What counts toward the limit
SGA is tested on earnings from work, not on total income. Wages are counted before deductions for income tax, insurance, and most other withholdings. Self-employment income is counted after SSA applies its tests for whether the business activity is substantial. Investment income, a pension, an inheritance, and a spouse’s pay are not earnings for this purpose and cannot push you over the line.
| Measure | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| SGA, non-blind | $1,690/month | $1,770/month |
| SGA, blind | $2,830/month | $2,950/month |
| Trial work period month | $1,210/month | $1,270/month |
The third row is a separate threshold. A trial work period month counts when earnings exceed $1,270 in 2027, which is lower than the non-blind SGA limit and applies to blind and non-blind recipients alike.
Where the line applies
At the initial claim, SSA asks whether you are working at the SGA level now. If you are, the claim is generally denied at the first step of the sequential evaluation, before medical evidence is weighed. Work below the limit, or a brief attempt that ends because of your condition, does not disqualify you.
After entitlement, the test is not applied continuously. A recipient who has not used the trial work period is still measured against SGA. The trial work period shields an initial return to work, and only once it is exhausted does SGA again decide whether benefits continue. That sequencing is why the first month above $1,770 is rarely the month benefits end.
Deductions that lower countable earnings
Impairment-related work expenses are subtracted before the SGA test. These are out-of-pocket costs for items and services you need in order to work because of your condition: attendant care, specialized equipment, medical devices, transportation that ordinary commuters do not need. Blind recipients also deduct ordinary work expenses.
Two other adjustments matter. An employer subsidy — pay above the value of the work actually performed — is excluded, as is the value of work an employer would not otherwise provide. Applied together, these can move a paycheck that appears to exceed $1,770 to a countable figure below it. The deductions must be documented; SSA does not infer them.
When earnings cross the line
Crossing SGA does not end benefits automatically. Inside the trial work period, benefits continue for every month above the threshold. Afterwards, SSA uses a period of continued eligibility in which benefits are paid for any month earnings fall below the limit and suspended for months they do not. Medicare and the ability to restart benefits without a new application are tied to that structure rather than to the first high-earning month.
Reporting pay promptly matters more than the amount. Most overpayment decisions trace to earnings reported months after the fact, and the recovery is taken from later benefits. The mechanics of the transition are covered in the trial work period and in the return-to-work sequence.