Supplemental Security Income: What It Is and How You Qualify

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a government program that provides monthly income to people with limited resources and low incomes and who are blind, have a qualifying disability or are 65 or older. The maximum monthly SSI benefit is $914 per person ($1,372 for a couple) in 2023^[0]

The Social Security Administration (SSA) sets the maximum SSI benefit each year. The amount increases in step with Social Security’s cost-of-living adjustment formula.

Congress created SSI in 1974. The Social Security Administration administers SSI. In May 2023, SSI paid benefits to about 7.5 million people.

• Forty-four states have programs that provide additional amounts, called supplements, to SSI recipients (Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia don’t; nor do the Northern Mariana Islands)^[0]

To qualify for SSI, you must have limited income and limited resources, and you must meet residency requirements. You must also be 65 or older, blind or disabled^[0]

To qualify for SSI, your monthly qualifying income can’t exceed $914 (the largest monthly SSI benefit amount this year). The Social Security Administration may reduce your SSI benefit if you have income from other sources.

Here are some things to know about how the Social Security Administration looks at income:

• Earned income — from a job or self-employment, for example — is considered income.

• Some earned income doesn’t trigger a benefit reduction, though. For example, the first $65 of earned income doesn’t count against the $914 SSI income limit, and only half of income above the first $65 counts against the $914 income limit^[0]

• Unearned income, such as Social Security retirement payments, pension income and dividends from investments, are also considered income. Unearned income typically reduces the SSI benefit dollar for dollar. For example, $500 in monthly pension income could reduce your SSI benefit by $500.

• Unearned income also has exemptions. Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits, tax refunds, home energy financial assistance, state assistance, college financial aid, loans, disaster aid and tribal payments typically don’t count against the income limit.

• Things or services you get for free or at a discount, including free or below-market rent, are considered income, even if you got them from family or friends. This kind of support, called in-kind support, can reduce SSI by a maximum of $324.66 per month. In-kind support doesn’t always reduce SSI payments dollar for dollar; the amount depends on a variety of factors, including the type of support you receive and its estimated value.

• If a spouse, parent or other essential person with whom you live receives income but doesn’t receive SSI, it can reduce your SSI payments. The reduction isn’t dollar for dollar. Instead, a complex formula determines the reduction amount.

To qualify for SSI, the value of any cash, stocks and personal property you own can’t exceed $2,000 ($3,000 for couples)^[0]

Like income, there are exemptions. Common examples include a house you own (as long as you’re living in it), one vehicle and household goods.

To qualify for SSI, you must:

• Be a U.S. citizen or national. There are some exceptions, including for some refugees.

• Live in a U.S. state, Washington, D.C., or the Northern Mariana Islands.

• Not leave the U.S. for more than a month or 30 consecutive days.

You may qualify for SSI if you meet the preceding financial and residency criteria and you have 20/200 vision or less in your better eye or a narrow field of vision (in technical terms, the Social Security Administration defines this as the widest diameter of your visual field subtending an angle of 20 degrees or less).

You may qualify for SSI if you meet the preceding financial and residency requirements and you have a disability. The Social Security Administration defines a disability as a physical, mental, emotional or learning impairment that is likely to last for at least one year or can be expected to lead to death.

• If you are younger than 18, the disability must severely limit your ability to function.

• If you are 18 or older, the disability must prevent you from finding “substantial gainful activity,” which is often, but not exclusively, employment or running a business. If you work and earn more than $1,470 per month, the Social Security Administration likely won’t consider you to have a qualifying disability.

The Social Security Administration doesn’t decide whether you have a qualifying disability; state agencies called Disability Determination Services (DDS) do. The local DDS reviews your application and decides your medical eligibility. In some circumstances, DDS may contact your doctors, teachers, therapists and relatives to learn more about your condition. The agency may also pay for a medical test to determine whether you have an eligible disability.