Social Security rarely terminates disability benefits due to medical improvement, but you can lose your SSDI or SSI benefits because of other factors, like income. Although it's rare, there are circumstances under which the Social Security Administration (SSA) can end your disability benefits.
Recipients of SSDI and SSI can have their disability benefits taken away for many reasons. The most common reasons relate to an increase in income or payment-in-kind. Individuals can also have their benefits terminated if they are suspected of fraud or convicted of a serious crime.
To put it in the simplest terms, Social Security Disability benefits can remain in effect for as long as you are disabled or until you reach the age of 65. Once you reach the age of 65, Social Security Disability benefits stop and retirement benefits kick in.
If you realize that you've been overpaid or that you're at risk of being overpaid by Social Security due to your substantial work activity and wages, you may be able to request that your SSDI payments be suspended.
If improvement is possible, but can't be predicted, we'll review your case about every three years. If improvement is not expected, we'll review your case every seven years. Your initial award notice will tell you when you can expect your first medical review.
If your disability continues, you are not substantially employed, you are not incarcerated, and you prepare for and cooperate with the SSA's continuing disability reviews, your social disability benefits should continue until you are aged 65 when they will convert to retirement benefits.
We'll need information about your income, your resources, your living arrangements, and your bank accounts. Keep the savings or checking account statements you get from your bank. You may need them when we review your case.
The SSDI program does not limit the amount of cash, assets, or resources an applicant owns. An SSDI applicant can own two houses, five cars, and have $1,000,000 in the bank. And the SSDI program doesn't have a limit to the amount of unearned income someone can bring in; for instance, dividends from investments.
There are limits on how much you can earn from work while collecting SSDI payments but no restrictions on assets. You can have a savings account with as much money in it as you choose to save. That is not the case if you receive SSI, which provides cash assistance to older, disabled and blind people in financial need.
To get SSI, your countable resources must not be worth more than $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a couple. We call this the resource limit. Countable resources are the things you own that count toward the resource limit.
If you turn 62 in 2022, you're eligible for only 70 percent of that full retirement benefit, so your SSDI benefit will probably be higher. When you reach FRA, the disability benefit automatically converts to a retirement benefit, and you'll get the same monthly amount you've been getting.
WHAT IS A CONTINUING DISABILITY REVIEW? Social Security periodically reviews your medical impairment(s) to determine if you continue to have a disabling condition. If we determine that you are no longer disabled or blind, your benefits will stop. We call this review a continuing disability review (CDR).
CDI Investigation
CDI investigations typically begin with a report of suspected fraud from SSA, State DDS, law enforcement, or the public. The CDI unit investigates statements and activities of claimants, medical providers, and other third parties, and obtains evidence to resolve questions of potential fraud.
While the DDS office reviews applications and makes recommendations to the SSA, it is the SSA which makes the final decision to accept or reject claims for disability benefits.
Social Security periodically reviews the condition of all Social Security disability recipients to confirm they still fit the definition of disabled – that is, that they are still unable to work. These reviews are called continuing disability reviews.
As of 2020, SSDI payments are considered taxable for individuals who have over $25,000 in yearly income or married couples with over $32,000 in yearly income. (Your income is one-half of your SSDI benefit plus the full amount of any other sources of household income.)
Can You Work While on SSDI? Generally, SSDI recipients can't do what's considered "substantial gainful activity" (SGA) and continue to receive disability benefits. In a nutshell, doing SGA means you're working and making more than $1,350 per month in 2022 (or $2,260 if you're blind).
If you're receiving Social Security disability benefits,
your disability benefits automatically convert to retirement benefits, but the amount remains the same.
If you are collecting Social Security Disability Income (SSDI) benefits, you may wonder what happens when you reach full retirement age (FRA). The good news is, your benefits will automatically convert and for most people, your benefits remain the same.
Example of concurrent benefits with Employment Supports. Many individuals are eligible for benefits under both the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) programs at the same time. We use the term “concurrent” when individuals are eligible for benefits under both programs.
As we explain in this blog post, SSI can check your bank accounts anywhere from every one year to six years, or when you experience certain life-changing experiences. The 2022 maximum amount of available financial resources for SSI eligibility remains at $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for couples.
But the good news is that you will never have to pay tax on all of your disability benefits. In fact, no matter how much you make, you will never have to pay taxes on more than 85 percent of your Social Security Disability income.
There are income caps for people on SSDI and SSI benefits, but that should not prevent you from starting your own business. The amount of income considered "substantial gainful activity" changes every year. In 2021, that means you cannot earn more than $1,310 per month ($2,190 per month for the blind).