My son was involved in a bad traffic accident in 2007 that rendered him disabled. Since then he's had 25 surgeries and is only now at a point where he wants to try and work part-time. My understanding is that he is limited to 45 hours/month without jeopardizing benefits, but what about the wage or hourly rate? Is that established, or what?

Hi,

I'm sorry to hear about your son's problems. It sounds like you must be confusing the monthly retirement test rule that applies to self-employed workers for the rules governing people who work while receiving disability benefits. Assuming that your son is receiving Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits, he could work and earn up to the amount that's considered to be substantial gainful activity (SGA) without losing his benefits. The 2019 monthly SGA earnings level is $1,220, but that amount changes from one year to the next. There's no set hourly limit, though.

If your son hasn't done any work since he started drawing SSDI benefits, he would first get a 9 month trial work period (TWP) during which his benefits would continue even if he earns more than the SGA level. After the TWP is completed, though, he'd need to keep his earnings below SGA level or risk having his benefits suspended or terminated. For more information about working while disabled, refer to the following Social Security publication: https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10095.pdf.

Best, Jerry