What Is Supplemental Security Income Benefits

SSI makes monthly payments to people who have low income and few resources, and who are:

• Age 65 or older
• Blind or disabled

Please note, disabled or blind children whose parents have little income or resources may be eligible for Supplemental Security Income benefits as well. The basic SSI amount is the same nationwide. Many states, however, add money to the basic benefit. You can call them to find out the amounts for your state.

Rules for getting SSI

Whether you can get SSI depends on your income and resources, which are the things you own.

Income

Income is money you receive such as wages, Social Security benefits, and pensions. Income also includes such things as food and shelter. The amount of income you can receive each month and still get SSI depends partly on where you live. You can call them to find out the income limits in your state. Social Security doesn't count all of your income when they decide whether you qualify for SSI. For example, they do not count if:

• The first $20 a month of most income you receive
• The first $65 a month you earn from working and half the amount over $65
• Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, formerly known as food stamps
• Shelter you get from private nonprofit organizations
• Most home energy assistance

If you're married, they include part of your spouse's income and resources when deciding if you qualify for SSI. If you're younger than age 18, they include part of your parents income and resources. And, if you're a sponsored noncitizen, they may include your sponsor's income and resources. If you're a student, some of the wages or scholarships you receive may not count.

If you're disabled, but working, Social Security does not count wages you use to pay for items or services that help you to work. For example, if you need a wheelchair, the wages you use to pay for the wheelchair don't count as income when they decide if you qualify for SSI.

Also, Social Security does not count wages a blind person uses for work expenses. For example, if a blind person uses wages to pay for transportation to and from work, the wages used to pay the transportation cost aren't counted as income.

If you're disabled or blind, some of the income you use (or save) for training, or to buy items you need to work, may not count.

Resources - Things you own

Resources that we count in deciding if you qualify for SSI include real estate, bank accounts, cash, stocks, and bonds.

You may be able to get SSI if your resources are worth $2,000 or less. A couple may be able to get SSI if they have resources worth $3,000 or less. If you own property that you are trying to sell, you may be able to get SSI while trying to sell it.

Social Security doesn't count everything you own in deciding whether you have too many resources to qualify for SSI. For example, they don't count:

• The home and land where you live
• Life insurance policies with a face value of $1,500 or less
• Your car, usually
• Burial plots for you and members of your immediate family
• Up to $1,500 in burial funds for you and up to $1,500 in burial funds for your spouse

Other rules you must meet

To get SSI, you must live in the United States or the Northern Mariana Islands and be a U.S. citizen or national. In some cases, noncitizen residents can qualify for SSI.

• If you're eligible for Social Security or other benefits you must apply for them. If eligible, you can get SSI and other benefits
• If you live in certain types of institutions, you may get SSI

If you live in a city or county rest home, halfway house or other public institution, such as a jail or prison, you usually can't get SSI. But there are some exceptions including the following:

• If you live in a publicly operated community residence that serves no more than 16 people, you may get SSI
• If you live in a public institution mainly to attend approved educational or job training to help you get a job, you may get SSI
• If you live in a public emergency shelter for the homeless, you may get SSI
• If you live in a public or private institution, and Medicaid is paying more than half the cost of your care, you may get a small SSI benefit
• If you have any felony or arrest warrants for escape from custody, flight to avoid prosecution or confinement, or flight escape, you usually can't get SSI

Eligibility requirements for SSI benefits

Below is a list of people who would be eligible to receive Supplemental Security Income benefits. For additional details about SSI eligibility, click here.

• People who are aged 65 or older
• Blind or disabled
• People who have limited income and limited resources
• People who are a US citizen or national, or in one of certain categories of aliens. In general, an alien who is subject to an active warrant for deportation or removal does not meet the citizenship/alien requirement
• A resident of one of the 50 States, the District of Columbia, or the Northern Mariana Islands
• A person who is not absent from the country for a full calendar month or for 30 consecutive days or longer
• A person who is not confined to an institution (such as a hospital or prison) at the government's expense
• A person that applies for any other cash benefits or payments for which he or she may be eligible, (for example, pensions, Social Security benefits)
• Gives SSA permission to contact any financial institution and request any financial records about you
• Files an application and meets certain other requirements