How many hours can i work if i get ssi

Yes, you can work while receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, but only within strict limits. Payments will stop if you are engaged in what Social Security calls “substantial gainful activity.” SGA, as it’s known, is defined in 2022 as earning more than $1,350 a month (or $2,260 if you are blind). 

If your income exceeds those caps, you cannot collect disability benefits, unless you are taking part in one of Social Security’s "work incentives" — programs and trial periods aimed at helping SSDI recipients transition back into the workforce without sacrificing their benefits. Some work incentives are also available to recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which is administered by Social Security and also provides benefits to people with disabilities.

The major such program is Ticket to Work, which offers people on SSDI and SSI job training, work experiences and other services to help them become self-supporting. As do other work incentives, Ticket to Work temporarily waives the SGA earnings limits, so you continue collecting your disability benefits while you engage in trial work with employers who have signed up to participate. If you get a job through the program, you go off disability benefits. The payments will resume if you have to stop working because your medical condition worsens.

SSDI beneficiaries are also allowed a trial period of up to nine months to test their ability to work. The trial months can be spread out over five years, and during these months you can get your full benefit regardless of your earnings. You’ll find more information on these and other work incentives in the Social Security publication "Working While Disabled — How We Can Help."

Keep in mind

• The SGA limits are adjusted annually based on national changes in average wages. 
• Some work incentives are specific either to SSDI or SSI, while others, like Ticket to Work, are available to both types of beneficiary.

Updated December 23, 2021

Each month, the Social Security Administration (SSA) pays various benefits to retirees in the United States, as well as to survivors, workers and people with disabilities. There are two benefits for the latter: Supplemental Security Income and Social Security Disability.

Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) supports people who have a disability and have a work history, either through their own employment or that of a family member, spouse or parent. This benefit is determined based on disability and employment credits, so hours worked may affect these benefits.

Social Security Administration regulations allow up to 45 hours of work per month if the beneficiary is self-employed and on SSDI. That is about 10 hours per week. The SSA also considers whether or not the beneficiary is the only person working for his or her employer.

For people who are not self-employed and are employed, the number of hours is less important. With that in mind, monthly income plays a larger role in determining eligibility. However, working too many hours could affect payments and Social Security could mistake the person for full-time employment and deny benefits.

On the other hand, to be eligible for a disability pension, a person need not be able to engage in substantial gainful employment (SGA). And if the beneficiary is self-employed and on SSDI, Social Security conducts one of two tests to determine whether he or she is engaged in SGA:

The countable earnings test.

The three tests, which include significant services and substantial earnings, comparability test, and work value test.
Needless to say, the SSA use test depends on the details of employment, e.g., when you started your business and how long you have received SSDI. If any of the three tests show that the person deserves SGA, they will not receive Social Security disability benefits.