If you are awaiting a disability decision in Michigan, a part-time job may seem a practical way to cover expenses. Knowing how the Social Security Administration (SSA) evaluates part-time work can help you weigh that choice while your claim is pending.
Earnings and the ability to sustain work
The SSA does not judge a part-time job by its hours alone. For claimants who are not blind, average monthly gross wages above $1,690 in 2026 generally indicate substantial gainful activity (SGA). The agency considers your duties and any extra help at work, since pay that exceeds the value of what you did does not count toward that limit.
SSA asks whether your condition has kept you from working at the SGA level for at least 12 continuous months or is expected to do so. A job at that level during those months can interrupt the required period, but a short attempt does not always have that effect.
The unsuccessful work attempt exception
SSA looks at why you stopped working or reduced your earnings below the SGA level. If your condition made you stop or cut back on hours after you lost support you needed to keep working, SSA may treat the job as an unsuccessful work attempt. That support can include frequent rest breaks, lower production expectations or extra help from coworkers.
When an attempt qualifies, SSA does not count that period of work as SGA when evaluating your claim. However, work that continues at the SGA level for more than six months cannot qualify as an unsuccessful work attempt, even if your condition caused the job to end.
Accurate reporting of your work attempt
SSA may ask you to complete a Work Activity Report: Form SSA-821-BK if you were an employee or Form SSA-820-BK if you were self-employed. Both forms ask when you began working and whether you have stopped.
Details about the duties you could and could not perform, along with adjustments such as flexible start times or lighter tasks, help SSA assess whether you worked under special conditions. If you left or reduced your hours, the report also gives you a place to explain why. That explanation could describe pain that kept you from standing through a shift or the loss of help you needed to continue.