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To qualify for disability benefits, Social Security must determine that your medical condition prevents you from working and earning above a certain monthly income limit. This limit is called Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA). If you earn more than the allowed amount each month, after subtracting approved disability-related work expenses, Social Security will generally consider you able to work. The SGA income limit is higher for people who are legally blind and lower for those who are not. These limits are usually updated each year to reflect changes in average wages nationwide.
Amounts for 2026
For 2026, the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit is $2,830 per month for individuals who are legally blind and $1,690 per month for individuals who are not blind. In general, earning more than these amounts may affect eligibility for disability benefits. The higher SGA limit for blind individuals applies only to Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), while the non-blind SGA limit applies to both SSDI and Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Social Security typically updates these limits each year to reflect changes in average wages.
Trial work period
After a person becomes eligible for Social Security disability benefits, the person may attempt to return to the work force. As an incentive, Social Security provides a trial work period in which a beneficiary may have earnings and still collect benefits. The trial work period does not apply to SSI benefits. The monthly amount of earnings that trigger a trial work period are lower than the monthly SGA amounts
Review the Monthly Substantial Gainful Activity amounts by disability type directly from the Social Security's website: