Can You Work and Draw Disability Benefits in Oregon?

Situations Where You Can Work and Have Social Security Disability Benefits

The requirement that you must be unable to work because of health problems to get Social Security Disability is pretty simple.

Like so much in life, though, if you look a little deeper it gets more complicated.

Certain situations actually do allow you to work—usually a limited amount—and still get Social Security Disability.

These are:

• When You’re Earning Less than Social Security’s Cutoff. As long as you’re making less than what Social Security calls “substantial gainful activity (SGA),” you could be approved for disability benefits. The amount changes yearly. As of 2025, the income limit was $1,620 per month, or $2,700 per month if you have statutory blindness.

• You’re in a “Trial Work Period.” If you’re already receiving disability benefits, but you want to try going back to work to see if you can, Social Security will let you hold on to your benefits. You have up to nine months to try working and earning more than a minimum amount. You can spread the nine months over five years.

• You’re in an “Extended Period of Eligibility.”After you return to work, but you worry your medical condition could crop up again forcing you out, you have a three-year grace period where you could still return to disability benefits without having to apply again. During those three years, you won’t receive Social Security Disability in any month where your earnings go above substantial gainful activity. But you still receive benefits in a month when your earnings are lower.

It’s extremely difficult when you can’t work and have to wait months for an answer on your disability benefits, and you probably have to appeal an initial denial and wait longer still.

You may have to piece together a living by working a small amount, drawing down your savings, pursuing any other resources you can through other forms of insurance and benefits, getting help from family and friends, getting help from community aid organizations, and maybe even selling your house.

Make sure someone capable is handling your disability claim because it may be the key to eventually getting financial relief and a return to stability.

You don’t pay a fee for a disability attorney until you win benefits.

You can get a free evaluation of your Social Security Disability case when you contact Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor.

Situations Where Working Will Get You Denied Social Security Disability Benefits

Our Social Security Disability lawyers would normally say it’s risky to work while trying to get disability benefits.

Here is when you might, or will, be denied or lose Social Security Disability if you’re working:

• Earning More than Substantial Gainful Activity. The surest way to get denied because of working is to be making more than $1,620 a month or $2,700 with blindness (as of 2025).

• Seeming to Be Able to Work. Even if you’re making under SGA, your work could undermine your disability benefits application. Depending on the nature of your work and how demanding it is, Social Security Disability claims examiners and disability judges may see it as a sign that you could work more in some capacity and deny your benefits.

• Losing Disability Benefits on Review. For people who’ve already been receiving Social Security Disability, if you start working again and Social Security conducts a “continuing disability review,” which can happen every few years, it may find you can go fully back to work and stop benefits. You should always update Social Security on your work status, even if they’re not doing a review, so they don’t decide you’ve been trying to cheat the system.

Sometimes people may mix up income from working and income from other sources. For Social Security Disability, this is also important.

For one kind of benefits—Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)—the only financial measure that matters for your eligibility is income from work. You could have any amount in savings, investments, property, inheritance, other benefits, or legal settlements and still qualify for SSDI.

Some types of benefits affect the size of your SSDI monthly checks, but not your basic eligibility.

For the other disability benefits program run by Social Security—Supplemental Security Income (SSI)—financial resources other than working can disqualify you. SSI rules not only limit the earnings you get from work, but they also have strict limits on any assets you may have.

You don’t have to grapple with all of this alone.

The Oregon disability lawyers at Wells, Manning, Eitenmiller & Taylor are devoted to providing personal care and attention to your needs as you go through this process.

On the other side if this maze, you can reach a better situation.

Get your FREE initial disability claim consultation.