You risk losing your Social Security benefits if you do these four things

Social Security provides monthly payments to beneficiaries, providing a much-needed cushion for everyday expenses that would normally be hard to come by. Millions of Americans rely on their Social Security checks, but may be concerned to learn that these benefits are not guaranteed — and that you could lose your benefits in certain situations.

Social Security Administration benefits include retirement benefits, disability benefits through Social Security Disability Insurance, and assistance for disabled adults and children with limited income and resources, as well as for people age 65 and older who are not disabled but have limited income and resources through the Supplemental Security Income program.

Read on to find out how you could lose your Social Security benefits. For more on Social Security, don’t miss the latest expert predictions on the 2025 COLA increase and how to check your eligibility and apply for Supplemental Security Income benefits.

Your income exceeds the benefit limits of the Social Insurance Bank

You can receive Social Security benefits while you have a job, but your monthly benefit may be affected if you earn more than the benefit limit.

Additional security income limits

To qualify for SSI, you generally must earn less than $1,971 per month from work. The limit is increased for couples, but if you exceed that limit, you may no longer qualify for SSI.

Please note: For every $2 you earn from work, $1 is deducted from your SSI benefits. Work includes any job you have. You are obliged to report changes immediately on your monthly income and living situation.

Income limits for social security disability insurance

SSDI beneficiaries have a little more leeway to earn money through work. If you get a job while receiving SSDI, you can keep your benefits for up to 9 monthswhat the Social Security Administration calls a “work probationary period.” For 2024, any month in which you earn more than $1,110 in gross wages counts toward this nine-month probationary period. Note that the months do not have to be consecutive, but must fall within a five-year period. During these nine months, there is no limit to how much you can earn while maintaining your benefits.

After your work trial period, you enter an “extended eligibility period” of 36 months. If you exceed the EPE income limit during this time, you will not be eligible for your SSDI payment for that month. In 2024, the EPE limit is $1,550 per month or $2,590 for blindness disability.

If you continue to earn above the limit after your EPE ends, your SSDI payments will stop. However, if you are unable to continue working, you can: restart your benefits.

Additional income limits for social security

To qualify for SSI, in addition to an income limit, you must also fall under what the government calls a “resource limit.” Sources that Doing According to the government, cash, bank accounts, stocks, mutual funds, U.S. savings bonds, land, life insurance, personal property, vehicles and any other assets that you can convert into cash and use for food or shelter count toward the limit.

Resources that do not count include the house you live in and the land it sits on,
one vehicle (if you or a member of your household uses it for transportation), household goods and personal effects, and life insurance policies with an aggregate face value of $1,500 or less.

To qualify, the SSI source limit is $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple. If you exceed that limit, you will need to exhaust your sources to qualify. According to a recent study by the Center on Budget and Policy PrioritiesOn average, 70,000 benefit recipients lose their benefits every year because they exceed the limit. Congress has proposed legislation For example, that would raise the limit to $10,000 for individuals and $20,000 for married couples, but so far the changes have not been codified into law.

You recently got divorced

Your marital status can and will affect your Social Security benefits, and so can a divorce. A few things would prevent you from collecting your ex-spouse’s benefits:

• You have not been married for more than 10 years.
• If you remarry, you can no longer receive benefits from your previous marriage. This can change if your current marriage ends through divorce, annulment, or the death of your spouse.
• You are eligible for a benefit and the amount you receive is higher than that of your ex-partner.

You go to jail or prison

If you go to jail, it can affect your Social Security benefits. If you are in jail for more than 30 days, the administration can suspend your Social Security and SSI benefits.

Social security and social security disability insurance during imprisonment

If your benefits are suspended, you can request to have them reinstated for the following month after you are released from prison. One thing to note is that even if your benefits are suspended while you are incarcerated, your spouse or children will continue to receive them for as long as they are eligible.

Supplementary income from social security

During your incarceration, your SSI benefits are suspended, but payments will resume when you are released, and you do not have to wait until the following month. Your payment amount is determined by your release date and would only be a partial payment.

If you are in prison for more than 12 consecutive months, the administration will terminate your SSI benefits. When you are released, you will need to contact the Social Security Administration and file a new application.

For more information, don’t miss the 2025 Social Security payment schedule and Medicare changes you need to know about.