Will a job affect my VA disability and Social Security benefits?

Built for veterans and disability beneficiaries weighing a job offer. Enter the offer below and see what the published 2026 federal rules say happens to each benefit — with every threshold dated and linked to its official government source.

This is not legal or benefits advice. This tool explains published federal rules and does the arithmetic — it cannot know your full situation, and it does not cover every program or state rule. Before making a work decision, confirm with SSA (or a free WIPA benefits counselor) and the VA. Rules and dollar amounts change; the dates on every figure below show when we last verified them.

The 2026 numbers verified 2026-07-20

Each figure links to the official table it comes from — check the source before you rely on it.
Threshold	2026 amount	Official source
Trial Work Period (TWP) month trigger	$1,210/mo	SSA TWP table
Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA), non-blind	$1,690/mo	SSA SGA table
Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA), blind	$2,830/mo	SSA SGA table
TWP structure	9 months in rolling 60	SSA / 20 CFR 404.1592

VA disability compensation has no earned-income limit (it is not means-tested) — working does not reduce it. Distinct from VA Pension, which IS income-tested. Basis: 38 U.S.C. §1110 (compensation — no income provision); contrast va.gov/pension/eligibility (income/net-worth limits). Verified 2026-07-20.

How this works — the rules in plain language

The Trial Work Period (SSDI only)

After you qualify for SSDI, SSA gives you 9 "trial work" months (they don't need to be consecutive) inside any rolling 60-month window. In 2026, any month you earn over $1,210 (gross wages; net earnings if self-employed) uses one. During the TWP you keep your full SSDI check no matter how much you earn. For self-employment, a month can also count toward the TWP if you work more than 80 hours in that month, regardless of earnings.

SGA — the line that matters after the TWP

Once your 9 TWP months are used, earning above the SGA level — $1,690/month in 2026 (non-blind) — signals to SSA that you're doing "substantial gainful activity," which can end SSDI cash benefits after a grace period. Below SGA, benefits generally continue during the 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility.

VA disability compensation is different

VA compensation is payment for service-connected disability — it has no earnings test. A job does not reduce it. (Watch two edge cases: VA Pension is income-tested, and a 100% Individual Unemployability (TDIU) rating is specifically based on being unable to maintain substantial employment — working can jeopardize TDIU.)

SSI and Medicaid — different math entirely

SSI reduces roughly $1 for every $2 you earn after small disregards, and has strict asset limits; Medicaid work rules vary by state (many beneficiaries keep Medicaid under §1619(b) even when SSI cash stops). The disregard math and §1619(b) protection shown in the checker are verified against the SSA Red Book; a detailed month-by-month SSI calculator is planned.

Methodology

Every dollar figure on this site was manually verified against the official government table it cites, on the date shown. Nothing is quoted from memory or third-party summaries. When a figure can't be verified against a primary source, we say so instead of guessing — many sites quote outdated SSDI limits as if current.