Ticket to Work & Trial Work Period Calculator
Enter your monthly earnings to see if this month counts toward your 9 Trial Work Period months, and whether it clears the SGA limit that applies afterward.
During your 9 Trial Work Period months, you can earn any amount and keep your full SSDI check. A month only "counts" as one of the 9 if you earn $1,210 or more (2026). After those 9 months are used, a separate 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility applies, where the $1,690 (or $2,830 if blind) SGA limit determines whether you get paid for a given month. This is a completely different rule set than the retirement earnings test.
People on SSDI often confuse this with the retirement earnings test, but disability work incentives run on their own separate track with its own thresholds. Enter your situation below to see exactly where you stand.
Check Your Trial Work Period & SGA Status
TWP Threshold (2026)
$1,210/moSGA Limit (2026)
TWP Months Left
You still have Trial Work Period months available. You keep your full SSDI check this month regardless of how much you earn, since the SGA limit doesn't apply during the TWP.
Medicare keeps running for at least 93 months after your TWP ends, even in months your cash benefit stops for exceeding SGA.
SSDI work incentives run on two separate stages, and mixing them up is the single most common source of confusion for people trying to return to work. Stage one is the Trial Work Period: 9 months, not necessarily consecutive, counted within a rolling 60-month window. A month only counts toward those 9 if you earn $1,210 or more in 2026 (or work more than 80 hours self-employed). Earn less than that in a given month, and it doesn't use up a TWP month at all. During any TWP month, earnings don't reduce your SSDI check whatsoever, even if you earn far above the Substantial Gainful Activity limit. Once you've used all 9 TWP months, you move into stage two: a 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility. Here the rule flips. Now the SGA limit, $1,690 a month for 2026 ($2,830 if you're statutorily blind), determines your check month by month. Earn under SGA in a given EPE month, and you get paid. Earn over it, and that month's payment stops, though it can restart in a later month if your earnings drop back under SGA again, without a new application, as long as you're still within the 36-month EPE window. This is a completely different rule set from the retirement earnings test that applies to people drawing early retirement benefits, which reduces (rather than fully stops) benefits based on annual, not monthly, earnings. The Ticket to Work program itself is a separate, voluntary layer on top of all this: it connects you with an Employment Network or your state Vocational Rehabilitation agency for job placement help, and using it can extend certain protections, like pausing continuing disability reviews, while you're actively working toward returning to work.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much can I earn on SSDI during the Trial Work Period?
Any amount. During your 9 Trial Work Period months, you keep your full SSDI check no matter how much you earn. A month only counts as a TWP month if you earn $1,210 or more (2026) or work over 80 self-employed hours.
How many Trial Work Period months do I get?
9 months, which don't need to be consecutive. They're counted within a rolling 60-month (5-year) window, so scattered qualifying months across 5 years still use up your 9.
What happens after my Trial Work Period ends?
You enter a 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility. During those months, you get your SSDI check for any month you earn under the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit, and lose it for any month you earn over SGA.
What is the 2026 SGA limit?
$1,690 a month for non-blind individuals and $2,830 a month for individuals who are statutorily blind, both set by the Social Security Administration for 2026.
What is Ticket to Work?
A free, voluntary SSA program connecting SSDI and SSI recipients with an Employment Network or state Vocational Rehabilitation agency for job support, while protecting your benefits during a Trial Work Period as you attempt to return to work.
Does working affect my Medicare while on SSDI?
No, not right away. Medicare coverage continues for at least 93 months after your Trial Work Period ends, even if your cash SSDI benefit stops due to work, under the Extended Period of Medicare Coverage.
Based on 2026 Social Security Administration Trial Work Period and Substantial Gainful Activity figures. This tool provides a general estimate, not an official determination. Report all earnings to the SSA and contact your local field office or a Ticket to Work Employment Network for your specific case.