The Social Security disability benefit is one of the most important benefits in the United States system. Thanks to this type of benefit, millions of citizens are able to pay their bills from month to month. For most of these citizens, the disability benefit is the only source of income.
So losing the benefit could prove fatal for this group of retirees. And it can happen on more than one occasion, since it is possible to lose the disability benefit if we are within certain conditions. While it is true that sometimes losing your disability benefit can be a sign of good news, it is not always the case.
Therefore, if you are under one of the conditions we will see below the advice is to watch out. Considering that the economy of many families depends on having a disability benefit, there is no doubt that we must do everything we can to avoid losing our monthly Social Security check.
Why might I miss out on my disability benefit?
The Social Security Administration sends out an enormous amount of disability benefits to United States citizens every month. These benefits arrive on different days of the month. In addition, they also go to all retirees who have not lost their eligibility.
There are several reasons why a retiree may stop collecting a disability benefit:
Reaching age 62 collecting disability benefit
This is one of the most common reasons for losing SSDI check. Reaching the minimum retirement age means losing our Social Security check. While it is true that we would start collecting another type of benefit, we would stop receiving SSDI.
The total amount of the checks could be different. So use a Social Security calculator to determine how much you will get once you reach retirement age.
Returning to work
Any citizen on a disability benefit cannot work for a certain number of hours. In the case of returning to work at the same time you receive SSDI you have to watch out for SGA (“engaging in substantial gainful activity”). If we earn more money than allowed, the Social Security Administration will stop sending us our monthly check.
So in 2023 the limit is set at $1,470 per month. Any individual citizen earning more money than that could lose their disability benefit. While you have to look at each case on a case-by-case basis, reaching that limit means the loss of the monthly check.
Other reasons for Social Security to stop payment of SSDI
In addition to the reasons listed above, there are others that may be considered less likely. These two previous reasons are the most common reasons for stopping a disability benefit.
However, if we recover from the disability we will also stop collecting the benefit. While it is true that this does not always happen, it is possible. So if your health situation improves, you may stop collecting SSDI.
On the other hand, going to prison will also take away our disability benefits. On top of that, we will stop getting any other checks in the event of incarceration, so we have to watch out for this.