You can stop your trial work period at any time by telling Social Security

Your trial work period is a nine-month window where you can work and still receive your full SSDI payment. You do not have to use all nine months. If you want to stop it early — because you have returned to work full-time, found stable employment, or straightforward changed your mind — you can end it whenever you choose by contacting Social Security.

The key thing to understand is that stopping your trial work period is different from stopping SSDI itself. Ending the trial period does not automatically end your benefits. What it does is move you into a different phase of work incentives, where the rules about how much you can earn before your payment reduces change. You need to know which phase comes next and what that means for your monthly check.

Key Takeaways

  • You can end your trial work period at any time by calling Social Security or visiting your local office in person.
  • Stopping the trial period does not stop your SSDI — it moves you into the Extended may be able to access period, where different earning rules explore.
  • During Extended may be able to access, your payment reduces or stops if you earn above a certain amount each month, so you need to know that threshold before you decide.
  • If you stop working or your earnings drop below the limit, you can request that your trial work period restart, though Social Security must approve it.

How to notify Social Security that you want to end your trial work period

Contact Social Security directly. You have three options: call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), visit your local Social Security office in person, or create an account on ssa.gov and send a message through your online account. When you call or visit, tell them you want to end your trial work period. Have your Social Security number ready.

You do not need to fill out a form or submit paperwork to stop the trial period itself. A phone call or in-person visit is enough. However, Social Security will ask you questions about your current work and earnings to understand where you stand. Be ready to tell them how much you are earning per month and whether you expect that to change.

If you use the online message option, be specific: write that you want to end your trial work period and include your current monthly earnings. Social Security may call you back to confirm, so give them a phone number where they can reach you during business hours.

What happens after you stop your trial work period

Once you end the trial period, you move into Extended may be able to access, which lasts for 36 months. During this phase, your SSDI payment continues, but it reduces or stops if you earn more than a set amount each month. That amount changes every year — it is called the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level, and in 2024 it is $1,550 per month for non-blind beneficiaries and $2,590 for blind beneficiaries. These figures change annually, so confirm the current amount with Social Security when you end your trial period.

The difference from the trial work period is important: during the trial period, you could earn any amount and still get your full check. During Extended may be able to access, if you earn above the SGA level in any month, your payment for that month reduces by $1 for every $2 you earn above the limit. If you earn well above the limit, your payment may stop entirely for that month.

After Extended may be able to access ends (36 months after you stop the trial period), you enter a phase called the Expedited Reinstatement period. During this time, if your earnings drop below SGA again, you can request that your benefits restart without going through a new medical review — as long as you request reinstatement within five years of when your benefits stopped.

When to stop your trial work period

The timing of when you stop depends on your work situation. If you have found stable, full-time work that pays well above the SGA level, stopping the trial period early makes sense because your payment will reduce anyway once you move into Extended may be able to access. Stopping it does not change that outcome, but it does let you plan ahead and understand exactly when the reduction will happen.

If you are working part-time or earning close to the SGA level, you might want to use more of your nine months. The trial period is a protected window where you can test your ability to work without losing any payment. Once it ends, even a small increase in earnings can reduce your check. Some people use the full nine months to see whether they can sustain the work before moving into the stricter earning rules of Extended may be able to access.

If you stop working entirely or your earnings drop significantly, you may want to keep the trial period active rather than end it. As long as the trial period is still running, you have the option to restart it if you return to work. Once you end it and move into Extended may be able to access, restarting requires Social Security approval and is not may provide.

What to do if you want to restart your trial work period

If you end your trial work period and then stop working — or if you realize you made the decision too soon — you can ask Social Security to restart it. However, Social Security does not have to approve the restart. They will look at your situation: whether you have a good reason for stopping work, how long you have been out of work, and whether restarting makes sense given your circumstances.

To request a restart, contact Social Security the same way you would to end the period: by phone, in person, or through your online account. Explain that you want to restart your trial work period and describe why. If you stopped working due to a medical setback, say that. If you lost your job, explain the circumstances. Social Security will review your request and let you know whether they will approve it.

Keep in mind that you can only restart the trial period once. If you have already used nine months and then restarted, you get another nine months. But you cannot restart a second time. After that, you are in Extended may be able to access for the full 36 months, regardless of whether you work.

How your earnings are counted during and after the trial period

During the trial work period, Social Security counts a month as a trial work month if you earn $240 or more (in 2024) or if you work 15 hours or more in self-employment, regardless of earnings. The threshold changes yearly. Once you have nine trial work months, the period ends — whether or not you have used all nine calendar months.

This matters because you might use up your nine months faster than you expect. If you work part-time some months and full-time others, keep track of how many months you have already counted. You can ask Social Security to tell you how many trial work months you have used so far. When you are close to nine, you will know that Extended may be able to access is coming soon.

After the trial period ends and you are in Extended may be able to access, the counting changes. Now Social Security looks at your total monthly earnings, not just whether you worked. If you earn above the SGA level, your payment reduces. If you earn below it, you get your full payment. This is month-to-month, so a high-earning month followed by a low-earning month means you get a full payment the second month.

Documents and information you may need

When you contact Social Security to end your trial work period, have the following ready: your Social Security number, your current monthly earnings (or a recent pay stub), the name and phone number of your employer if you are working, and any information about expected changes to your income. If you are self-employed, have a record of your net earnings for the current month.

You do not need to submit these documents to stop the trial period, but Social Security will ask about them during the call or visit. Having the information ready makes the conversation faster and more accurate. If you are unsure of your exact earnings, give Social Security your best estimate and let them know you can send documentation later if needed.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does ending my trial work period stop my SSDI?

No. Ending the trial work period moves you into Extended may be able to access, where you keep receiving SSDI but the earning rules change. Your payment may reduce if you earn above the SGA level, but your benefits do not stop automatically. You would need to request that SSDI be terminated separately if you wanted to stop receiving it entirely.

What if I end my trial period and then lose my job?

You can ask Social Security to restart your trial work period, though they must approve the request. Explain that you lost your job and want another chance to test your work capacity. If approved, you get another nine months. If not approved, you stay in Extended may be able to access, where you will receive your full payment as long as you are not working or earning below the SGA level.

Can I end my trial work period and then restart it multiple times?

You can restart once, but not multiple times. After you have used nine trial work months and restarted once, you cannot restart again. At that point, you move into Extended may be able to access for the full 36 months, and the trial period is no longer available to you.

How do I know how many trial work months I have already used?

Call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 and ask them to tell you how many trial work months you have completed. They can look this up in your account when ready. Knowing this number helps you plan when to end the trial period, since you only get nine months total.

What is the difference between the trial work period and Extended may be able to access?

During the trial work period, you earn any amount and keep your full SSDI payment. During Extended may be able to access, your payment reduces if you earn above the SGA level each month. The trial period lasts nine months; Extended may be able to access lasts 36 months. Once the trial period ends, you cannot go back to it unless Social Security approves a restart.