What You Need to Know About Substantial Gainful Activity

Today, we’re going to talk about substantial gainful activity, an important consideration in your eligibility for Social Security Disability benefits. To put it plainly, it’s a specific sum of money that acts as a threshold for eligibility based on the consumer price index. In 2014, if you make more than $1070 a month (or $1800 if you’re legally blind), you will not be eligible to receive benefits.

Unfortunately, even if your severe condition impairs you 100%, you will not be eligible to receive benefits or be considered totally disabled if you make over the substantial gainful activity threshold. Though it might not make sense to many individuals, this is a finite rule. But before you lose hope, let’s clarify the definition of substantial gainful activity.

This amount of money includes income you have earned by working. Any passive investment income doesn’t count toward substantial gainful activity, and in some cases referred to as “subsidized employment,” you can still qualify even if you earn higher than the threshold in a given month.

If you believe your substantial gainful activity could present an obstacle in your application for benefits, contact the expert Social Security Disability lawyers of Jan Dils, Attorneys at Law, for a free initial evaluation. You can call us toll-free at 1.877.526.3457 or send us an e-mail for a prompt response.