What earnings trigger a Trial Work Period month in 2026?
In 2026, any month in which you earn over $1,210 (gross wages; net earnings if self-employed) counts as a Trial Work Period (TWP) month for SSDI. You get 9 TWP months (not necessarily consecutive) within a rolling 60-month window — and during them you keep your full SSDI benefit no matter how much you earn.
Verified against the Social Security Administration's official TWP table (ssa.gov/oact/cola/twp.html) on 2026-07-20. Governing regulation: 20 CFR 404.1592. The TWP does not apply to SSI.
How the Trial Work Period works
- Every month over the trigger spends one of your 9. The count looks back over a rolling 60 months — old TWP months "fall off" once they're more than 60 months back.
- During TWP months, benefits continue in full — even earnings far above the SGA level ($1,690 in 2026) don't stop your check while trial months remain.
- After the 9th month, the TWP ends and the 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility begins — from then on, months over SGA generally suspend benefits (after a grace period) and months under SGA keep them.
Self-employed? The dollar trigger isn't the whole test. For self-employment, SSA can count a month as a TWP month if you work more than 80 hours in the business that month (20 CFR 404.1592(b)(2)(ii)), regardless of net earnings. If you're self-employed, track hours and confirm with SSA before assuming a month didn't count.
Recent TWP triggers
| Year | Monthly earnings trigger |
|---|---|
| 2026 | $1,210 |
| 2025 | $1,160 |
| 2024 | $1,110 |
The trigger adjusts annually with the national average wage index. Source for all years: SSA's TWP table.
Common mistakes
- Confusing the TWP trigger with SGA. Different numbers, different jobs: $1,210 spends a trial month; $1,690 (SGA) is the line that decides benefits after the TWP is over.
- Thinking the 9 months must be consecutive. They don't — they accumulate across the rolling 60-month window.
- Applying the TWP to SSI. It's an SSDI work incentive only; SSI has separate rules.
- Forgetting months already used. Past months over the (then-current) trigger may have quietly spent trial months. Your my Social Security account or a free WIPA counselor can help reconstruct the count.
Weighing an actual job offer? Use the Can I Work? checker to see the TWP, SGA, and VA rules applied to your numbers together.