CAN YOU WORK WHILE ON SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY?

First, you must understand Social Security's thinking about working and getting disability benefits.  They believe that you are either able to work, or unable to work.  If you are able to work you are not disabled.  If you are disabled then you are not able to work.  So trying to work while getting a disability benefit is a paradox.

 Social Security will allow a little work, but not too much.  If you go over their limit, then they stop your disability benefit.

Here's the limit:  If you earn at least $1,310 per month in gross wages, salary, commission or self-employment, you cease to be disabled under their rules.  Your check is terminated.  

 Often, Social Security doesn't catch the fact that you are working right away.  They may let you receive checks you are no longer entitled to before they learn that you're working.  This accumulates a debt to Social Security that must be repaid.  For example, you receive 10 disability checks of $2,000 each while you are working at "substantial gainful activity."  Social Security will eventually notify you that have been overpaid by $20,000 and demand their money back.

 So, if you work while getting SDDI benefits, you must keep your wages below $1,310 per month.  The closer you get to that earnings level, the more likely Social Security is to put you under a "Continuing Disability Review" (CDR) to determine whether you are still disabled.  In other words, working makes Social Security suspicious.  Earnings of $350 per month may not trigger concern, but earning $1250 a month may.  

The beneficiary of benefits has an obligation to report all work and earnings to the Social Security Administration.  Of course, they automatically receive reports of your earnings because your employer must file monthly or quarterly reports and pay Social Security taxes (FICA) on all earnings.

If you want to transition from SSDI or SSI back to working, call the local Social Security office and ask them about "Ticket to Work."  This is a special program that, under certain circumstances, allows the beneficiary to work while keeping benefits and Medicare for a certain period of time.  The goal with Ticket to Work is to get you off Social Security or SSI benefits and get you back to work.