I’m considering going on Disability because work is miserable and awful for my health. Every shift it’s torture just to make it through. But I need money to care for myself and essentials (rent/utilities).

I was wondering how eligibility, at least for SGA (substantial gainful activity), is calculated. 

From my math, last year I made about $1,268/mo, by adding up every month and dividing by 12. But on certain months I made over the SGA amount by just barely ($1,400). Would this disqualify me? I plan on working less anyways for the sake of my health but I’d feel more comfortable with getting SSI sooner. 

Work context: I work at a restaurant where what I work and make in a week always fluctuates. Tips are a factor in this. We can also give shifts to other coworkers if we don’t want it and have no limit for the amount of shifts we can drop. We can call off a shift anytime with no punishment (as long as it’s within policy). So basically, one week or month I can be very productive then the next barely working at all. Then some weeks I can have a good tip out and some not.