Trial Work Period Work Phase

The first work phase is called the Trial Work Period. The Trial Work Period has 9 months, but they can be spread out over a 5 year period.

In 2025, you will use a Trial Work Period month anytime you earn more than $1,160 per month. This is your pre-tax income.

Later in this toolkit, we will review Work Incentives, which are special rules that can help you lower your countable earned income so that you can keep your benefit for longer. For now, keep in mind that you cannot use Work Incentives during the Trial Work Period, so there is no way to lower your countable pre-tax income. Anytime you earn more than $1,160 per month, you will use a Trial Work Period.

During the Trial Work Period, you can earn any amount of income and still get your SSDI check.

It’s a good idea to track your income and note when you have used a Trial Work Period month. You can use this template or a similar one. Just mark down every month you earn more than $1,160, before taxes and other deductions.

Tracking Worksheet for TWP and EPE.pdf

To Do: Track your income using the tracking worksheet. Mark down every month you earn more than $1,160.

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