ArcaMax

Social Security Disability Benefits and Incentives to Work

Q: I am 57 years old and getting Social Security disability benefits. I understand I can work and make $23,000 and still keep my disability checks. Is this true?

A: No, it's not true. The dollar figure you cite applies to retirees who are under their full retirement age and working. They can work and earn up to $23,400 and still get all their retirement checks. So now let me explain some things to you about working while on Social Security disability.

The only reason you are getting disability benefits in the first place is that you have been deemed to be unable to work. Or to put that another way, you are not getting Social Security disability just because you have a physical or mental impairment. You are getting those benefits because that impairment keeps you from working. In other words, the inability to work is the key to your eligibility for disability benefits. So, on the one hand, you normally shouldn't be working at all.

On the other hand, there are all kinds of work incentives built into the disability program that allow you to try working while still collecting your disability checks -- at least for a while.

Those incentive provisions fill up about a 100-page book that the Social Security Administration produces. So, there is no way I can explain all of them to you in this column. But I can summarize the main provisions.

As a general rule, you can work for up to nine months, making as much money as you can and still keep getting your benefits. However, after those nine months, if you are still working and if you are making more than about $1,600 per month, there is a pretty good chance your disability checks will stop. If you want more information, go to www.socialsecurity.gov and under the "Publications" link, look for the pamphlet called "Working While Disabled -- How We Can Help." It is an abbreviated version of the book I mentioned earlier.

Q: I have a 55-year-old son. He has had cerebral palsy since childhood, but he has managed to work off and on over the years. In fact, he worked enough that he got the required credits to qualify for disability benefits when his condition worsened and he had to stop working. But after a few years on disability, the Social Security people kept telling him there were special provisions in the law that allowed him to work and get disability checks. In fact, he was eventually making upwards of $15,000 per year. And now he has just received a letter today from Social Security stopping his disability benefits and telling him he's been overpaid $32,000 and that he has to pay that back. How can they encourage him to go back to work and then turn around and tell him he's no longer eligible for benefits and ask for their money back?

A: I really feel sorry for you and your son and the problems he is now going through. Earlier, I mentioned that 100-page booklet that explains the work incentives built into the disability program. That book is just the tip of the iceberg. All of these return-to-work provisions are just so darn convoluted and complicated.

I think those complications reflect a conundrum our society faces. On the one hand, we want to provide disability benefits to people who are truly disabled. On the other, we want to encourage them to work and become financially self-sufficient so they don't have to rely on the government dole. And then sadly, those two goals can end up competing and causing problems. Your son is now facing the result of that competition.

What you and your son need to do right away is to deal with the alleged overpayment. My "Social Security: Simple and Smart" book, available from Amazon, has an entire chapter devoted to how to handle an overpayment. You really need to read that chapter. For now, I can tell you that your priority should be to file an appeal of the alleged overpayment. That involves calling the SSA at 800-772-1213 and filling out a form called a "Request for Reconsideration." That will start the ball rolling in getting them to review your son's case. As I said, these work incentive provisions are just so darn complicated that maybe another set of eyes reviewing your son's case will come up with a different conclusion.

Q: I'm on Social Security disability. How do I get a ticket to work?

A: The "Ticket to Work" program is just one of the many work incentive provisions built into the Social Security and Supplemental Security Income disability programs. And to be honest, I don't fully understand how it works. But if you simply Google "Ticket to Work," you will find a ton of information. I copied the following from the Social Security Administration website:

"Ticket to Work connects you with free employment services to help you decide if working is right for you, prepare for work, find a job or maintain success while you are working. If you choose to participate, you will receive services such as career counseling, vocational rehabilitation, and job placement and training from authorized Ticket to Work service providers, such as Employment Networks (EN) or your State Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) agency. The service provider you choose will serve as an important part of your "employment team" that will help you on your journey to financial independence. For more information, call the Ticket to Work hotline at 866-968-7842."

Q: I'm on disability. If I win the lottery, can I keep my disability check?

A: Well, I guess winning the lottery is one way of avoiding all the hassles of trying to work while on disability. The answer to your question depends on the kind of disability benefit that you are getting. If you are getting Social Security disability benefits, you could win a million dollars in the lottery and you'd still keep getting your disability checks. But if you are on SSI, which is a welfare program, and you win the lottery, your SSI payments would stop almost immediately.

========

If you have a Social Security question, Tom Margenau has two books with all the answers. One is called "Social Security -- Simple and Smart: 10 Easy-to-Understand Fact Sheets That Will Answer All Your Questions About Social Security." The other is "Social Security: 100 Myths and 100 Facts." You can find the books at Amazon.com or other book outlets. Or you can send him an email at thomas.margenau@comcast.net. To find out more about Tom Margenau and to read past columns and see features from other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

Copyright 2025 Creators Syndicate, Inc.