What the Trial Work Period rules were in 2018

In 2018, the Trial Work Period (TWP) allowed SSDI beneficiaries to test their ability to work without losing their cash benefit for nine months. During those nine months, you could earn any amount — there was no income limit — and still receive your full SSDI payment. The nine months did not have to be consecutive; SSA counted only the months in which you earned $910 or more (the 2018 threshold) as months of the TWP.

The purpose was straightforward: SSA wanted to see whether you could sustain work before deciding you were no longer disabled. If you stopped working or your earnings dropped below the monthly threshold before the nine months ended, the unused months stayed in your account. You could return to work later and use those remaining months without restarting the clock.

Once your nine TWP months were used up, you entered the Extended may be able to access period, which lasted 36 months. During Extended may be able to access, you could still work and earn above the limit, but SSA would suspend your benefit check in any month your earnings exceeded the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level — which was $1,180 per month in 2018 for non-blind beneficiaries.

Key Takeaways

  • The 2018 TWP allowed nine months of unlimited earnings without losing your SSDI check, counting only months where you earned $910 or more.
  • Unused TWP months remained in your account if you stopped working, so you could return to work later without losing them.
  • After the nine TWP months ended, Extended may be able to access gave you 36 more months to test work, but your check would suspend in months you earned over $1,180.
  • The $910 and $1,180 thresholds were specific to 2018 and changed each year based on federal wage indexing.
  • If you returned to work after the TWP and Extended may be able to access periods ended, SSA would conduct a new medical review to determine if you remained disabled.

How the nine-month count actually worked in 2018

SSA did not count calendar months; it counted service months — months in which you earned at least $910. If you worked in January and earned $950, that was one service month. If you worked in February and earned $800, that month did not count toward your nine. You could take unpaid months off without losing progress.

The nine months did not reset if you had a gap in work. If you used five months in 2018, stopped working for six months, and returned to work in 2019, you still had four months left. This was the critical protection: the TWP was yours to use on your own timeline, not SSA's.

However, once you completed all nine months, the clock did not restart. You moved into Extended may be able to access for the next 36 months. If you stopped working during Extended may be able to access and later returned, you would not get a new TWP — you would be subject to the SGA rules for the remainder of the 36-month window.

What happened to your check during the TWP in 2018

Your SSDI payment continued in full during all nine TWP months, regardless of how much you earned. This was the defining feature: work incentive without financial penalty. You could earn $2,000 in a month and still receive your entire SSDI check.

The only way to lose your check during the TWP was to be medically reviewed and found to no longer meet the disability criteria. Work itself did not trigger a loss of benefits. SSA did not use your earnings to reduce your payment the way Social Security does for early retirees.

Extended may be able to access and the SGA threshold in 2018

After your nine TWP months ended, you entered Extended may be able to access. For the next 36 months, your check would suspend in any month you earned $1,180 or more — the 2018 SGA level for non-blind workers. If you earned $1,179, you kept your check. If you earned $1,180, your check stopped for that month.

Extended may be able to access was not a benefit; it was a grace period. SSA was still monitoring your work capacity. If you consistently earned above SGA, SSA would eventually schedule a medical review. If the review found you could work at the SGA level, your benefits would terminate — not suspend, but end.

Blind beneficiaries had a higher SGA threshold in 2018: $1,970 per month. The rules were otherwise identical.

What happened after Extended may be able to access ended in 2018

Once your 36-month Extended may be able to access window closed, you were no longer protected by work incentives. If you were still working and earning above SGA, SSA would conduct a Continuing Disability Review (CDR) — a full medical examination to determine whether you remained disabled.

If the CDR found you capable of SGA-level work, your benefits would terminate. You would lose SSDI and, typically, Medicare coverage (though you could buy into Medicare for a limited time). If the CDR found you still disabled, your benefits would continue, but you would be subject to the standard SGA rules: work above SGA meant no check.

Some beneficiaries in 2018 used the TWP and Extended may be able to access strategically: they worked enough to test their capacity, then stopped or reduced hours before the Extended may be able to access period ended, allowing SSA to see them as unable to sustain work. This approach sometimes resulted in continued benefits without a CDR.

How the 2018 thresholds compared to other years

The $910 TWP threshold and $1,180 SGA threshold were specific to 2018. SSA adjusted both figures each January based on the national average wage index from two years prior. In 2017, the TWP threshold had been $900 and SGA was $1,170. In 2019, they rose to $920 and $1,220.

If you were planning to use your TWP in 2018, the exact threshold mattered. Earning $909 in a month did not count as a service month; earning $910 did. Many beneficiaries tracked their monthly earnings carefully to maximize the number of months they could use before hitting the nine-month limit.

Frequently Asked Questions

Could I use my TWP months in 2018 and save the rest for later years?

Yes. If you used only three TWP months in 2018, you had six months remaining. You could return to work in 2019, 2020, or any year after and use those six months without restarting. The TWP did not expire; it stayed with your record until all nine months were consumed.

What if I earned over $910 in some months but under $910 in others during 2018?

Only the months where you earned $910 or more counted as service months toward your nine. If you earned $500 in January and $1,200 in February, only February counted. You could work every month and still use your nine months slowly if your earnings varied.

Did my SSDI check get reduced if I earned a lot during the TWP in 2018?

No. Your check stayed the same no matter how much you earned during the nine TWP months. The entire point of the TWP was to let you test work without financial penalty. Only after the TWP ended, during Extended may be able to access, would your check suspend if you earned over the threshold.

If I was still working when my Extended may be able to access ended in 2018, what happened next?

SSA would schedule a Continuing Disability Review to examine your medical condition and work capacity. If they found you could work at the SGA level, your benefits would end. If they found you still disabled, your benefits would continue, but you would be subject to standard SGA rules going forward.

Was the TWP different for blind beneficiaries in 2018?

The TWP itself was the same: nine months, $910 threshold, no earnings limit. However, blind beneficiaries had a higher SGA threshold during Extended may be able to access ($1,970 instead of $1,180), and different rules applied to their work incentives overall. If you were blind, SSA had additional programs like the Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) that could help.