The SSDI Trial Work Period, explained for 2026
Updated September 30, 2026 · General information, not legal advice
If you get SSDI, you can try working without losing your check right away. Here's how the 9 trial months work, and what comes after them.
The short version
- In 2026, any month you earn more than $1,210 before taxes counts as a trial month.
- You get 9 trial months. During them, your SSDI check is paid in full, no matter how much you earn.
- The 9 months don't have to be in a row. They're counted inside any rolling 60-month (5-year) window.
- After the 9th, a 36-month safety net starts. In that time, any month you earn under the limit is still paid.
What counts as a trial month
For people who work for an employer, a month counts when your gross earnings (before taxes) for work done that month are more than the trial amount. The amount changes every year:
| Year | A month counts when earnings are more than |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $1,110 |
| 2025 | $1,160 |
| 2026 | $1,210 |
If you're self-employed, a month also counts if you work more than 80 hours in your business, even if you earn less.
SSDI looks at when you did the work, not when you were paid. A paycheck on October 3 for work in late September mostly counts toward September.
After the 9 trial months
1. The 36-month safety net starts
The month after your 9th trial month, the Extended Period of Eligibility begins. For the first 36 months, you're paid for any month your earnings are under the earnings limit, called SGA ($1,690 a month in 2026, or $2,830 if you're blind). It starts even if you aren't working that month.
2. The first month over the limit comes with 2 more paid months
The first time you earn over SGA after your trial months, Social Security says your disability "ceased" because of work. You're still paid for that month and the next 2 months. These are called grace months, and they happen only once.
3. After that, during the 36 months
Months over SGA aren't paid. Months under SGA are paid again. No new application is needed.
4. After the 36 months
This is the part people miss. Once the 36 months are over, the first month you earn over SGA can end your SSDI for good (after any grace months). If you never go over SGA, the safety net just keeps going and your checks keep coming.
5. If SSDI ends, there's a way back
If SSDI ended because of work, and within 5 years you have to stop or cut back because of the same or a related condition, you can ask for Expedited Reinstatement instead of starting a new application. Social Security can pay up to 6 months of temporary benefits while it decides.
Medicare keeps going
Most people keep Medicare for at least 93 months (7 years and 9 months) after the trial period, even if SSDI checks stop, as long as they still have a disabling condition.
Things that can lower what counts
- Work expenses because of your disability (called IRWE), like special transportation or a job coach you pay for, can lower the earnings Social Security counts toward SGA.
- Subsidies and special conditions, like extra help on the job, can lower it too. Neither of these changes what counts as a trial month.
What to do
- Keep every pay stub, and write down which months went over $1,210.
- Report your work to Social Security when you start, stop or change jobs, and when your pay changes.
- Not sure how many trial months you've used? Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 and ask.
- For free, personal help, call a benefits counselor (WIPA) at 1-866-968-7842.
Check a month with the free calculator
- Social Security, Trial Work Period amounts
- Social Security Red Book, SSDI employment supports
- Social Security, What's new in 2026
- Program Operations Manual, DI 13010.210, Extended Period of Eligibility
- 20 CFR 404.1592 and 404.1592a