What if I Earn too Much?

You may be wondering if there is a limit to how much you can earn while you are on SSI. There is; if you earn enough money, your SSI will go to $0. Social Security calls this “the Break-Even Point”.

If that happens, there is a 5 year period where you may be eligible for expedited reinstatement of your benefits if you become unable to work again due to your disability. That means you can quickly get your SSI back without going through the whole application process again.

The point at which your SSI goes to $0 may be different for different people, because of factors like living arrangements (whether or not you pay for housing) and work incentives (special rules that let you disregard some of your income so that you keep more of your benefit).

In general, if you are a single person who is eligible for the full amount of SSI ($967 in 2025) and you are not using work incentives, your SSI will go to $0 if you earn $2,109/month.

If you are married and your spouse also gets SSI, and together you get the full amount of SSI for married couples ($1,450 in 2025) and you are not using work incentives, your SSI will go to $0 if your combined income is $2,985/month.

Tip: If your SSI goes to $0, you may be able to keep Medicaid! Keep reading to learn about your options.

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