Q: Mrs. K asks: “How much money can a person who is on disability earn if 60 years old?”
A: Social Security has special rules that make it possible for individuals, regardless of their age, who are receiving Social Security disability benefits or supplemental security income to work and still receive monthly payments.
For Social Security disability payments, an individual has a nine-month “trial work period” in which he can work and earn any amount. Following the nine-month “trial work period,” an individual has 36 months during which he can work and still receive benefits for any month his earnings are not “substantial.”
In 2010, earnings of $1,000 or more ($1,640 if you are blind) are considered substantial. Once his 36-months end, if an individual works and earns over the “substantial limit,” his disability payments will be stopped.
If an individual is receiving SSI disability benefits and working, he may continue to receive a monthly payments
until their earnings, added with any other income, exceeds the SSI income limits.
Q “My husband and I are both entitled to our own Social Security benefits. Will our combined benefits be reduced because we are married?”
A No. When each member of a married couple works in employment covered under Social Security and both meet all other eligibility requirements to receive retirement benefits, their lifetime earnings are calculated independently to determine their benefit amounts.
Therefore, each spouse receives a monthly benefit amount based on his or her own earnings. If one member of the couple earned low wages or failed to earn enough Social Security credits (40) to be insured for retirement benefits, he or she may be eligible to receive benefits as a spouse. To learn more about retirement, visit www.socialsecurity.gov/retirement.
Q “Can I receive Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income benefits at the same time?”
A You may be able to receive SSI in addition to monthly Social Security benefits if your Social Security benefit is low enough for you to qualify for SSI. Whether you can get SSI depends on your income and resources (the things you own). If you have low income and few resources, you may be able to supplement your Social Security benefit with an SSI payment. You can find out more about SSI by going to www.socialsecurity.gov and selecting the “Supplemental Security Income (SSI)” banner at the top of the page.
Get answers to your Social Security questions each Thursday from the Social Security District Director Martin Coffey. Submit questions by writing to Business Editor John Vass Jr., Chattanooga Times Free Press, P.O. Box 1447, Chattanooga, TN 37401-1447, or by e-mailing him at jvass@timesfreepress.com.