What are the income and resource limits under the 2026 SSDI rule changes?
Executive summary
The 2026 Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) monthly limits rose to $1,690 for non‑blind SSDI beneficiaries and $2,830 for statutorily blind beneficiaries; the Trial Work Period monthly threshold increased to $1,210 (all per SSA updates reported in October 2025) [1][2]. SSI federal payment and related thresholds also rose with the 2.8% COLA—for example, the SSI federal payment standard is $994 for individuals and $1,491 for couples in 2026—while SSI resource limits remain legally fixed at $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for couples [2][3].
1. What changed in 2026: the headline income thresholds
The most consequential, widely reported change for SSDI recipients in 2026 was the higher SGA limit: non‑blind beneficiaries can earn up to $1,690 per month before SSA presumes work is “substantial gainful activity,” and statutorily blind beneficiaries have a higher SGA of $2,830 per month; the Trial Work Period (TWP) monthly amount was raised from $1,160 to $1,210 (legal and practice implications flow from those cutoffs) [1][2][4].
2. How the COLA and other 2026 figures interact with work rules
SSA applied a 2.8% COLA for 2026 that lifted SSDI and SSI benefit checks and adjusted many dollar ceilings—SSDI checks rose on average, and the annual earnings limit for workers younger than full retirement age was updated to $24,480 (and the taxable maximum rose to $184,500) depending on which SSA table you consult—these increases both help beneficiaries and feed into the arithmetic that sets SGA, TWP, and SSI payment amounts [5][6].
3. SSI resource limits did not change: a persistent policy anomaly
Despite those adjustments, the SSI resource (asset) limits remain statutory and unchanged: $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for couples. Multiple sources note the SSI resource limit has not been raised for decades (since 1989) and therefore continues to be far below inflation‑adjusted values, which matters because SSI is needs‑based while SSDI is an insurance benefit without an asset test [3][4].
4. What “income” means in these rules — countable vs. excluded income
Available sources emphasize that SSA distinguishes gross earnings from “countable” income for SSI and SSDI work‑incentive rules; SSI excludes large portions of earned income under work incentives (so an SSI recipient can sometimes earn more than the federal payment rate in gross pay and still remain eligible) and SSDI uses the SGA threshold as an objective stoplight for benefits decisions [4]. Exact exclusions and how to apply them (earned income exclusions, student exclusions, in‑kind support) are detailed in SSA guidance—sources here point to complexity rather than a single dollar calculation [7][8].
5. Practical implications for beneficiaries and people returning to work
Raising SGA and TWP thresholds gives beneficiaries more room to try working without immediate loss of SSDI, and withheld benefits under the retirement “earnings test” are temporary and often refunded later via recalculation—commentary and SSA materials stress the trial‑work safety nets, but also warn that exceeding limits can trigger benefit suspensions and future eligibility reviews [9][10][6].
6. Conflicting agendas and policy context
Advocates and legal analysts emphasize modest relief from the COLA and threshold increases, while watchdogs note broader administration proposals to tighten disability rules that could have reduced SSDI eligibility substantially if adopted; reports say such regulatory proposals were examined and later shelved after pushback, so the 2026 numeric changes should be read alongside larger rulemaking debates [11][12]. Sources show two competing dynamics: automatic inflation‑linked increases that modestly help beneficiaries [5], and policy proposals that, if enacted, would tighten access [11].
7. Limitations of available reporting and what’s not here
Available sources do not mention a single consolidated “2026 SSDI rule change” that alters medical‑eligibility tests; instead reporting centers on numeric adjustments (SGA, TWP, COLA, SSI payments and unchanged SSI resource limits) and separate proposed regulatory changes that largely did not take effect in 2026 [1][2][11]. For precise case‑level computation (which earnings count, how monthly withholdings work, state‑specific Medicaid thresholds and student exclusions) beneficiaries must consult SSA publications and their personalized SSA notices—those operational details are not fully enumerated in the summaries above [8][10].
Bottom line: 2026 brought modest, formula‑driven relief—higher SGA ($1,690 non‑blind; $2,830 blind), higher TWP ($1,210) and a 2.8% COLA—while SSI resource limits stayed frozen at $2,000/$3,000, and broader rule changes that could have reworked eligibility faced controversy and did not translate into the sweeping cuts reported as proposals [1][2][3][11].