Plenty of people come to us with this exact question, and honestly, it’s one of the most important things to get right before you file. Working while applying for Social Security Disability Insurance is possible, but the rules around it are genuinely tricky. Get it wrong, and you could sink a claim that might have otherwise been approved.
SSDI is a federal program, so the rules apply the same whether you’re filing from Evansville, Indianapolis, or anywhere else in Indiana. The Social Security Administration (SSA) evaluates your work activity right at the start of the process, before they even look at your medical records. So the question of whether you can work isn’t just a lifestyle question. It’s a legal one.
What Counts as ‘Substantial Gainful Activity?’
The SSA uses a term called Substantial Gainful Activity, or SGA. This is the earnings threshold that tells the agency whether your work is significant enough to suggest you aren’t disabled under their definition.
For 2025, that number is $1,620 per month in gross earnings for most applicants. If you’re earning above that amount when you apply, the SSA may issue what’s called a technical denial before your medical evidence is ever reviewed. That’s not a small thing. It means the door closes before the conversation even starts.
And here’s something people don’t always realize: the SGA test isn’t purely about dollars. The SSA looks at the nature of the work too. Part-time work can still count as substantial if it involves significant physical or mental effort. Work can be considered substantial even if you’re doing less than you did before your disability, earning less, or carrying fewer responsibilities. The agency is looking at the overall picture of your work activity, not just your paycheck.
To clarify that last point: even if your monthly earnings fall below $1,620, the SSA may still consider how your work activity reflects on your functional ability. If you’re working below SGA but performing tasks similar to what a non-disabled person would do in the same role, that can complicate your claim. We see this come up often with self-employed applicants in the Evansville area, where the SSA evaluates not just income but the hours, skills, and effort involved in running a business.
What Happens If You’re Still Working When You Apply
Most people applying for SSDI aren’t working full-time. They’ve reduced hours, switched to lighter duties, or stopped working entirely because their condition made it impossible to continue. That’s actually the situation SSDI is designed for.
But some people are still working when they file, usually because they have no other choice. Bills don’t pause while a disability claim works its way through the system. And the Evansville SSA office on Green River Road, which serves Vanderburgh County and surrounding communities like Newburgh and Chandler, processes a significant number of claims from people in exactly this situation.
If you’re working and earning below the SGA limit, your application may still move forward. You’ll need to show that your work is limited by your disability, and that the level of activity you’re performing doesn’t reflect an ability to sustain full-time competitive employment. That’s a nuanced argument, and it’s one where how you document your limitations matters enormously.
Working above the SGA limit when you apply is a different story. In most cases, the SSA will deny the claim at step one without evaluating your medical condition at all.
The Unsuccessful Work Attempt
About those situations where someone tries to push through and work, only to have their body or condition force them to stop. The SSA has a rule for this called an Unsuccessful Work Attempt, or UWA.
Generally, if you attempted to return to work but had to stop or significantly reduce your hours within six months because of your disabling condition, the SSA may not count that work against your claim. It’s a protection that acknowledges the reality that many people try to keep working even when they shouldn’t have to. The key factors are the duration of the attempt and the reason it ended.
This rule doesn’t apply in every situation, and the details matter. But if you’ve tried to work during your application period and it didn’t go well, that history isn’t automatically a problem. In some cases, it can actually support your claim by showing what your condition prevents you from doing.
After Approval: The Trial Work Period
Once approved for SSDI, the rules shift. The SSA actually has built-in programs designed to encourage people to try returning to work without immediately losing their benefits.
The Trial Work Period, or TWP, allows approved SSDI recipients to work for up to nine months within a rolling five-year period while still receiving full benefits, regardless of how much they earn during those months. The nine months don’t need to be consecutive. Someone might work for three months, need to stop due to health, then return for a few more months later. Each of those months counts toward the total as long as earnings meet or exceed the TWP threshold, which is $1,160 per month in 2025.
After the nine trial months are used, the Extended Period of Eligibility kicks in. This is a 36-month window during which benefits are paid for any month earnings fall below the SGA limit, and suspended for months when earnings exceed it. If earnings drop back below SGA during those 36 months, benefits can restart without filing a new application. That’s a meaningful safety net for people whose work capacity fluctuates.
Reporting Is Not Optional
We cannot stress this enough: if you’re working while your claim is pending, or after you’ve been approved, you are required to report that work activity to the SSA. This includes when you start or stop a job, changes in hours or duties, and changes in pay.
Failing to report can lead to overpayments, and overpayments can mean the SSA demands money back. This can create a real hardship for people who were simply trying to stay afloat. Keep pay stubs. Instead of risking it, document your hours. If your employer provides accommodations or reduced expectations because of your condition, document that too. The SSA can factor in subsidies and impairment-related work expenses when calculating your countable earnings, which can sometimes bring your income below the SGA threshold even when your gross pay is higher.
What This Means for Your Claim
Working while applying for SSDI doesn’t automatically disqualify you. But it does potentially complicate how your claim is prepared and documented. The SSA’s review of your work activity happens before your medical evidence is even considered. If that first review goes badly, the rest of the process may never happen.
In our experience working with clients across Evansville and the rest of southwestern Indiana, the people who have the most trouble with this issue are those who tried to manage it on their own. They didn’t know the SGA limit. They didn’t document their limitations at work. They didn’t report their earnings correctly. By the time they came to us, they were appealing a denial that might have been avoided.
If you’re trying to figure out whether your current work situation will affect your SSDI claim, reach out to Wambach Disability Law before you file. Early guidance tends to prevent the kinds of mistakes that are much harder to fix later. Every situation is different, and the rules around working while applying for SSDI are detailed enough that general information only gets you so far.