How to Make Money While on Disability [2024] 

According to recent government data, 22.5% of Americans with a disability are employed. No doubt, the work-from-home revolution has helped increase this number. 

But many people with a disability are unable to work full-time in a remote job, in a conventional job, or in an office. 

I’ll list the top strategies that explain how to make money while on disability.

This includes using free get-paid-to (GPT) apps like Freecash and Swagbucks to make money. 

I’ll share some unexpected ways to make money with a disability, too.

How to Make Money While on Disability 

I’d like to make it clear that I’m a personal finance expert, not a legal expert. This is not legal advice. Your legal situation may not permit you to make money in certain ways.

But what I can say is that the following are completely legit methods for how to make money while on disability without getting a job.

And if you find yourself about to earn too much money one month, you can always stop using one of these methods by taking a break.

Play Games Online 

I know this sounds too good to be true, but playing games online is a real way to make money from home, or anywhere you have an internet connection, while on disability.

There are free apps that pay ​​you to try out new games because game developers need more players to get more popular, or they need your feedback to make their games better.

A few of our favorite apps that pay real money to play games are 

• Freecash (read Is Freecash Legit?),
• Mistplay (read Cash Giraffe vs Mistplay), and
• Cashyy (read our Cashyy app review).

If this sounds like something you’d like to explore, see our big list of apps that pay cash and learn about the best ways to earn gift cards by playing games.

Take Surveys

There are a number of legit apps that offer another solution for how to make money while on disability: by completing surveys.

Companies value honest feedback from consumers so they can improve their products. These brands pay survey platforms, which, in turn, pay you!

Some of our favorite survey sites and apps are Branded Surveys, MyPoints, and Survey Junkie.

To learn more, see our complete Survey Junkie review and Branded Surveys review, along with our favorite Survey Junkie hack ideas.

Watch Videos 

If you or someone you love has a disability and needs money, consider joining free sites that pay you to watch videos.

We like InboxDollars and Swagbucks for this purpose. 

They’re both trusted companies that have been in business for a long time. In fact, InboxDollars has been paying people to complete online activities like watching videos since the year 2000!

Here are more ways to make money watching videos. And check out our full InboxDollars review in “Is Inbox Dollars Legit?” and read about more of the best survey sites like Swagbucks. 

Review Products 

Swagbucks will also reward you with Swagbucks (SBs) to review products. You can turn these SBs into real money or gift cards to popular retailers like Amazon, Walmart, Target, and more.

When you sign up for Swagbucks, you’ll fill out your profile and Swagbucks takes it from there.

They’ll match you with companies who need your feedback after you try out a product they mail to you.

If testing out products sounds fun to you, see our article about Nike product testing and Adidas product testing.

Earn Cash Back 

An easy way to make money while on disability is to sign up for free apps that give you cash back.

It’s simple. Apps like Rakuten and Upside reward you for using them to shop online, fill up your gas tank, eat at restaurants, and more.

I use both Rakuten and Upside all the time! 

Learn more about how to make money while on disability with these apps in our Rakuten review and Upside app review.

Open a High Yield Savings Account (HYSA)

Wondering how to make money while on disability? Make your money work for you!

You can earn interest on your savings. You don’t need to leave the house or even make a phone call. You can open a CIT Bank savings account online and start earning interest right away.

This is basically free money. It’s also easy to withdraw your money or move it back to your main checking account. 

With CIT Bank, your money is FDIC-insured. CIT Bank is part of First Citizens Bank, which has been in business for 125 years and holds over $200 billion in assets. 

See our in-depth CIT Bank review. You may also want to learn more about a 7% interest savings account.

Earn a Bank Bonus 

Various banks offer you a bonus when you open up a new account with them.

In particular, we like a financial technology company called Upgrade. 

Upgrade partners with an FDIC bank to provide you with the best of both worlds — a big bank bonus with the security of FDIC insurance plus the benefits of being online.

And Upgrade isn’t your only option. We have a list of banks with immediate sign up bonus as well as a list of top bank promotions.

Go For a Walk 

If your disability doesn’t prevent you from walking, you can try the HealthyWage app. With HealthyWage, you can take weight loss challenges for money.

Here are more of the best apps that pay you to walk. And we answer the question, “Is Cashwalk legit?” 

Commonly Asked Questions About How to Make Money While on Disability 

How Can a Disabled Person Make Money?

A disabled person can make money online in these easy ways:

• Take surveys on Branded Surveys (read our  Branded Surveys review), MyPoints, and Survey Junkie (read our Survey Junkie review).
• Play games on Freecash (read Is Freecash Legit?), Mistplay (read Cash Giraffe vs Mistplay), and Cashyy (read our Cashyy app review).
• Watch videos on InboxDollars (read our Inbox Dollars review) and Swagbucks.
• Review products on Swagbucks (read about these survey sites like Swagbucks).
• Get cash back on purchases with Rakuten (read Is Rakuten Insight Legit?) and Upside.
• Earn passive income from interest on your savings with a CIT Bank account (read our CIT Bank review).
• Earn a bank bonus with the FinTech company Upgrade (read our Upgrade bank review).
• Take weight loss challenges with HealthyWage.

How Can a Disabled Person Make Money From Home?

A disabled person can make money from home by:

• Taking online surveys on Branded Surveys (read our  Branded Surveys review), MyPoints, and Survey Junkie (read our Survey Junkie review).
• Playing online games on Freecash (read Is Freecash Legit?), Mistplay (read Cash Giraffe vs Mistplay), and Cashyy (read our Cashyy app review).
• Watching videos on InboxDollars (read our Inbox Dollars review) and Swagbucks (read about these survey sites like Swagbucks).
• Reviewing products on Swagbucks.
• Earning cash back from online purchases with Rakuten (read Is Rakuten Insight Legit?).
• Making passive income from interest with an online CIT Bank account (read our CIT Bank review).
• Earning an online bank bonus with Upgrade (read our Upgrade bank review).
• Taking weight loss challenges with HealthyWage.

Under The Table Jobs For Disabled?

These aren’t really under the table jobs, because you won’t have a boss! Complete these on your own schedule:

• Do online surveys on Branded Surveys (read our  Branded Surveys review), MyPoints, Survey Junkie (read our Survey Junkie review), and Swagbucks.
• Play games on Freecash (read Is Freecash Legit?), Mistplay (read Cash Giraffe vs Mistplay), and Cashyy (read our Cashyy app review).
• Watch videos on InboxDollars (read our Inbox Dollars review) and Swagbucks (read about these survey sites like Swagbucks).
• Review products on Swagbucks.
• Earn cash back from purchases with Rakuten (read Is Rakuten Insight Legit?) and Upside.
• Earn interest on your savings with an online CIT Bank account (read our CIT Bank review).
• Get a bank bonus with Upgrade (read our Upgrade bank review).
• Take weight loss challenges for money with HealthyWage.

How Much Money Can I Earn Without Affecting My Disability Benefits?

According to USA.gov, As of 2024, you may stop receiving Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits if you earn over $1,550 dollars a month. But your eligibility to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) while working will depend on which state you live in.

Also, if you get SSI and/or SSDI, your benefit amount may be reduced depending on how much money you earn from your job.

I’m not an attorney, and this is not tax advice. Seek a specialist for more information.

None of the methods in this article on how to make money while on disability are likely to earn you more than $1,000 a month. But you can always track your earnings and stop using these platforms if you start making too much money in any particular month.

Can You Have Passive Income While on Disability?

According to attorneys at law Terry Katz and Associates, passive income should not impact your eligibility for monthly benefits. That’s because passive income isn’t related to working or your ability to work. However, I’m not an attorney and this is not legal advice. Speak to a specialist for more information. 

You can earn passive income as a person with a disability by signing up for a high-yield savings account with CIT Bank that pays you interest. You can also earn cash back when you do your regular shopping with free apps like Rakuten (read Is Rakuten Insight Legit?) and Upside (read our Upside app review).