Substantial Gainful Activity (2024)

FAQs

What are examples of substantial gainful activity? ›

Work activities that you don't get paid for can still qualify as gainful if the SSA believes those activities are normally done for pay. To look at some examples, doing volunteer secretarial work in an office can count as substantial and gainful activity, even if it's only part-time and you don't get paid for it.

Substantial gainful activity is the performance of significant duties over a reasonable period of time while working for pay or profit, or in work generally done for pay or profit.

Activities such as self-care, household tasks, unpaid training, hobbies, therapy, school attendance, clubs, social programs, etc., are not generally considered to be SGA. By working, an individual may demonstrate that he or she is, at least during the time of working, able to engage in SGA.

Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)

The SGA amount for persons with disabilities other than blindness is $1,550 per month in 2024. For persons who are blind, the amount of earnings that indicate SGA is $2,590 per month in 2024.

You have a permanent and total disability if you can't engage in any substantial gainful activity because of your physical or mental condition.

If your treating doctor says you will never recover completely or will always be limited in the work you can do, you may have a permanent disability. This means that you may be eligible for permanent disability (PD) benefits.

In general, disqualifying income is investment income such as taxable and tax-exempt interest, dividends, child's interest and dividend income reported on the return, child's tax-exempt interest reported on Form 8814, line 1b, net rental and royalty income, net capital gain income, other portfolio income, and net ...

When describing your daily activities, be specific about the tasks you perform and the limitations you experience. For example, if you have difficulty standing for long periods, describe how this affects your ability to perform household chores or run errands.

What not to say during an SSDI interview? ›

Exaggerating the extent of your disability will not improve the odds that your application is approved. In fact, claimants who complain of chronic pain that is untreatable might make a poor impression on the ALJ. Inflated claims of pain are never a good idea during a disability hearing.

Be Specific on Question 5

Here are some examples of what you could include in this section of the SSD Function Report: I could no longer type on a keyboard or write memos. I could not lift and carry (my tools or supplies), and I often dropped (things). My job required a lot of walking, which I can no longer do.

What is Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)? For most disability applicants, the Social Security Administration (SSA) definition of substantial gainful activity means earning above a specific dollar amount. In 2024, this amount is $1,550 or more a month, or $2,590 if you're blind.

The SSA begins the process by looking at gross wages. When determining countable earnings, SSA does NOT deduct from gross earnings standard payroll deductions such as Federal and State withholding taxes, insurance premiums, Federal Insurance Contributions Act (FICA) taxes, pension payments, union dues, etc.

Substantial work activity is work activity that involves doing significant physical or mental activities. Your work may be substantial even if it is done on a part-time basis or if you do less, get paid less, or have less responsibility than when you worked before.

Where an individual devotes more than 45 hours to all trades and businesses during a calendar month, it will be found that the individual's services are substantial unless it is established that the individual could reasonably be considered retired in the month and, therefore, that such services were not, in fact, ...