What is an Unsuccessful Work Attempt?
I previously wrote about the various exceptions which may allow you to keep your Social Security disability benefits even if you return to work. The most common of these is an Unsuccessful Work Attempt (UWA).
If you work for 6 months or less at a substantial gainful activity (SGA) level, your work may qualify as an Unsuccessful Work Attempt and not affect your application for benefits (or your current Social Security disability benefits if you have already won your case).
Another benefit of the Unsuccessful Work Attempt exception is that it applies for both Social Security Disability Insurance (20 CFR 404.1574) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) (20 CFR 416.974) cases. This is a major difference between Unsuccessful Work Attempts and Trial Work Periods.
Trial work period and Social Security disability benefits
Social Security encourages you to try to go back to work to see if you can do it. A Trial Work Period (TWP) lets you work and still be considered disabled by Social Security.
A beneficiary receiving Social Security disability benefits may test his or her ability to work and still be considered disabled. We do not consider services performed during the trial work period as showing that the disability has ended until services have been performed in at least 9 months (not necessarily consecutive) in a rolling 60-month period.
To sum up, a Trial Work Period lets you work and still be considered disabled by Social Security. Not only that, but Social Security does not count all the months you work, just the ones where you earn more than a threshold Trial Work Period amount:
2012 - $720 per month.
2011 - $720 per month.
2010 - $720 per month.
2009 - $700 per month.
2008 - $690 per month.
2007 - $630 per month.
