If you’re applying for Social Security Disability benefits, there’s one important concept that you’ll need to understand: Substantial Gainful Activity—or “SGA.” This is one of the most important parts of your case.
The Social Security Administration (SSA) uses this concept to decide if your medical condition keeps you from working.
Let’s break down the concept of Substantial Gainful Activity in plain language, with real world examples, so you know how it affects your Columbia Missouri Social Security Disability Case.
Whether you’re a blue-collar worker, a truck driver, a factory hand, or someone with years of hard work behind you—Substantial Gainful Activity will impact your case.
If you are aged 50 or over you should call us BEFORE you apply. You could make mistakes in this process that can be detrimental to your claim or cost you thousands of dollars.
What Is Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA)?
Substantial Gainful Activity is the kind of work that shows you can hold down a job and earn money on a regular basis.
Let’s break down each word:
- “Substantial” means the work is meaningful—it’s not just sitting around doing nothing.
- “Gainful” means you’re doing it to make money or you could be getting paid for it.
- “Activity” simply means something you’re doing.
So, if you’re working at a job—even part-time—that pays over a certain amount each month, Social Security may say you are not disabled, even if you feel too sick to work full-time.
The Magic Number for 2025
In 2025, the Substantial Gainful Activity limit for non-blind individuals is $1,620 per month.
This is the gross pay amount. Not your take home pay. If you earn more than this amount, Social Security usually considers you able to work.
This number changes each year. If you’re blind, the limit is higher. But for most people, $1,620 is the key figure in 2025.
Why SGA Matters to Your Columbia Missouri Social Security Disability Case
The Social Security Administration doesn’t just want to know about your medical condition. They want to know if your condition stops you from working a basic job. Any job. Not just your old one.
You could have a long list of health problems like:
- Heart disease
- Herniated discs
- Diabetes
- Kidney problems
- Chronic pain
But if you’re still able to do simple, entry-level work, the Social Security Administration may deny your case. That’s why you need to prove your health problems keep you from doing even the easiest kind of work.
What Kind of Work Counts as Substantial Gainful Activity?
Many people think Substantial Gainful Activity only means regular full-time jobs. But it includes much more. Here are examples of what Social Security may count as Substantial Gainful Activity:
A Simple Job
Let’s say you’re putting ink pens in a box all day. You can sit or stand as needed. You’re not lifting heavy stuff or solving tough problems. You just need to show up and be reliable—five days a week, eight hours a day.
If you can do this kind of basic, reliable job, the Social Security Administration may say you’re not disabled.
Going to School
Are you in college or taking online classes full-time? That could count as Substantial Gainful Activity. Why? Because going to school requires concentration, memory, and staying on a schedule—just like a job.
Volunteering
Maybe you’re not getting paid, but if you volunteer as a museum guide or babysit your grandchild with special needs every day, that could be viewed as Substantial Gainful Activity. If it’s similar to a real job, it may count. Babysitting is one of the biggest case killers we see.
How Judges Test Your Ability to Work
At a disability hearing, the judge will ask, “What do you do during the day?” That’s because they’re trying to figure out if you’re doing anything close to work—even if it doesn’t feel like a job to you.
You’ll also hear about something called a vocational expert. This is a witness who helps the judge decide what kind of work you might be able to do.
The expert will list jobs that exist in the national economy, like:
- Table worker (packaging small items like pens)
- Eyeglass frame polisher
- Telephone clerk (answering calls and giving prices)
- Document preparer (stapling and organizing papers)
- Egg processor (sorting and packaging eggs)
- Surveillance system monitor (watching security cameras)
If you can do any one of these jobs reliably, you may not be approved for disability.
“But I Can’t Work Those Jobs!”
You might be thinking:
- “I used to earn $30 an hour. I can’t live on minimum wage.”
- “No one near me hires for these jobs.”
- “I don’t have a ride to get there.”
- “I’m too qualified—no one will hire me for a basic job.”
We hear this every day—and it’s completely fair.
But Social Security doesn’t look at it that way. They don’t care how much money the job pays, whether it’s close to your house, or whether anyone would actually hire you.
Instead, they ask: Could you do the job if one was magically available? If a bus picked you up each morning and dropped you off, would you be able to show up, stay on task, and finish the work?
If the answer is yes, Social Security might deny your claim—even if no one in the real world would hire you.
It’s Not Just About Work—It’s About Reliability
Here’s the most important part:
Social Security disability is really about how reliable you are.
If your health keeps you from showing up to work regularly or staying on task, then you may win your case. You need to prove:
- You’d miss two or more days of work each month, or
- You’d need to take several unscheduled breaks each day, or
- You’d have trouble staying focused more than 15% of the workday
If a judge believes these things are true, based on your medical records, then you have a strong chance of winning benefits.
Proving You Can’t Work a Basic Job
You don’t need to prove you can’t do your old job. You need to prove you can’t do any simple, sit-down job—even something boring or repetitive.
You’ll need:
- Strong medical evidence (doctor’s notes, test results)
- Consistent treatment history (regular visits, no gaps)
- Statements from doctors about your limitations
- Your own story, explaining what a normal day looks like for you
Let your disability lawyer help gather the right paperwork and guide you through this.
Examples of Jobs the Social Security Administration May Mention
Here are some real examples of the types of jobs that often come up in disability hearings:
Job Title – Description
Table Worker – Sitting and packing items like pens or cards
Eyeglass Frame Polisher – Buffing and cleaning eyeglass frames coming off the assembly line
Telephone Quotation Clerk – Answering simple price-check calls with a headset
Egg Processor – Inspecting and sorting eggs into cartons
Document Preparer – Sorting and stapling documents, often near a fax machine
Final Assembly Worker – Putting stickers or lids on finished products
Surveillance Monitor – Watching camera screens and alerting someone if trouble arises
You may never have heard of some of these jobs. You may have never done anything like them. But if Social Security believes you can do one of them, they may say you’re not disabled.
What If You’ve Had a High-Level Job?
Let’s say you worked in a job with lots of responsibility—like managing people, solving problems, or doing skilled labor like electrical work.
You might think, “I can’t go from that to packing pens in a box!” That’s understandable.
But the Social Security Administration doesn’t care about your past salary or your education. If you can now do any basic job, even if it’s completely different from your old work, they may deny your claim.
This is a bit different for those 50 years of age and older so its important you call us if you are 50+.
How a Columbia Missouri Disability Lawyer Can Help
Navigating the disability system is hard. Many good, honest people get denied because they don’t know how to explain their situation the right way.
A skilled Columbia Missouri disability lawyer can:
- Help you explain why you can’t work reliably
- Gather strong medical records
- Prepare you for questions at your hearing
- Cross-examine the vocational expert
- Build the best possible case based on your unique health problems
- Avoid mistakes in the application process that may come back to bite you
Disability Is About More Than Just Having a Diagnosis
It’s not enough to say you’ve been diagnosed with heart disease or back pain. You have to show how your condition stops you from doing basic, simple work every day, reliably, and on a schedule.
The question is not “Are you sick?” The question is: Can you hold down a basic job, five days a week, eight hours a day, without falling behind or missing work?
If the answer is no—and your medical records back you up—you may have a strong disability case.
Need Help With Your Columbia Missouri Social Security Disability Case?
If you’re overwhelmed by Social Security Disability rules, you’re not alone. We help hardworking people like you get the benefits they’ve earned.
Call today for a free consultation with a disability lawyer who understands what you’re going through.
Let’s talk about how your medical problems affect your ability to work—and how we can prove it to Social Security.
The right legal guidance can alleviate stress and ensure your medical records accurately reflect your real-world limitations, greatly improving your chances of a successful outcome.
If you need help fighting for your Social Security disability rights, The Krebs Law Firm offers free consultations. We can review your situation, help you determine the best course of action, and if you have a solid case, fight alongside you. You can reach our office at 573-886-8976 or toll free at 800-345-0535.
You could try to get your benefits on your own, but the odds of successfully combatting a denial are higher with the help of a Social Security disability lawyer in Columbia Missouri.
The Krebs Law Firm provides free consultations for Social Security Disability claimants, and we don’t get paid unless we win you the compensation you deserve. Set up your appointment with us without delay. You can reach our office locally at (573) 886-8976 or toll free at 800-345-0535.
A Social Security disability lawyer in Columbia Missouri can help make the process of getting the full amount you’re owed much easier. The Krebs Law Firm offers free consultations, and all it takes is giving us a call today.
Whether you’re making an initial Social Security Disability claim or striving to make an appeal, The Krebs Law Firm knows the ins and outs of the application process and offers free consultations to potential clients. You have nothing to lose by contacting us and everything to gain.
If you seek the help of a Social Security Disability attorney in Columbia Missouri with your claim, The Krebs Law Firm has years of experience in helping our clients receive the full amount of Social Security Disability benefits that they rightly deserve in as timely a manner as possible.
Call us for a free consultation at 573-886-8976 or toll free at 800-345-0535.