SSDI Trial Work Period: Texas Claimants Guide

SSDI Trial Work Period: Texas Claimants Guide

Returning to work while receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits is not an all-or-nothing decision. The Social Security Administration (SSA) provides a structured pathway called the Trial Work Period (TWP) that allows beneficiaries to test their ability to work without immediately losing their monthly disability payments. For Texans receiving SSDI, understanding exactly how this period operates can mean the difference between a successful return to the workforce and an unexpected loss of income.

What Is the SSDI Trial Work Period?

The Trial Work Period is a federally established program that gives SSDI recipients up to nine months to attempt working, regardless of how much they earn during those months. The SSA does not count earnings against your benefits during this window. You continue receiving your full SSDI payment as long as you remain medically disabled under SSA standards.

The nine months do not need to be consecutive. The SSA tracks Trial Work Period months within a rolling 60-month window. If you use three trial months one year and four the next, you have two months remaining before your TWP is exhausted. Once you have accumulated nine trial months within any 60-month period, the Trial Work Period ends.

A month counts as a Trial Work Period month when your gross earnings exceed a threshold set annually by the SSA. For 2025, that threshold is $1,110 per month. If you are self-employed in Texas, the SSA looks at both your net earnings and the number of hours worked — generally more than 80 hours of self-employment in a month also triggers a TWP month.

What Happens After the Trial Work Period Ends

Once your nine Trial Work Period months are used, the SSA enters a different phase called the Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE). This 36-month window begins the month after your last Trial Work Period month. During the EPE, your benefits are subject to what the SSA calls Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) review.

For 2025, the SGA threshold for non-blind individuals is $1,620 per month in gross wages. For blind individuals, the threshold is $2,700 per month. If your earnings exceed SGA in any month during the EPE, the SSA will suspend your benefits for that month. If your earnings fall below SGA in a later month, your benefits can be reinstated without filing a new application — a significant protection for workers whose conditions fluctuate.

After the EPE closes, any month your earnings exceed SGA will terminate your benefits. Reinstatement would then require a new application or an Expedited Reinstatement (EXR) request, which is available for five years after termination and does not require a full new disability determination.

Texas-Specific Considerations for SSDI Recipients

Texas is served by two SSA regional offices and dozens of field offices across the state. Processing and oversight of Trial Work Period determinations happen at the Program Service Center level, not locally, but Texans should still be aware of several state-level factors that can affect their situation.

• Texas Workforce Commission (TWC): If you return to work and later become unemployed again, TWC unemployment benefits do not automatically terminate SSDI. However, receiving unemployment may be used as evidence that you held yourself out as available for work, which can complicate a concurrent disability claim.
• Texas Medicaid and Medicare transition: Texas does not have expanded Medicaid under the ACA, which makes Medicare continuation critical. SSDI recipients retain Medicare for at least 93 months after the TWP begins — roughly 7.5 years — giving Texas workers a meaningful healthcare safety net during their transition.
• Self-employment in Texas: Texas has no state income tax, making self-employment financially attractive. However, self-employed SSDI recipients must carefully track both net profit and hours because the SSA applies a different test than for wage earners. Failing to report self-employment income accurately can result in an overpayment demand from the SSA.
• Ticket to Work Program: Texas has a network of Employment Networks (ENs) and Vocational Rehabilitation (VR) providers. Assigning your Ticket to Work to an EN or the Texas Workforce Commission's VR program can protect you from certain Continuing Disability Reviews while you are in active use of your Ticket.

Reporting Requirements and Common Mistakes

The SSA requires SSDI recipients to report work activity promptly — ideally within 10 days of the month following when work began or earnings changed significantly. Texas beneficiaries can report by calling the SSA at 1-800-772-1213, visiting a local field office, or using their My Social Security online account.

Failure to report earnings accurately is one of the most common — and costly — errors made by working SSDI recipients. The SSA conducts periodic reviews and can identify unreported wages through IRS data matches. If the SSA determines you were overpaid, they will demand repayment, sometimes for amounts stretching back years. Overpayment notices do not disappear by ignoring them; the SSA has broad collection authority including withholding future benefits at 100% of your monthly payment until the debt is satisfied.

Key reporting obligations include:

• Starting or stopping work
• Changes in pay rate or hours
• Starting or stopping self-employment
• Receiving a promotion or raise that pushes earnings above SGA
• Work-related expenses such as medications, medical equipment, or transportation that you pay out of pocket to enable work (these can reduce your countable earnings under the Impairment-Related Work Expense rules)

Protecting Your Benefits While You Work

Several strategies help Texas SSDI recipients navigate the return-to-work process without jeopardizing their benefits unnecessarily. First, document every Impairment-Related Work Expense (IRWE). If you purchase a wheelchair, specialized software, prescription medications specifically enabling your work capacity, or need attendant care, these costs reduce the earnings the SSA counts toward SGA. Over a year, IRWEs can keep you below the SGA threshold even when gross earnings appear to exceed it.

Second, consider a Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) if you are attempting to start a business or earn a degree in Texas. A PASS allows you to set aside money and resources for a specific work goal without those assets counting against your SSI eligibility or affecting your SSDI review.

Third, keep copies of every pay stub, every earnings report submitted to the SSA, and every response the SSA sends you. If a dispute arises about when your Trial Work Period months were used or whether a particular month exceeded the SGA threshold, contemporaneous records are your strongest defense.

Finally, if the SSA issues an overpayment notice or moves to terminate your benefits, request a reconsideration within 60 days. In many cases, a well-documented appeal can reverse or reduce an improper overpayment finding. If reconsideration fails, you have the right to a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge — a process where having experienced legal representation significantly improves outcomes.

Need Help? If you have questions about your case, call or text 833-657-4812 for a free consultation with an experienced attorney.

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