ERS Original Video: SSI Benefits – Work Incentives Explained
Welcome! If you receive SSI and are thinking about working—or already working—you probably have one big question: How will my benefits be affected?
In this short video, we’ll walk through the key SSI work incentives under the Social Security Administration and how they fit alongside the SSA Ticket to Work Program with EmployReward Solutions. You’ll learn, in simple terms, how earnings impact SSI, why you always come out ahead by working, and what safety nets exist if your situation changes.
Our goal is to help you feel informed, empowered, and confident as you explore work—knowing exactly what to expect and that support is here every step of the way.
*Disclaimer: Not all cases are the same. Circumstances may very. Contact your Career Coach or Benefits Specialists for your individual experience.
DISCLAIMER: SSI benefits do have some protections in place that prevent them from being fully affected by your work earnings. These protections are called Work Incentives. This is a general overview of the work incentives for SSI recipients. Some of them may not apply to your circumstance.
A couple of things to know about your Work Incentives:
• Regardless of whether you are enrolled in the Ticket to Work PROGRAM, the Work Incentives outline how your SSI benefits will be affected by your work earnings. To be clear, Ticket to Work does not protect your benefits from your work earnings since the goal is to reach your financial independence and eventually work your way off them.
SSI benefits are automatically affected by your total monthly gross earnings from work as soon as you return to work, but, thanks to the 2-for-1 Benefit Offset, SSA counts less than half of those earnings when calculating your benefit amount:
• There is a maximum amount you can receive for SSI, called the Federal Benefit Rate. For 2026, that amount is $994.
• When you return to work, the SSA will take the total number of dollars you make before taxes, subtract $85 in income exclusions from that amount, and divide what is left by two. The remainder is called Countable Income.
• SSA then subtracts your Countable Income from the Federal Benefit Rate, and you receive the difference in your reduced SSI check.
So, yes, your benefits are automatically reduced as soon as you start working again, but you do make more by going back to work. This is because you would be receiving a check from work and your reduced SSI check. Another thing to keep in mind is that SSI is not automatically terminated the first time it is reduced to zero. The benefit must be reduced to zero for 12 consecutive months before SSI terminates, and you can receive Medicaid while working if you meet state requirements.
What happens if something happens, and I cannot work anymore?
• First, I want you to remember that the Ticket to Work PROGRAM is a voluntary program. So, at any point, if you feel like you cannot sustain what is being asked of you, you may opt-out and there are no penalties to your benefits for doing so. It is only your earnings from work that affect your benefits.
• If you are successful in working off your benefits-and your disability causes you to be unable to work-you may be able to get them back without having to apply again. From the day your benefits are terminated, you have a 5-year period to use Expedited Reinstatement of Benefits (EXR). Instead of having you complete the normal application process, SSA will only conduct a medical review to confirm that you have the same qualifying disability, and they can pay out up to 6 months of provisional benefits during the review process. It is a fail safe, to get some cash flowing in the event of an emergency.
That is a lot of information, but keep in mind that your benefits specialist will be the first person to reach out to you after getting enrolled. They will assess your current status before you get to your career coach. That way, you will know exactly when and how your benefits will be affected before you start making your money/more money (if working).
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