What is the Trial Work Program, and how does it work?
The Trial Work Program allows you to work and earn all you want for nine months and still receive your full SSDI benefits. If you consistently earn under SGA (Substantial Gainful Activity) each month, nothing is likely to happen, except you will have used up all your Trial Work months. If you earn over SGA1 before taxes each month during or after the Trial Work Period and keep working at that level, they may decide you can support yourself. In this case, after you have worked at that level for nine months, they will continue your benefits for three more months, then place you on inactive status for the next three years. If you continued working, at that point your disability claim would end. The good news is that during the five-year period following the “suspension” of your monthly checks, if you need to stop working because of your health and your earnings drop below SGA per month, you are again eligible for benefits and will not have to reapply. Social Security will, however, conduc
