How Much Can You Earn on Disability? (w/Examples) + FAQs

You can earn income on disability and often keep your check, but the exact limit depends on which program pays you. Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipients may stop receiving benefits once earnings pass $1,690 a month, the 2026 threshold the Social Security Administration sets. Supplemental Security Income (SSI) works differently: it trims the payment step by step instead of cutting it off at one line.

The two programs answer "how much can I earn" in almost opposite ways. Mixing up their rules is a common reason people lose a check they thought was safe. SSDI gives you a window to test work at full pay. SSI recalculates your check almost every month you work, so knowing which rulebook applies matters before your first paycheck arrives.

This article reflects federal Social Security rules and figures as of 2026, drawn from the Social Security Administration and USA.gov. These dollar thresholds change most years for cost-of-living adjustments. Treat every figure below as a snapshot, and confirm the current amount before you rely on it.

What Counts as "Earning" While You Receive Disability

Social Security runs two disability programs, and each one measures income differently. SSDI pays based on your work history. It treats earned income as a pass-or-fail test called substantial gainful activity, explained in detail below.

SSI pays based on financial need instead of work history. It treats extra income as a reason to shrink the payment, using a sliding formula rather than a hard cutoff. That single difference explains almost every confusing rule covered in this article.

Both programs mainly track earned income from a job or self-employment. SSI also counts some unearned income, like a pension or family support, against its separate resource limits. A paycheck, a freelance invoice, or self-employment profit all count as earnings that can trigger a benefits review.

Unemployment pay, investment gains, and a one-time gift work differently. They usually do not trigger the same earned-income review. They can still affect SSI's resource test, so a large one-time gift is worth reporting even when it is not a paycheck.

Confusing the two programs causes real financial damage. Someone who assumes SSDI's Trial Work Period also protects SSI can watch their SSI check shrink the first month they earn money, since SSI has no matching trial period. The reverse mistake is equally costly. An SSDI recipient may assume earnings above the current SGA line will only shrink their check, when SSDI can stop for good once trial-period protections run out.

You can receive both programs at once, a setup Social Security calls concurrent benefits. In that case, both rulebooks apply to your case at the same time. You track the SSDI Trial Work Period and the SGA test on one side, and the SSI income formula on the other. That split is why this article treats the two programs apart.

This article covers Social Security's SSDI and SSI programs only. Many workers also carry separate long-term disability insurance through an employer. That insurance runs on its own rules. The long-term disability benefits guide covers how long it usually pays before Social Security or retirement takes over.

In-kind help, such as free rent or groceries from family, can also count against SSI in some cases. Social Security calls this in-kind support and maintenance, and it can lower an SSI payment even without a paycheck involved. SSDI has no matching rule, since it depends only on earned income, not on this kind of help.

The SSDI Trial Work Period: Testing Work Without Losing Your Check

The Trial Work Period (TWP) is Social Security's safety net for SSDI recipients who want to try working again. In any month that counts as a trial work month, you keep your full SSDI check no matter how much you earn. You need only report the work and stay under a doctor's care for your disability.

Social Security built this option so recipients can test their ability to work without an immediate financial penalty. You get nine trial work months in total. They do not need to run back to back.

Social Security counts your nine months inside a rolling 60-month window, or five years. Nine high-earning months spread across several years of on-and-off work can each still count, as long as all nine fall inside that window. Once you use all nine months inside the window, the trial period ends. The Substantial Gainful Activity test takes over next.

A common misconception treats the Trial Work Period as one continuous block that, once started, must run straight through. In reality, you can use one trial month this year and another two years later without losing protection. Both simply need to fall inside the rolling five-year window. This flexibility helps people with conditions that flare up and calm down, letting them test short stretches of work instead of treating every attempt as permanent.

A trial work month is not measured by your total yearly pay. It is a monthly test against a small earnings figure, currently $1,210 a month for 2026, separate from the SGA threshold covered next. Social Security adjusts that figure almost every year, so confirm the current amount before guessing whether a paycheck counts.

Self-employed beneficiaries face an added wrinkle here. Social Security can count either earnings or hours worked, currently more than 80 hours a month in the business, toward a trial work month. Tracking your hours matters as much as tracking a bank deposit if you run your own business.

The Substantial Gainful Activity Test After Your Trial Work Period

Once your nine trial work months run out, Social Security applies the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) test. If your countable earnings stay at or below the SGA line, your SSDI keeps paying as normal. If earnings rise above that line in a given month, that month can trigger a pause in your cash benefit.

As of 2026, the SGA threshold sits at $1,690 a month for most disabled workers, per SSA's own cost-of-living figures. Blind SSDI recipients use a separate, higher threshold of $2,830 a month for the same year. Social Security adjusts both numbers almost every year to track wage growth, so this exact figure will likely change again before long. Confirm the current threshold on the page linked above before acting on either number.

A frequent misunderstanding treats SGA as a strict salary cap that applies from day one. It does not apply during your Trial Work Period at all. Even after the TWP ends, Social Security first subtracts impairment-related work expenses before comparing what remains to the threshold. These are costs like medication, equipment, or a job coach that you need because of your disability.

That subtraction can matter a lot. A worker whose gross pay sits above the published figure may still land under SGA once documented costs come out. Keeping receipts for disability-related work expenses is a genuinely practical habit, not paperwork for its own sake.

Self-employed SSDI recipients face a different version of this test. Instead of comparing pay to one number, Social Security may compare hours worked or the value of work performed. It may also compare income against what a similar business normally pays an employee. Two self-employed workers with identical profit can get different results depending on which test applies to their case.

The consequence of guessing wrong here is real. Earnings above SGA after the Trial Work Period ends can stop SSDI starting the month your countable income crossed the line. That start date is not when Social Security notices. That is exactly why the next section, the Extended Period of Eligibility, exists as a further cushion before benefits stop for good.

The Extended Period of Eligibility: 36 More Months of Protection

Social Security does not cut you off the moment one month crosses the SGA line. The Extended Period of Eligibility (EPE) gives you 36 more months after your Trial Work Period ends. During that window, your SSDI check pays for any month your earnings stay at or below SGA. It pauses only for months your earnings rise above it.

Think of your benefit as switching on and off, month to month, based only on that month's earnings. A recipient who earns above SGA in March but drops back below it in April gets no payment for March. April brings a full payment again. No new application is required for the second check to resume.

This on-off design helps anyone with a variable-hours job or a condition with good months and bad months. It lets them keep testing work without permanently losing the benefit over one rough month. A single high paycheck is a pause, not necessarily an ending.

A common misconception treats one stopped payment as final, as if a whole new disability application is needed to restart it. Inside the 36-month EPE, that is false. Social Security resumes payment once a later month's earnings fall back below the current threshold. Even after the EPE closes, expedited reinstatement may restart benefits later without a new application; confirm your exact eligibility window with Social Security.

Reading a paused check as a closed case scares people away from work. That fear is often misplaced, since the rule exists to reward exactly the kind of on-and-off effort many disabled workers make. The real risk is not reporting income accurately enough for Social Security to apply the test correctly each month.

Keep reporting earnings every month during the EPE without exception. Social Security cannot run the month-by-month SGA comparison without current numbers from you. Missing a reporting deadline is a common mistake. So is guessing that SSA will sort it out later from tax records, covered again below.

Ticket to Work and Other Employment Supports

Social Security runs Ticket to Work to help SSDI and SSI recipients test employment with real support instead of guessing at the rules alone. Enrolling connects you with an approved employment network or a state vocational rehabilitation agency. Both offer job counseling, skills training, and help figuring out which work incentives fit your case.

One of the program's biggest protections is medical-review relief. While you use your Ticket, Social Security tracks what it calls timely progress toward self-support. During that time, the agency will not start a full medical review of your disability status. That removes a major worry for someone unsure if a new job might trigger a review before it even proves stable.

A common misconception treats Ticket to Work as a strict program with mandatory hours from day one. It is voluntary, free to join, and built around gradual goals set with your employment network. There is no quota to hit in your first month.

Contact the Ticket to Work program or your state's vocational rehabilitation agency before you start a new job search. Getting enrolled early means the counseling and the medical-review protection are already in place once work begins, rather than added after the fact. That timing difference is worth planning around.

Beyond Ticket to Work, other narrower supports exist too. Beneficiaries under 22 who are still in school can use student-earned-income exclusions on the SSI side. The impairment-related work expense rule described earlier applies across both programs too.

Social Security also funds a separate counseling program called Work Incentives Planning and Assistance, often shortened to WIPA. Trained counselors under WIPA explain exactly how a paycheck affects an SSDI or SSI case, at no cost to the worker. Pairing Ticket to Work with a WIPA counselor gives most recipients both job support and real number-crunching in one place. A benefits counselor can confirm which combination fits an individual case best.

How SSI's Earned-Income Rules Differ From SSDI

SSI skips the Trial Work Period, the SGA cliff, and the Extended Period of Eligibility. Instead, it recalculates your monthly payment with a formula that shrinks the check step by step as income rises. There is no single moment where the SSI benefit stops, unlike the harder cutoff SSDI can impose.

State-run counseling tools, such as Illinois's Disability Benefits 101 calculator, walk residents through this formula before they start a job. The general mechanism stays consistent across states. Social Security excludes a small amount of earned income first, then counts only part of what remains against your SSI check.

Your total income, the reduced SSI check plus your earnings, still comes out higher than the SSI check alone. This article deliberately skips the exact exclusion and offset dollar amounts, since those figures update periodically and were not confirmed here. SSA's SSI income rules page carries the current numbers.

A frequent misconception assumes SSI works like SSDI, with one earnings ceiling above which the benefit disappears completely. In practice, an SSI payment can shrink across a wide income range. Depending on your state, it may not hit zero until earnings are well above SSDI's SGA line.

Does this vary by state? Yes, in real ways. Some states add their own supplement on top of the federal SSI payment, and continued-eligibility rules once your check reaches zero also differ by state. Two people earning the same amount in different states can end up with very different results.

Report income changes to Social Security the month they happen, not at tax time. Waiting until tax season to report a year of freelance income is one of the most common and expensive mistakes SSI recipients make. It can produce an overpayment notice covering many months at once. Social Security can even withhold future payments to recover that overpayment, which makes prompt reporting worth the small effort it takes.

Medicaid and Medicare Coverage While You Work

Losing health coverage is often the real fear behind "how much can I earn." Social Security builds in real protections for both Medicaid and Medicare. SSI recipients in most states keep Medicaid as long as they receive even one dollar of SSI.

A federal rule called Section 1619(b) extends that protection further. It lets many SSI recipients keep Medicaid even after earnings push their cash payment to zero, up to a state-specific earnings threshold. Social Security built this rule because fear of losing Medicaid was stopping people from taking jobs that made financial sense.

A recipient whose SSI cash payment reaches zero from earnings does not always lose Medicaid. Under 1619(b), they keep it as long as they still need Medicaid to work and meet the program's other tests. A state Medicaid office or SSA field office can confirm the current earnings threshold for that state.

SSDI recipients face a different question, since SSDI connects to Medicare rather than Medicaid. Returning to work during the Trial Work Period, the SGA test, or the Extended Period of Eligibility keeps Medicare coverage in place. That holds true even if the SSDI cash payment stops. Many people can even buy continued Medicare coverage afterward if they remain medically disabled but earn too much for a free cash benefit.

Not knowing this leads people to turn down real opportunities out of fear alone. Health coverage often outlasts the cash benefit by a wide margin. The two rules are worth separating clearly in your own mind before you decide anything about a raise or new hours.

Medicaid and Medicare are not interchangeable, since they attach to different programs with different eligibility tests. Before accepting new hours or a raise, contact Social Security or your state Medicaid office directly. Confirm exactly how long your coverage would continue instead of guessing the best or worst case.

Which Situation Applies to You?

The rules above stack differently depending on your program and where you stand in the process. Match your situation below to the right path before you run any numbers of your own. Each path names the exact figures and links you need for that stage.

You receive SSDI and are still in your Trial Work Period

Focus on the Trial Work Period rules above, not the SGA threshold, if you have not used all nine trial months yet. You can currently earn any amount in a trial work month and keep your full SSDI check. Report the work and stay under a doctor's care for your condition.

The one number worth tracking closely is which months already count as trial months so far. Guessing wrong about that count can mean you use up your nine months sooner than you expected. A quick call to Social Security to confirm your current count is worth the time before you take on more hours. Ask specifically for your Trial Work Period month count, since a general representative may not volunteer it unprompted.

You receive SSDI and have used all nine trial months

Your case now runs on the Substantial Gainful Activity test and the 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility described above. Compare your countable monthly earnings, after subtracting impairment-related work expenses, against the current SGA threshold every single month. Your benefit can switch on and off depending on that monthly comparison.

Keep reporting income even in months your check pauses. Accurate reporting is what lets Social Security resume payment in a later, lower-earning month. Skipping a report during a pause is one of the easiest ways to lose track of your own case.

Ask Social Security whether your case is still inside the Extended Period of Eligibility or already past it, since the two stages carry different rules. Being past the EPE usually means a new work attempt starts a fresh Trial Work Period. That fresh period, though, only starts once a new period of disability is established. That distinction matters most for cases that have been open for many years.

You receive SSI, or SSI along with SSDI

Your SSI payment recalculates on a sliding scale, so there is no single earnings number to watch, unlike SSDI's SGA test. Report every earnings change the month it happens. Confirm your state's own rules on continued Medicaid eligibility while you are at it.

If you also receive SSDI, apply the Trial Work Period and SGA rules to that portion of your case separately from your SSI math. A benefits counselor through your state's Disability Benefits 101 program, or a Social Security field office, can run the real numbers for your household. That single call can save months of guesswork. Bring your most recent pay stubs to the call, since exact numbers give a far more useful answer than rough estimates.

Worked Example: Counting a Trial Work Period Month and an SGA Month

Here is how the SGA test plays out for one worker. This example uses the 2026 SGA threshold of $1,690 a month, the figure Social Security published for this year. Confirm that number again if you are reading this in a later year, since it changes annually.

Maria receives SSDI and has already used all nine of her trial work months. She takes a part-time bookkeeping job paying $1,800 a month before taxes. Because her Trial Work Period has ended, Social Security compares her countable earnings, not her full gross pay, to the current SGA threshold.

Maria spends $150 a month on a specialized keyboard and software her doctor says she needs for her condition. Social Security counts that as an impairment-related work expense and subtracts it from her pay. That leaves $1,650 in countable earnings for the SGA comparison.

Using the 2026 SGA threshold of $1,690 a month, Maria's countable earnings of $1,650 land under that line. Her SSDI check keeps paying in full for this month, and the $150 expense deduction is exactly what kept her under the threshold. Without documenting that cost, her raw $1,800 in gross pay would have crossed the SGA line and put her check at risk.

The same subtraction method applies to other impairment-related costs too. Examples include a wheelchair-accessible vehicle modification or a sign-language interpreter for a job interview. Each documented cost lowers countable earnings the same as Maria's keyboard did. Keeping a simple monthly log of these costs, with receipts, makes this math fast instead of stressful when Social Security asks for it.

The real lesson here is the method, not the exact dollar result. Start from gross pay, subtract documented impairment-related work expenses, and compare what remains to the current SGA figure on SSA's reference page. Remember that even a month above that line only pauses one payment inside the 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility rather than ending the claim outright.

Lessons From Three Workers Testing Their Earning Limits

The sections above describe the rules. These three situations show how the mechanics change real outcomes for different people, and each one teaches something the others do not. Match yourself to whichever one is closest to your own situation.

Devon and the Trial Work Period clock

Devon receives SSDI for a back injury. He picked up seasonal warehouse work for three separate holiday seasons over four years, earning well above any monthly figure Social Security might set for a trial work month. Social Security counts trial months inside a rolling 60-month window rather than a single calendar year. Each seasonal stretch counted as a trial month without threatening his benefit.

By his fourth season, Devon had used only seven of his nine trial months. His mistake was guessing that the count reset every calendar year, which it does not. Tracking the rolling window himself, instead of relying on memory, kept him from accidentally burning a tenth high-earning month once his nine were gone.

Priya and SSI's step-by-step reduction

Priya receives SSI and started tutoring for ten hours a week, earning about $600 a month. Unlike an SSDI recipient facing one hard threshold, Priya's SSI payment shrank by a partial amount that still left her better off overall. Social Security's formula never took the full dollar-for-dollar bite out of her check that she initially feared.

Her misconception, common among first-time SSI earners, assumed any paycheck would wipe out her benefit. That fear kept her from accepting extra hours for months. A benefits counselor eventually walked her through the actual step-by-step formula, and she took the tutoring hours the following week.

Walter and the Ticket to Work safety net

Walter had been on SSDI for six years. He feared that testing a return to office work would trigger a full medical review of his disability status. So he avoided applying for jobs at all. That fear, not his condition, was the real barrier holding him back for two years.

After enrolling in Ticket to Work and working with an assigned employment network, Walter learned something new. Making timely progress toward his return-to-work goals protects a worker from a medical continuing-disability review while the ticket stays active. That single protection, more than any change in his health, is what finally let him apply for the office job he had wanted for years. He now works fifteen hours a week at that job and reports his pay every month without missing a deadline.

Mistakes to Avoid

• Assuming SSDI and SSI share one earnings limit. They run on different systems, and applying SSDI's Trial Work Period logic to an SSI case can leave a recipient blindsided by a reduced check the first month they earn income.
• Treating this year's SGA figure as permanent. Social Security adjusts the threshold almost every year, so basing a decision on an old number instead of checking the current one risks a wrong estimate of what a paycheck will do to your benefit.
• Forgetting to track the rolling 60-month Trial Work Period window. Assuming the count resets every calendar year, instead of tracking a genuine rolling five-year window, can cause someone to run out of trial months faster than expected.
• Not reporting income changes the month they happen. Waiting until tax season to report a year of earnings, especially on SSI, commonly produces an overpayment notice covering many months at once.
• Ignoring impairment-related work expenses. Failing to document disability-related costs, like specialized equipment or transportation, makes countable earnings look higher than they should, which can push a case over the SGA line unnecessarily.
• Believing a paused SSDI payment ends the case for good. Inside the 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility, one high-earning month usually pauses a single payment rather than closing the claim, and treating it as final can discourage someone from continuing to work.
• Avoiding work out of fear of losing Medicaid or Medicare. Protections like Section 1619(b) for Medicaid and extended Medicare coverage for SSDI recipients often outlast the cash benefit itself, so that health-coverage fear is frequently based on outdated assumptions.
• Skipping a benefits counselor before a big income change. A state Disability Benefits 101 program or Social Security field office can run the real math for one case, catching problems a general article cannot anticipate for every household.

Do's, Don'ts, Pros, and Cons of Testing Your Earning Limits

Do

• Report every earnings change the month it happens, since both SSDI's month-by-month SGA test and SSI's formula depend on current numbers, not a year-end summary.
• Keep records of impairment-related work expenses, because documented costs can lower countable earnings enough to stay under the SGA threshold.
• Contact a benefits counselor before accepting a raise or new job, since a state Disability Benefits 101 program can model the real effect on your specific check.
• Track your Trial Work Period months yourself, using the rolling 60-month window, instead of guessing that Social Security will flag it as the count nears nine.
• Confirm the current SGA and SSI figures on SSA's own pages before making a decision, since every dollar figure in this article is dated and subject to change each year.

Don't

• Don't assume SSDI and SSI use the same rules, since applying one program's protections to the other program's case is one of the most common and costly mistakes.
• Don't wait for a letter before reporting income, because reporting on time is what protects you from a large retroactive overpayment demand later.
• Don't treat a paused SSDI payment as a closed case, since the 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility exists to resume payment once earnings drop again.
• Don't skip Ticket to Work by guessing it requires full-time hours, since the program is voluntary and built around gradual, individual goals.
• Don't guess at a dollar threshold from an old article, including this one, when SSA's own current pages take less time to check and remove the guesswork.

Pros

• A structured path to test work without an all-or-nothing risk. The Trial Work Period and Extended Period of Eligibility exist so testing employment does not mean gambling the entire benefit at once.
• Health coverage often outlasts the cash benefit. Extended Medicare coverage and Section 1619(b) Medicaid protection mean losing a cash payment does not automatically mean losing insurance.
• Free program support through Ticket to Work. Enrolled recipients get job counseling and some protection from medical continuing-disability reviews while they make progress.
• Automatic resumption of paused SSDI payments. Inside the Extended Period of Eligibility, a benefit that pauses for one high-earning month can resume the next month without a new application.
• State-specific counseling resources exist for exactly this decision. Disability Benefits 101 programs and Social Security field offices can model an individual case instead of leaving someone to guess from general figures.

Cons

• The rules are genuinely complicated and change annually. Dollar thresholds shift most years, and mixing up SSDI and SSI rules is easy for someone without a benefits background.
• SSI's step-by-step reduction can feel discouraging short-term. Watching a check shrink as income rises, even when total household income improves, can feel like a penalty for working.
• Reporting requirements are strict and frequent. Both programs expect prompt, often monthly, reporting, and missing a report can trigger an overpayment notice later.
• A single high-earning month can trigger a benefit pause. Even with the Extended Period of Eligibility as a cushion, one month above SGA still means one lost payment.
• State variation adds another layer of complexity. SSI's continued-eligibility rules and Medicaid thresholds differ by state, so advice that fits one recipient's state may not fit another's.

What to Do Next

1. Identify which program pays you, SSDI, SSI, or both, since the rules only apply correctly once you know which system governs your case.
2. Pull your Social Security earnings and benefit records to confirm how many Trial Work Period months you have already used, if you receive SSDI.
3. Confirm the current SGA and SSI figures directly on SSA's cost-of-living pages before doing any math based on this or any other article.
4. Contact a state Disability Benefits 101 counselor or your local Social Security field office to model the effect of a job offer or raise on your case.
5. Ask specifically about Section 1619(b) Medicaid protection or extended Medicare coverage before turning down work out of fear of losing health insurance.
6. Consider enrolling in Ticket to Work if you want structured job-search support and protection from a medical review while you test employment.
7. Set a monthly reminder to report any change in earnings, hours, or self-employment income the same month it occurs, not at tax time.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much can I earn on SSDI before losing benefits?

It depends on your Trial Work Period status. During your nine trial work months, spread across a rolling five-year window, any earnings amount is protected. After that, Social Security compares your countable earnings to the current SGA threshold each month.

Does working automatically end my SSDI benefits?

No. Working can pause a payment for one high-earning month once your Trial Work Period ends. But the 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility resumes payment once earnings fall back below the SGA threshold.

How is SSI different from SSDI when it comes to earning income?

SSI reduces your payment step by step instead of using a cutoff threshold. There is no Trial Work Period or SGA test for SSI. Social Security recalculates your check using an income formula, and the reduction depends on figures set for the current year.

Will I lose Medicaid if I start earning money on SSI?

Not always. Under Section 1619(b), many SSI recipients can keep Medicaid even after their cash payment stops from earnings, up to a state-specific threshold. Confirm the exact number with your state Medicaid office.

What happens to Medicare if I go back to work on SSDI?

Coverage typically continues for an extended period. Even if your SSDI cash payment pauses from earnings, Medicare coverage continues beyond that. Options to keep paying for it often exist afterward if you remain medically disabled.

What counts as a trial work month for SSDI?

A month where your earnings or work hours cross a threshold Social Security sets and updates most years. As of 2026, that threshold is $1,210 a month, separate from the SGA figure. Confirm the current amount before relying on it for your own numbers.

Can I earn any amount during my Trial Work Period?

Yes, in terms of your SSDI check. Any trial work month still pays your full SSDI benefit, no matter the amount earned. You need only report the work and stay under a doctor's care during that time.

Do impairment-related work expenses lower my countable earnings?

Yes, when properly documented. Costs tied directly to your disability, such as specialized equipment or transportation, can be subtracted from gross pay. Social Security then compares what remains to the SGA threshold.

Is Ticket to Work mandatory once I'm on SSDI or SSI?

No, it's fully voluntary. Ticket to Work is a free program that connects recipients with job support. It also protects a participant from a medical continuing-disability review while they make timely progress toward their goals.

What happens if I earn too much for a few months and then my income drops again?

Your SSDI payment can resume automatically. Inside the 36-month Extended Period of Eligibility, a benefit that pauses for a high-earning month usually resumes the next month. That happens once earnings fall back below the current SGA threshold, without a new claim.

Do SSI's earnings rules vary by state?

Yes, in some respects. The core federal reduction formula is set at the federal level. But continued eligibility once your payment reaches zero, state supplemental payments, and Medicaid thresholds under Section 1619(b) all vary by state.

Where can I get personalized help figuring out my specific numbers?

A state Disability Benefits 101 program or your local Social Security field office. These resources model your actual earnings against current program rules, which a general article cannot do accurately for every individual household and state.