If you have qualified for Social Security Disability Insurance benefits, you may count on those payments to continue coming as long as you are disabled. According to the Social Security Administration, you will be subject to a review of your case every so often to determine if you still qualify for benefits. The frequency of these reviews depends on the severity of your disability; reviews may be as often as every six months, or there may be several years in between reviews.
If you decide at some point that you have recovered enough to work in some capacity, it is important to understand how going back to work may affect your SSDI benefits.
Work income affects eligibility
The SSA indicates that disability benefits may stop if you start working enough to make money. In order for benefits to stop, you have to return to a work situation that allows you to bring in a substantial income. For example, you may not lose your benefits if you just pick up a few odd jobs once in a while.
The actual amount of income that the SSA determines to be substantial may change every year, and you may find information on the SSA website. If the SSA determines that your disability has improved enough to allow you to return to work, your benefits may end anyway to encourage you to start supporting yourself.
There are work incentive programs that make the transition easier
If you want to return to work while you are receiving SSDI benefits, the SSA provides some work incentives that make the transition easier. Programs, such as Ticket to Work, may allow you to keep receiving benefits while you transition back into the workforce. Other benefits of the program include free vocational training and access to job referrals.
