Disability Benefits › Guide
Ticket to Work: SSDI and SSI Work Rules Explained
Ticket to Work is a free, optional Social Security program for disability benefit recipients ages 18 through 64 who want help with work. It can connect you with job and benefit counseling.
Ticket to Work does not freeze every benefit. SSDI and SSI use different work rules, so get advice for your own case.
What does Ticket to Work provide?
You can choose an approved Employment Network or work with a state vocational rehab agency. Free help may include:
- Career planning
- Training and job search help
- Workplace support
- Benefits counseling
- Help keeping a job
You do not need the paper Ticket to begin. A provider can check whether you may use the program.
How does the SSDI trial work period work?
The trial work period lets an SSDI recipient test work for nine service months. The months do not have to be in a row.
In 2026, a month counts when gross work pay is at least $1,210. For self-work, more than 80 hours can also make it count.
During trial months, the full SSDI check can keep coming no matter how high pay is, as long as you still meet the disability rules and report the work.
What happens after the trial months?
A 36-month extended period of eligibility follows. During it, SSA checks whether countable work is above substantial gainful activity, called SGA.
For 2026, SGA is $1,690 a month for a person who is not blind and $2,830 for a person who is blind. Work costs tied to a disability or other work rules can affect what SSA counts.
Do not stop a check on your own. Report pay and let SSA make the formal choice.
How does work affect SSI?
SSI does not use the SSDI trial work period. SSA leaves out part of earned income, then lowers the SSI check as countable income rises.
Some people can keep Medicaid even when the SSI cash check falls to zero. The rule depends on pay, state, disability, and other facts.
Read our SSDI and SSI guide before you compare the two paths.
What if work stops again?
Expedited Reinstatement may restart SSDI or SSI without a new full claim when benefits ended due to work. You must ask within five years, and the current disability must be the same or related.
SSA may pay up to six months of short-term benefits while it reviews the request. Medicare or Medicaid may also continue for a time.
What is a PASS plan?
A Plan to Achieve Self-Support, or PASS, lets an eligible person set aside income or resources for an approved work goal. That money may not count in the normal SSI test.
A plan can cover items such as school, tools, job coaching, or equipment. It must be in writing and approved by SSA. Form SSA-545-BK starts the request.
Can Ticket to Work affect a medical review?
SSA may delay a medical Continuing Disability Review while your Ticket is assigned and you make timely progress. Assigning a Ticket does not end the need to report work or health changes.
Ask a benefits counselor how the rule fits before you rely on it.
How do you start?
- Visit the official Choose Work site.
- Call 1-866-968-7842 for the Ticket help line.
- Compare approved providers.
- Ask for benefits counseling before work begins.
- Report wages to SSA and save proof.
Joining is free and voluntary. A Ticket provider cannot charge you for the program.