Do I need to report my disabled daughter's small 1099 income to SSA monthly when it's way below SGA?

you absolutely need to report ALL income no matter how small. the ssa doesn't mess around with this stuff! my cousin didn't report some income and they came after him for overpayments plus penalties. better safe than sorry.

While all income should be reported, there are some nuances here since your daughter has already completed her Trial Work Period (TWP). She's now in what's called the Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE). Since her earnings are well below Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) - which is $1,550/month for 2025 - her benefits shouldn't be affected. However, SSA still requires income reporting. Instead of monthly reporting by phone, try these alternatives: 1. Send earnings reports by certified mail to your local office with return receipt requested 2. Report quarterly instead of monthly (gather 3 months at once) 3. Visit your local office in person and request written confirmation 4. Have your daughter set up wage reporting with the myWageReport feature in her my Social Security account (though this might be challenging with 1099 income) Keep copies of everything you send and all receipts. This documentation is your protection if questions arise later.

The advice about reporting quarterly is good, but just to clarify - your daughter has completed her Trial Work Period (TWP), so she's now in her Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE). During the EPE, SSA is primarily concerned with whether she's performing Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA). Since her earnings are consistently below SGA, there's less urgency to report every single month. Quarterly reporting by certified mail to your local office should be sufficient. Use Form SSA-821 (Work Activity Report) or simply write a detailed letter including: - Her full name - Social Security number - Months being reported - Exact earnings each month - Hours worked each month - Type of work performed Keep copies of everything, including proof of mailing and her 1099 statements.

SSA makes this stuff so confusing on purpose imo. my brother has been on SSDI for years and we've given up on even reporting his little side gig cuz the system is broken anyway. never had any problems. but thats just us, not saying you should do that!!

I dealt with a similar situation with my son who receives SSDI. After struggling with the phone reporting system, I discovered Claimyr (claimyr.com). They help you get through to SSA representatives without the ridiculous wait times. I used it to connect with someone who set up a better reporting system for us. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU Besides that, I agree with others that quarterly reporting using Form SSA-821 is your best option. Also, keep in mind that since your daughter has used her Trial Work Period, SSA is mainly concerned with SGA levels. Document everything thoroughly and consider visiting your local office to establish a more reliable reporting protocol.

WAIT! Are you mixing up SSI and SSDI? For SSI you have to report monthly because it affects payment amounts immediately. For SSDI after TWP is used up, they only care if you're over SGA. The reporting requirements are totally different!

I was in almost this EXACT situation with my husband who gets SSDI!!! What worked for us was sending a detailed letter with copies of his payment receipts every 3 months to our local office through certified mail. We also keep a folder with EVERYTHING - copies of what we sent, postal receipts, etc. The big thing is proving you made the effort to report. If they ever come back later saying "you didn't tell us" you have proof you did. We've been doing this for 2 years now with no problems. Don't give up! The system makes it hard but protecting your daughter's benefits is worth it. And definitely try reporting quarterly instead of monthly - it's much more manageable.

the whole system is rigged against disabled people trying to work!!!! i spent 5 HOURS on hold last month trying to report my daughter's income and then got disconnected! the SSA website is impossible to navigate and nobody gives the same answer twice. its like they WANT us to make mistakes so they can punish us later.

Just a final recommendation - since your daughter has used all her Trial Work Period months and is in the Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE), the quarterly reporting approach using Form SSA-821 should work well. The key information SSA needs during the EPE is: 1. Monthly earnings amounts 2. Hours worked each month 3. Job duties/type of work This helps them determine if she's performing Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA). Since her earnings are consistently well below the SGA threshold ($1,550/month in 2025), her benefits should continue without interruption. Keep detailed records of all communications with SSA, including certified mail receipts. If your daughter's earnings pattern changes significantly, report it promptly. Quarterly reporting for consistent below-SGA earnings is a reasonable approach that balances compliance with practicality.