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You can receive Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability compensation at the same time if you qualify for both. If you start working, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has SSDI work limits. VA disability compensation stays the same.
This article explains SSDI work limits and the rules about working on VA disability compensation. It covers the SSA’s work rules, trial work periods, and how to reduce the risk of overpayments. It also includes common scenarios, Medicare basics, and a short FAQ.
You get SSDI because you had enough work credits from paying Social Security taxes and the SSA found that you can’t work at a substantial level because of an impairment.
You get VA disability compensation for a disabling health condition resulting from military service.
These benefit programs are run by separate agencies with different rules. Payments from one program don’t affect the other but working might. Here’s what you need to know.
The SSA wants to support you if you are well enough to try working. The Ticket to Work program supports career development when you get Social Security disability benefits and want to work. It helps you explore work options, understand SSA earnings rules, and find employment services like training or vocational rehabilitation. You can also learn about reporting requirements and work support from the program’s website and career counselors.
The SSA offers work incentives to test working while getting SSDI. The Trial Work Period (TWP) is the first incentive. During your TWP, you can work and get full SSDI benefits for nine months in a rolling 60-month time period. That means you could have nine consecutive TWP months or take years to get to nine months.
A month counts toward TWP totals when you make more than the TWP earnings threshold, which is $1,210 gross in 2026.
If you’re self-employed, any month that you work over 80 hours is counted as a TWP month regardless of earnings.
Example: If you earn $1,400 in January, that month counts as a TWP month. If you earn less than the threshold in February, that month doesn’t count.
Each year, the SSA sets an SGA limit for what it considers “substantial” earnings. You qualify for SSDI when a condition limits your ability to do Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) for at least 12 months or is expected to result in death. In 2026, the SGA limit is $1,690 gross a month or $2,830 gross if you’re blind.
After your TWP ends because you had nine qualifying months, you go into an Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE). During the 36-month EPE, you can earn any amount. You are paid SSDI benefits for months you earn less than SGA. You don’t get SSDI benefits for months you earn over SGA limits.
If you are able to earn over SGA limits after your EPE ends, your SSDI benefits will end. You no longer meet the SSA’s rules for disability benefits.
If your condition worsens or recurs within five years of SSDI ending and you stop working again, you can ask for an expedited reinstatement. The SSA pays up to six months of temporary disability benefits while the agency reviews your case again.
Expedited reinstatement only applies when the condition that got you approved for SSDI gets worse or recurs. If you get a new condition that prevents you from working to SGA levels, you must reapply for SSDI.
VA disability ratings reflect the severity of a service-related condition or injury. Ratings are from 0 to 100%. If you have more than one condition stemming from service, your rating from both is combined. The higher your rating, the higher your benefit amount.
Your VA rating doesn’t affect SSDI eligibility or payments. Typically, VA disability work rules do not reduce your rating or benefits. Cases of Total Disability based on Individual Unemployability (TDIU) are exceptions.
When a service-related condition prevents you from keeping substantial employment, you may get 100% compensation payments even if your rating (or combined rating) is below 100%. To qualify, you need at least one rating of 60% or higher, or a combined rating of 70% or higher.
Since TDIU means you can’t work, substantial earnings are contradictory. You are allowed to work with TDIU, but your earnings must be below the federal poverty level.
You can earn more if you work in a protected work environment, including a sheltered environment. Working for a family business, in a sheltered workshop, or where the employer provides significant special accommodations are examples of a protected work environment and sheltered work.
If you get TDIU benefits and want to try working more than odd jobs, talk to a VA representative about VA disability work rules before your earnings change. Read more about VA TDIU rules here.
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Get EvaluationYou must report your work activities when you get SSDI. During your extended eligibility, reporting on time helps prevent overpayments. If you don’t report on time, the SSA may send your SSDI payment for a month you’re not eligible to be paid.
Report Monthly:
Keeping weekly records can help you tally work details when the month ends. Save important documents like pay stubs, offer letters, emails about start dates, schedules, and work-related expenses.
If you own your own business, keep records about business activities and people who help with the business, paid or unpaid. Get in-depth information about reporting self-employment work here.
You can report monthly wages to the SSA online, by phone, mail, or in person. Talk to the SSA or a Ticket to Work counselor if you need help with reporting.
You must complete wage reporting by the 10th of the following month. Report as early as possible to help prevent overpayments.
Keep copies of your wage reporting and proof that it was received like a screenshot, confirmation number, or stamped receipt if you report in person.
You can work part time and get SSDI benefits. If you’re in the TWP, keep a record of months you earn over $1,210 gross so you know when your TWP ends. During the EPE, report honestly and keep records.
Example: You are in EPE and earn $1,200 in January, $1,250 in February, and $1,300 in March. Each month is under SGA limits, so you get your earnings and SSDI benefit.
When you earn over SGA limits during the EPE, you aren’t eligible for SSDI benefits that month. If your earnings are under SGA the next month, you get SSDI.
Example: You earn over SGA limits in March due to overtime, so March is not payable. In April your earnings drop under SGA, so April is payable.
Since your TWP months are in a rolling five-year time period, it could take several calendar years to reach your nine months. You could easily forget how many qualifying months you’ve had.
If you’re unsure how many months your earnings counted as TWP, ask the SSA. When you finish nine TWP months, don’t fret. You get a three-year grace period under EPE.
The SSA reviews your net profit (gross income minus business expenses), your hours, and the types of work you do. A month with low net profit can count as a TWP month if you work over 80 hours. The SSA also considers some business activities as “significant” and may ask questions about your work.
Example: You start a business and work 85 hours in a month. Because you have several start-up expenses, you don’t have any net profit that month. The month counts as a TWP month because of your hours.
Impairment related work expenses (IRWEs) are costs for items and services you need to work. Examples include medical devices, special transportation, or even a service animal. The expenses you pay are deducted from your gross earnings before the SSA reviews the amount.
The SSA also deducts subsidies and special conditions from your gross earnings before review because the value of your work is less than it would be without the help.
Subsidies like extra breaks, extra supervision, or a reduced workload come from the employer. Special conditions are provided by an entity other than your employer like supervision through vocational rehab.
After you get SSDI for 24 months, you’re automatically enrolled into the federal health insurance program, Medicare. (Except in cases of end-stage renal disease and Lou Gehrig’s disease which get Medicare earlier.) You don’t lose this health insurance when you work. You get health insurance during TWP and EPE.
You also get the free Medicare Part A for 93 months after EPE ends (Americans are eligible for Medicare at age 65).
If you plan to work but don’t know how to get started, talk to a Ticket to Work counselor. They can also help you with reporting and IRWE questions.
If you’re already working and are unsure if you’ve had TWP months, talk to the SSA.
If you’re still applying for SSDI or have been denied, Advocate’s disability specialists can help. We don’t provide legal or medical advice, but we can build a strong claim or help you appeal.
Advocate’s help costs nothing upfront and you only pay a fee if you win.
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Get EvaluationYes. You can get both disability benefits if you qualify for both programs.
It depends on which stage you’re in. Read about the TWP earnings threshold and SGA above.
Yes. You’re required to report all work, even gigs, to the SSA.
Your income and work activities can trigger a Social Security work review. Learn more about the difference between a work and medical review here.
What happens when a job doesn’t work out depends on which stage you are in. During the TWP and EPE, you’ll continue to get benefits. If SSDI benefits ended and then you stop working again, you can ask for expedited reinstatement if the same condition caused you to stop.
Working doesn’t typically affect VA disability compensation except in cases of a TDIU rating.
If you get TDIU benefits and work, your earnings are limited. Talk to a VA representative about your specific case.
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