep in mind that for calculation purposes, Social Security generally considers a 'month' to be a 'calendar month', not a rolling 4-week period.  Also, these are 'net' amounts, meaning they are the earnings you must make to be considered to have exceeded Trial Work Level or made Substantial Gainful activity AFTER any qualifying impairment-related expenses are deducted.

For 2024, Trial Work Level was $1,110 per month and $1550 for Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA level for statutory blind individuals was $2590).