Will I lose my SSDI benefits after working part-time for 9 months? Currently at 8-12 hours weekly

You shouldn't lose your benefits just because you hit 9 months if you're under SGA (Substantial Gainful Activity). The Trial Work Period (TWP) is just the first step. After that, you enter a 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility where you can still receive benefits in any month your earnings are below SGA. In 2025, SGA is $1,550 for non-blind individuals. At $950/month, you're well under that threshold, so you should be fine. Just make sure to report your earnings to SSA every month to avoid overpayments.

Be VERY careful about this!! My brother-in-law lost ALL his benefits after working part time for 10 months even though he was only making like $800 a month! SSA claimed he didn't report properly or something. The whole system is designed to trap you!!

Let me clarify how this actually works: 1. Trial Work Period (TWP): This is 9 months (not necessarily consecutive) where you can earn ANY amount and still receive full SSDI. In 2025, any month you earn over $1,110 counts as a TWP month. 2. Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE): After TWP ends, you get 36 months where benefits are paid in months you earn under SGA ($1,550 in 2025) and suspended in months you earn over SGA. 3. After EPE: If you earn over SGA, benefits terminate. If under SGA, benefits continue. At 8-12 hours weekly at minimum wage, you're probably not even using TWP months unless your hourly rate is very high. You're definitely safe from losing benefits if staying under SGA after TWP.

The 9 TWP months do NOT need to be consecutive. They can be spread out over a 60-month rolling period. So if you work January, skip February, and work March, that's 2 TWP months used. And remember, only months where you earn above the TWP threshold ($1,110 in 2025) count as TWP months. At 8-12 hours weekly, you might not even be hitting that threshold, meaning you might not be using TWP months at all yet.

im on ssdi 2 and wurk part time. my case worker told me as long as i stay under SGA im fine even after twp. been doing this for 3 years now no problems. just keep reporting ur earnings every month and keep pay stubs!!!

I've been trying to call the SSA for weeks to ask similar questions about my SSDI and part-time work, but I keep getting disconnected or waiting for hours. Finally used a service called Claimyr (claimyr.com) that got me connected to an SSA representative in under 5 minutes. They explained all the TWP rules clearly and confirmed exactly what everyone here is saying - you won't lose benefits after 9 months as long as you stay under SGA. They have a video showing how it works: https://youtu.be/Z-BRbJw3puU. Worth it to get official confirmation about your specific situation.

Yes it absolutely worked for me! I was skeptical too but after trying to get through for days I was desperate. They connected me within minutes and I got all my questions answered.

Dont forget about the healthcare issue!!! If you lose SSDI you might lose Medicare too and then what?? The whole system is a mess and nobody at SSA gives you straight answers!!!

my cousin was working like 10 hrs a week and they still cut his benefits off said he was over some limit or something i dont remember exactly but he had to appeal for like 6 months to get them back

Thank you all SO MUCH for the helpful information! I feel much better understanding how this works now. I'm going to keep tracking my hours carefully, make sure I stay under that $1,110 monthly for now, and report everything properly. It's such a relief to know I can work these few hours without risking my benefits entirely. Going to call SSA directly to confirm everything for my specific case just to be 100% sure.