Can you earn income while receiving SSDI benefits in 2025?

1. Why work is allowed but tightly regulated — the SGA fence line

SSDI recipients are permitted to earn income, but SGA sets the bright-line income test the SSA uses to decide whether work counts as substantial. Several analyses list an SGA for non-blind beneficiaries in 2025 at $1,620 per month, with blind beneficiaries facing a higher SGA (variously reported) of $2,700 per month ^{[3] [4]}. Other pre-2025 projections and analyses suggested lower SGA figures — $1,530 for non-blind and $2,550 for blind — reflecting the SSA’s periodic inflation adjustments and political forecasting done in late 2024 ^{[2] [5]}. The divergence in reported SGA amounts shows that calendar-year updates and preliminary projections can differ, so using the most recent SSA posting is essential.

2. Trial Work Period and Extended Protections — a safety net to test work

SSDI’s Trial Work Period (TWP) lets beneficiaries attempt work without losing benefits: months with earnings over a TWP threshold (commonly cited at $1,160/month) count as trial months, and you get nine trial months within a rolling 60-month window ^{[1] [6]}. After the TWP, the Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE) can permit benefits for 36 months when earnings are below SGA, creating a staged transition back to work ^{[5] [7]}. Sources concur on the TWP’s protective role but vary on the numerical triggers and how other exclusions apply, underscoring that TWP rules and EPE timing are consistently part of SSA policy but subject to annual dollar-value updates ^{[1] [6]}.

3. Income components and exceptions that can keep you under SGA

Not all gross pay counts fully toward SGA. The SSA allows certain impairment-related work expenses (IRWE) and other subsidies to be deducted from earnings for SGA calculations, effectively lowering counted income and helping beneficiaries remain under the SGA threshold ^{[8] [3]}. Analyses note that when IRWEs are substantial, a beneficiary’s effective counted earnings may be below SGA even though gross pay exceeds the limit, and this can preserve benefits while enabling higher gross earnings. The existence of these deductions is widely reported across the sources, but precise application requires case-by-case assessment and SSA verification ^[8].

4. Contradictory forecasts and why numbers differ across sources

Reporting on 2025 SGA and related thresholds shows inconsistency: some late-2024 analyses and projections estimated lower SGA figures for 2025 while sources dated in 2025 report different, sometimes higher amounts ^{[2] [1] [3]}. Differences arise because the SSA updates dollar thresholds annually based on inflation and administrative rulemaking, and some outlets publish projections months before official SSA announcements. The practical consequence is that a beneficiary relying on an older projection may misjudge whether current earnings exceed SGA; timely confirmation from SSA’s official publications or SSA.gov tools remains essential ^{[2] [3]}.

5. Practical takeaway — how beneficiaries should proceed in 2025

The consistent factual thread is that working while on SSDI is possible but conditional: stay under SGA for sustained benefit continuity, use the TWP and EPE to test employment, and apply IRWEs to reduce counted earnings when applicable ^{[5] [6] [8]}. Because analyses conflict on exact numeric thresholds for 2025, beneficiaries must verify the SSA’s current SGA, TWP monthly amount, and rules on IRWEs before changing work status. Use SSA resources and record-keeping to document expenses and earnings if you intend to work while collecting SSDI, as those records determine how the SSA applies these statutory protections ^{[7] [3]}.