20 C.F.R. § 220.143

(a) General. The Board uses several guides to decide whether the work the claimant has done shows that he or she is able to do substantial gainful activity.

(1) The claimant's earnings may show the claimant has done substantial gainful activity. The amount of the claimant's earnings from work the claimant has done may show that he or she has engaged in substantial gainful activity. Generally, if the claimant worked for substantial earnings, this will show that he or she is able to do substantial gainful activity. On the other hand, the fact that the claimant's earnings are not substantial will not necessarily show that the claimant is not able to do substantial gainful activity. The Board will generally consider work that the claimant is forced to stop after a short time because of his or her impairment(s) as an unsuccessful work attempt and the claimant's earnings from that work will not show that the claimant is able to do substantial gainful activity.

(2) The Board considers only the amount the claimant earns. The Board does not consider any income not directly related to the claimant's productivity when the Board decides whether the claimant has done substantial gainful activity. If the claimant's earnings are subsidized, the amount of the subsidy is not counted when the Board determines whether or not the claimant's work is substantial gainful activity. Thus, where work is done under special conditions, the Board only considers the part of the claimant's pay which the claimant actually “earns.” For example, where a handicapped person does simple tasks under close and continuous supervision, the Board would not determine that the person worked at the substantial gainful activity level only on the basis of the amount of pay. A railroad or non-railroad employer may set a specific amount as a subsidy after figuring the reasonable value of the employee's services. If the claimant's work is subsidized and the claimant's railroad and non-railroad employer does not set the amount of the subsidy or does not adequately explain how the subsidy was figured, the Board will investigate to see how much the claimant's work is worth.

(3) If the claimant is working in a sheltered or special environment. If the claimant is working in a sheltered workshop, the claimant may or may not be earning the amounts he or she is being paid. The fact that the sheltered workshop or similar facility is operating at a loss or is receiving some charitable contributions or governmental aid does not establish that the claimant is not earning all he or she is being paid. Since persons in military service being treated for a severe impairment usually continue to receive full pay, the Board evaluates work activity in a therapy program or while on limited duty by comparing it with similar work in the civilian work force or on the basis of reasonable worth of the work, rather than on the actual amount of the earnings.

(b) Earnings guidelines—(1) General. If the claimant is employed, the Board first considers the criteria in paragraph (a) of this section and § 220.145, and then the guides in paragraphs (b)(2), (3), (4), (5), and (6) of this section.

(2) Earnings that will ordinarily show that the claimant has engaged in substantial gainful activity. The Board will consider that the earnings from the employed claimant (including earnings from sheltered work, see paragraph (b)(4) of this section) show that the claimant engaged in substantial gainful activity if:

(i) Before January 1, 2001, the earnings averaged more than the amount(s) in Table 1 of this section for the time(s) in which the claimant worked.

(ii) Beginning January 1, 2001, the earnings are more than an amount determined for each calendar year to be the larger of:

(A) The amount for the previous year, or

(B) The amount established by the Social Security Administration to constitute substantial gainful activity for such year.

(3) Earnings that will ordinarily show that the claimant has not engaged in substantial gainful activity. Beginning January 1, 2001, if the claimant's earnings are equal to or less than the amount(s) determined under paragraph (b)(2)(ii) of this section for the year(s) in which the claimant works, the Board will generally consider that the earnings from the claimant's work as an employee will show the claimant has not engaged in substantial gainful activity. Before January 1, 2001, if the claimant's earnings were less than the amount(s) in Table 2 of this section for the year(s) in which the claimant worked, the Board will generally consider that the earnings from the claimant's work as an employee will show that the claimant has not engaged in substantial gainful activity.

(4) If the claimant worked in a sheltered workshop. Before January 1, 2001 if the claimant worked in a sheltered workshop or a comparable facility especially set up for severely impaired persons, the Board will ordinarily consider that the claimant's earnings from this work show that the claimant has engaged in substantial gainful activity if the claimant's earnings average more than the amounts in Table 1 of this section. Average monthly earnings from a sheltered workshop or a comparable facility that are equal to or less than those indicated in Table 1 of this section will ordinarily show that the claimant has not engaged in substantial gainful activity without the need to consider the other information, as described in paragraph (b)(6) of this section, regardless of whether they are more or less than those indicated in paragraph (b)(3) of this section. When the claimant's earnings from a sheltered workshop or comparable facility are equal to or less than those amounts indicated in Table 1 of this section, the Board will consider the provisions of paragraph (b)(6) of this section only if there is evidence that the claimant may have done substantial gainful activity. For work performed in a sheltered workshop or comparable facility beginning January 1, 2001, the rules of paragraph (b)(2), (3), and (6) apply the same as they do to any other work done by an employee.

(5) If there is evidence showing that the claimant may have done substantial gainful activity. If there is evidence showing that the claimant may have done substantial gainful activity, the Board will apply the criteria in paragraph (b)(6) of this section regarding comparability and value of services.

(6) Earnings that are not high enough to ordinarily show that the claimant engaged in substantial gainful activity. (i) Before January 1, 2001, if the claimant's average monthly earnings were between the amounts shown in paragraphs (b)(2) and (3) of this section, the Board will generally consider other information in addition to the claimant's earnings (see paragraph (b)(6)(iii) of this section). This rule generally applies to employees who did not work in a sheltered workshop or a comparable facility, although the Board may apply it to some people who work in sheltered workshops or comparable facilities (see paragraph (b)(4) of this section).

(ii) Beginning January 1, 2001, if the claimant's average monthly earnings are equal to or less than the amounts determined under paragraph (b)(2) of this section, the Board will generally not consider other information in addition to the claimant's earnings unless there is evidence indicating that the claimant may be engaging in substantial gainful activity or that the claimant is in a position to defer or suppress his or her earnings.

(iii) Examples of other information the Board may consider include, whether—

(A) The claimant's work is comparable to that of unimpaired people in the claimant's community who are doing the same or similar occupations as their means of livelihood, taking into account the time, energy, skill, and responsibility involved in the work, and

(B) The claimant's work, although significantly less than that done by unimpaired people, is clearly worth the amounts shown in paragraph (b)(2) of this section, according to pay scales in the claimant's community.