The substantial gainful activity (SGA) limit for non-blind SSDI claimants rose from $700 a month in 2000 to $1,770 a month in 2027. For statutorily blind claimants it rose from $1,170 to $2,950 over the same period. The trial work period trigger went from $200 a month in 2000 to $1,270 in 2027. This page is the full year-by-year series as the Social Security Administration publishes it, including the flat years when the amount did not move at all. If you need the current-year rule explained rather than the history, see our page on the 2026 SGA threshold.
SGA Limits by Year, 2000 to 2027
All amounts are monthly gross earnings. The blind figure applies to SSDI only. The non-blind figure applies to both Social Security disability and SSI. The trial work period (TWP) column is the same for blind and non-blind beneficiaries and applies to SSDI only.
| Year | Blind SGA | Non-blind SGA | TWP trigger |
|---|
| 2027 | $2,950 | $1,770 | $1,270 |
| 2026 | $2,830 | $1,690 | $1,210 |
| 2025 | $2,700 | $1,620 | $1,160 |
| 2024 | $2,590 | $1,550 | $1,110 |
| 2023 | $2,460 | $1,470 | $1,050 |
| 2022 | $2,260 | $1,350 | $970 |
| 2021 | $2,190 | $1,310 | $940 |
| 2020 | $2,110 | $1,260 | $910 |
| 2019 | $2,040 | $1,220 | $880 |
| 2018 | $1,970 | $1,180 | $850 |
| 2017 | $1,950 | $1,170 | $840 |
| 2016 | $1,820 | $1,130 | $810 |
| 2015 | $1,820 | $1,090 | $780 |
| 2014 | $1,800 | $1,070 | $770 |
| 2013 | $1,740 | $1,040 | $750 |
| 2012 | $1,690 | $1,010 | $720 |
| 2011 | $1,640 | $1,000 | $720 |
| 2010 | $1,640 | $1,000 | $720 |
| 2009 | $1,640 | $980 | $700 |
| 2008 | $1,570 | $940 | $670 |
| 2007 | $1,500 | $900 | $640 |
| 2006 | $1,450 | $860 | $620 |
| 2005 | $1,380 | $830 | $590 |
| 2004 | $1,350 | $810 | $580 |
| 2003 | $1,330 | $800 | $570 |
| 2002 | $1,300 | $780 | $560 |
| 2001 | $1,240 | $740 | $530 |
| 2000 | $1,170 | $700 | $200 |
Sources: Social Security Administration, Substantial Gainful Activity and Trial Work Period historical series. The 2027 amounts come from SSA's 2027 Social Security Changes fact sheet, published October 14, 2026, alongside the 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment.
Annual equivalents for the most recent years
Claims examiners work in monthly figures, but people filing taxes or planning a return to work usually think in annual terms. These are the monthly amounts multiplied by twelve. SSA does not use an annual SGA test for employees, so treat these as reference points only.
| Year | Blind, annualized | Non-blind, annualized | TWP, annualized |
|---|
| 2027 | $35,400 | $21,240 | $15,240 |
| 2026 | $33,960 | $20,280 | $14,520 |
| 2025 | $32,400 | $19,440 | $13,920 |
| 2024 | $31,080 | $18,600 | $13,320 |
| 2023 | $29,520 | $17,640 | $12,600 |
SGA Limits Before 2000
The modern pattern of an increase almost every January is recent. For most of the program's history the non-blind amount sat frozen for years at a time, set by regulation rather than by a formula.
| Year or period | Blind SGA | Non-blind SGA |
|---|
| 1999 | $1,110 | $700 (first half of 1999: $500) |
| 1998 | $1,050 | $500 |
| 1997 | $1,000 | $500 |
| 1996 | $960 | $500 |
| 1995 | $940 | $500 |
| 1994 | $930 | $500 |
| 1993 | $880 | $500 |
| 1992 | $850 | $500 |
| 1991 | $810 | $500 |
| 1990 | $780 | $500 |
| 1989 | $740 | $300 |
| 1985 to 1988 | $610 to $700 | $300 |
| 1980 to 1984 | $417 to $580 | $300 |
| 1978 to 1979 | $334 to $375 | $260 to $280 |
| 1975 to 1977 | $200 to $240 | $200 to $240 |
Two details in that table matter for old claims. First, the non-blind amount was $300 a month for the entire decade from 1980 through 1989, then $500 from January 1990 through June 1999. Second, 1999 is split: $500 applied through June 1999 and $700 applied from July 1999 through December 2000. SSA's regulation lists those periods explicitly at 20 CFR 404.1574(b)(2)(i), so a work-activity dispute covering mid-1999 has to use the correct half of the year.
Why the Two Columns Move at Different Speeds
Both amounts track the national average wage index, not the cost-of-living adjustment. That is the single most common error in writing about these numbers, and it is why the figures sometimes rise in a year when the COLA is small, or stay flat in a year when the COLA is large.
For the non-blind amount, the formula is written into the regulations. Beginning in 2001, the amount for each year is the larger of the prior year's amount or $700 multiplied by the ratio of the national average wage index for two calendar years earlier to the 1998 index of $28,861.44, rounded to the nearest $10. The 2026 figure works out this way:
$700 times $69,846.57 (the 2024 index) divided by $28,861.44 equals $1,694.06, which rounds to $1,690.
The trial work period amount uses the same structure with a different base: $530 multiplied by the ratio of the index two years earlier to the 1999 index of $30,469.84. SSA publishes that computation itself, and for 2026 it produces $1,214.93, rounding to $1,210.
The blind amount is set higher by statute, and it has run at roughly 1.67 times the non-blind amount for the whole period in the table. In 2000 the blind figure was 1.67 times the non-blind figure, and in 2027 it is still 1.67 times. The dollar gap widened from $470 a month in 2000 to $1,180 a month in 2027 simply because both numbers got bigger. For the reasoning behind next year's blind figure and how the wage index drives it, see our analysis of the blind SGA limit.
The flat years
The "larger of" clause in the formula means these amounts can never fall, but they can stand still when wages do.
| Amount | Years it did not increase |
|---|
| Non-blind SGA | 2011 (held at $1,000) |
| Blind SGA | 2010 and 2011 (held at $1,640), 2016 (held at $1,820) |
| TWP trigger | 2011 and 2012 (held at $720) |
Those years line up with the 2008 and 2009 recession showing up in the wage index two years later. Anyone reconstructing an earnings record across 2009 to 2012 should expect the thresholds to be unusually sticky in that window.
When You Actually Need a Prior Year's Figure
The current year's number is the one SSA uses for a new application. Older figures come up in a handful of specific situations, and in each one the applicable amount is the one in effect for the month being examined, not the month you are reading this.
Establishing a disability onset date. If you are arguing that your disability began in, say, March 2017, SSA tests your earnings for that month against the 2017 threshold of $1,170, not today's. A claimant who earned $1,300 a month in 2017 was over SGA then, even though $1,300 is comfortably under the 2027 limit.
Overpayment and continuing disability review disputes. When SSA reviews work you performed in past years and concludes it should have stopped your benefits, each month gets compared to its own year's amount. A multi-year review can therefore cross three or four different thresholds.
Trial work period month counting. The nine trial work months do not have to be consecutive, and they are counted inside a rolling 60-month window. A window that opened in 2021 and closed in 2026 spans TWP triggers of $940, $970, $1,050, $1,110, $1,160 and $1,210. A month at $1,000 of earnings was a service month in 2021 but not in 2026.
Reopening a prior claim. Reopened determinations are judged against the rules and dollar amounts in effect at the time of the original decision.
Unsuccessful work attempts and the extended period of eligibility. Both look backward across months and compare each one to its own year's SGA amount.
What SGA Counts, in One Paragraph
SGA is measured on gross earnings, before taxes, but not on raw gross pay. SSA subtracts the value of any subsidized earnings and the reasonable cost of impairment-related work expenses first, then generally averages the result across the months worked under its earnings-averaging rules. For self-employed claimants the earnings test is only one of three tests SSA can apply, so a self-employed person below the dollar threshold can still be found to be performing SGA based on the significance of their services to the business. The governing rules are 20 CFR 404.1574 for employees, 404.1574a for averaging, 404.1575 for the self-employed, and 404.1576 for impairment-related work expenses.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the SGA limit for 2027?
$1,770 a month for non-blind SSDI claimants and $2,950 a month for statutorily blind SSDI claimants. The trial work period trigger for 2027 is $1,270 a month. SSA published these figures on October 14, 2026 with the 3.6% cost-of-living adjustment announcement. They take effect in January 2027. For work performed in 2026, the applicable amounts are still $1,690 and $2,830.
Does the blind SGA amount apply to SSI?
No. SSA states this directly: the higher SGA amount for the blind does not apply to Supplemental Security Income, while the non-blind amount applies to both Social Security disability and SSI. A blind SSI applicant is screened against the non-blind figure, and SSI uses its own income exclusions on top of that, including a $65 earned income exclusion and the one-for-two counting rule.
Why did the SGA limit not change in 2011?
The formula sets each year's amount at the larger of the prior year's amount or the wage-indexed computation. The national average wage index fell in 2009, which is the index year used for the 2011 calculation, so the computed figure came out below the 2010 amount and the prior year's number carried forward. The non-blind amount stayed at $1,000, the blind amount stayed at $1,640 and the TWP trigger stayed at $720.
Which year's SGA amount applies to work I did three years ago?
The amount in effect for the month in which you performed the work. SSA does not re-test old months against the current threshold. If you worked in 2023, each month is compared to $1,470 for a non-blind claimant or $2,460 for a blind claimant. This is why the historical series matters in overpayment cases, where the same review can span several different limits.
Is SGA based on gross pay or take-home pay?
Gross, before taxes and payroll deductions. SSA then reduces that figure by any employer subsidy and by documented impairment-related work expenses, which can include things like specialized transportation, attendant care at work, or assistive equipment you pay for yourself. The reduced figure is what gets compared to the threshold, so someone with $1,900 in gross 2027 earnings and $200 in qualifying work expenses is under the $1,770 line.
How much higher is the blind limit than the non-blind limit?
About 67% higher, and the ratio has been remarkably stable. In 2000 it was $1,170 against $700. In 2027 it is $2,950 against $1,770. The absolute gap grew from $470 a month to $1,180 a month over those 27 years, but the proportion barely moved because both amounts are indexed to the same wage series from different statutory bases.
Does exceeding SGA automatically end SSDI benefits?
Not for someone already receiving benefits who has work incentives available. The trial work period allows nine months of earnings above the TWP trigger, in a rolling 60-month window, with no effect on the benefit at all. The extended period of eligibility then runs 36 months after that, during which benefits stop in months over SGA and restart in months under it without a new application. The SGA test is immediate and unforgiving only at the application stage, where earnings above the limit generally end the claim at step one of the five-step evaluation before any medical review.
Where does SSA publish these figures?
The year-by-year series is on SSA's Office of the Chief Actuary pages for substantial gainful activity and the trial work period. Each year's new amounts first appear in the annual cost-of-living fact sheet in October and then in a Federal Register notice. The underlying formula is in 20 CFR 404.1574(b)(2) and the pre-2001 amounts are in Table 1 of that same section.
