Published July 23, 2026
Several of the dollar thresholds that govern how much SSDI recipients can earn without jeopardizing their benefits went up for 2026. The Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) limit — the monthly earnings cap SSA uses to help decide whether someone is disabled enough to qualify — rose to $1,690 per month for non-blind individuals and $2,830 per month for statutorily blind individuals. The Trial Work Period threshold, which lets current beneficiaries test their ability to work without immediately losing benefits, increased to $1,210 per month. The amount of earnings required to gain one Social Security work credit also rose, to $1,890.
Effective January 1, 2026, eligibility for ABLE accounts — tax-advantaged savings accounts that let people with disabilities save money without losing means-tested benefits like SSI — expanded significantly. Previously, only people whose disability began before age 26 could open one; that threshold moved to age 46, a change reported to newly qualify roughly 6 million additional people. The annual contribution limit for these accounts also increased, to $20,000.
For current SSDI beneficiaries, the SGA and Trial Work Period limits are what determine whether picking up part-time work, or testing a return to full-time work, puts benefits at risk. For people applying for the first time, the SGA threshold is one factor SSA weighs in deciding whether current earnings are consistent with being unable to work. These figures are adjusted most years, but the size of the ABLE account age expansion this year is a larger, less routine change.
If you're already receiving SSDI and considering work, or applying for the first time and unsure how your income affects eligibility, these updated thresholds are worth reviewing with someone familiar with the current rules before you make a decision. See Atumio's SSDI page for a free eligibility review, or start your case review directly.