Eligibility

Three groups of people can get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits:

1. People older than 18 but younger than 65, with disabilities and limited income and resources. This article focuses on people between 18 – 65.
2. People who are 65 years old or older, with limited income and resources.
3. Qualifying children and youth under 18 with disabilities. A different definition of disability applies to people under 18. To learn more about SSI for people under 18, read DB101’s section on Benefits for Young People.

You do not have to have worked at all to get SSI benefits.

If you’re between 18 – 65, to qualify for SSI benefits, you need to:

1. Meet certain citizenship and residency requirements;
2. Meet income and resource limits; and
3. Have a disability that prevents you from working.

Medical Disability

To be eligible for SSI benefits, you must show that you have a disability that prevents you from working. Social Security has very specific rules about what is and is not a disability. Social Security uses the same definition of disability for all its programs.

Unable to Work

Your disability must also prevent you from working. Social Security has a standard way of defining work. The term Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) is used to describe a level of work activity or earnings. In 2023, if you are earning more than $1,470 per month (or $2,460 if you’re blind), Social Security says your earnings are Substantial Gainful Activity.

Note: You may be able to reduce your countable monthly income if you get a wage subsidy, have Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs) or Blind Work Expenses (BWEs). Also, when Social Security figures out if your work activity is SGA, Social Security does more than just look at your earnings. If you are self-employed, for example, Social Security uses up to 3 different tests and analyzes things like hours worked and responsibilities to decide if your work counts as SGA. To find out more information, visit the Social Security Administration’s website.

When Social Security looks at your application, the agency asks a series of questions to figure out if your disability prevents you from working.

Example: Mimi has a severe and life-threatening lung disease. She is still working and earning $1,710 a month working part-time in a flower shop. Social Security decides that her earnings are above $1,470, the current SGA level. Mimi is therefore not disabled according to Social Security because of her earnings.

Example: Floria injured her spine in a fall. She fractured 2 vertebrae and damaged some nerve roots. She is not working now. Social Security finds that her condition is listed on the Listing of Impairments and that it’s severe enough to be disabling. Floria is therefore disabled according to Social Security and may qualify for monthly benefits.

Your disability has to prevent you from earning above the SGA level not just in your old job, but in any job. Social Security looks at your age, education, work experience, and any skills that could be used in other jobs. (If you’re over 55, the rules are less strict.)

Example: Luigi had been working as a longshoreman until he ruptured a disc in his back in a game of touch football. He is not working now, so his actual earnings are below the SGA level. The back injury is long-term and serious, but is not on the Listing of Impairments as an automatically disabling condition.

Luigi wouldn’t be able to do his old job, with all the heavy lifting, but Social Security decides that with his experience, he could be able to work at a desk as a dock dispatcher. Because he would be able to work, Luigi is not disabled according to Social Security.

Resource Requirements

When you apply for SSI benefits, you have to list money and property that you own. If you have money or property that you could sell to support yourself, Social Security wants to make sure that you do that first before you get help.

Example: Billy has $5,000 in a standard savings account (not an ABLE account), set aside for a rainy day. Even though he has no plans to spend this money and doesn’t want to, it does count as a resource. Billy is not eligible for SSI benefits.

Citizenship Requirements

To qualify for SSI benefits, you must be a U.S. citizen or a qualified alien. Some important categories of qualified aliens include people who are:

• Lawfully Admitted for Permanent Residence (LAPR) in the U.S.
• Refugees admitted to the U.S. under Section 207 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA)
• People granted asylum under section 208 of the INA

Qualified aliens must also meet certain other conditions to be eligible for SSI benefits. Some groups of immigrants and refugees will only be able to get SSI benefits for 7 years after their date of entry into the U.S. If they think they will continue to need SSI benefits, they need to become U.S. citizens before that time is up. If you are unsure of your immigration status or how it affects SSI, you should contact the Social Security Administration or U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). See the Social Security Administration's website for more information.

Application

You can apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI):

• Online (which starts the application process immediately)
• By calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 (TTY) to make an appointment to apply either:
  • Over the phone, or
  • In person at your local Social Security office.

The initial application process will take some time, sometimes up to four months. If you need urgent help, call your county social services agency right away. If you’re eligible, they can get you health coverage and CalFresh (formerly Food Stamps). Depending on your need and circumstances, they may also be able to help you with emergency cash assistance and/or housing.

While waiting to hear from Social Security, you can also apply for CalWORKs, Medi-Cal, and other benefits. You can apply online at BenefitsCal or at your county social services agency.

Note: Due to COVID-19, there may be limits on in-person services. Contact your agency by phone to ask about this.

Application Questions

When you apply for SSI, you’ll need to give Social Security:

1. Basic facts (name, date of birth, etc.)

2. Documentation of your medical condition

3. Documentation of your income

4. Documentation of your assets

Social Security will also ask you to sign up to get your check through direct deposit into your bank account.

Don’t delay your application just to round up the documents you need; Social Security can help you. Social Security provides an online Adult Disability Starter Kit, which explains what you need to know before you apply, and includes a checklist and worksheet to guide you through the process.

It’s important to apply right away if you think you’ll need SSI. Even though it will take a while for Social Security to process your application, your benefits will be paid retroactively to your application date.

Decision

If you've supplied all the documentation needed, Social Security usually takes 3 to 6 months to look over your application and decide if you should get SSI benefits. Once they decide, they send you an award letter or a denial letter.

After you get your award letter, your SSI benefits go into your bank account automatically each month. If you don’t have a bank account, you can have your SSI benefits put onto a Direct Express debit card that you can use to pay for things.

Award letters can be hard to read. If you have questions about your new benefit, you can call Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 (TTY). More information is available on Social Security’s website.

Denial and Appeal

Some applicants get a denial letter, telling them that their claim for SSI benefits has been turned down.

The most common reasons for SSI to deny claims are:

• Medical: This is the most frequent reason for denied claims. Often Social Security doesn’t have enough medical documentation of your health condition, or Social Security doesn’t believe your medical condition is bad enough to keep you from working.
• Resources: Social Security believes that you have more resources than the allowed limit of $2,000 ($3,000 for a couple)
• SGA: Social Security believes that you are earning more than the Substantial Gainful Activity limit of $1,470.

Note: When you apply for SSI benefits, Social Security must first check to see if you’re eligible for Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI). If you get a denial letter from SSDI, it does not mean you’ve been turned down for SSI benefits. Check the letterhead on the denial letter. An actual SSI denial letter will say Supplemental Security Income at the top.

You don’t have to accept Social Security’s decision. If you feel that the decision is unfair or incorrect, you have the right to file an appeal.

There are 4 levels to the appeal process. If you are not satisfied with the result at each level, you can appeal to the next. The 4 levels are:

1. Reconsideration: In a reconsideration, somebody inside Social Security who wasn’t involved in the first decision looks at your application again from scratch. You can supply more information if you want. This is a paper appeal and means that you don’t have to go in front of a judge. You should supply Social Security with any new information you have about your case.
2. Hearing: If the reconsideration is denied, you can ask for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge. You can bring witnesses to help make your case. You should consider having an attorney or representative help you with the hearing.
3. Appeals Council: Social Security’s Appeals Council will review your case if you appeal the decision of the Administrative Law Judge. The Council can accept the decision of the judge, decide the case for itself, or send it back to an Administrative Law Judge for an additional hearing.
4. Federal Court: If the Appeals Council decides against you, you can file a lawsuit in federal court.

For any level beyond the reconsideration, it would be a good idea to have a lawyer working for you.

Once you’ve shown that your disability keeps you from working, Social Security looks at the amount of money you have to pay for basic needs. SSI may be able to give you a monthly cash payment to help meet those needs. Californians who qualify for SSI benefits are also automatically enrolled in Medi-Cal health coverage. On this page we'll explain what the maximum possible benefit you could get is and also look at what things might cause you to get a higher or lower benefit.

Note: The SSI benefit in California is actually a combination of funds from the Social Security Federal Benefit Rate (FBR) and California's State Supplemental Program (SSP). In this article, whenever we talk about SSI, we actually are talking about the combined SSI and SSP benefits; even though the money comes from two different places, you'll only get one direct deposit each month into your bank account or Direct Express Debit Card.

The Maximum SSI Benefit

The goal of the SSI program is that you have the money you need to meet your basic needs. The amount of money that the SSI program figures you need depends on your living situation. Here we present the maximum possible benefit for people in different types of situations. We'll explain more about a few of these situations below.

Note: These are not all of the situations that could affect your benefit amount. Some of the other things that could impact it include things like:

• Whether the place you live has a kitchen
• Whether you live in a certified or non-certified medical facility
• Who pays the expenses of the private medical facility where you live

Social Security maintains a complete listing of California maximum monthly payments for different situations.

Situations that Can Change the Maximum Benefit

As we just saw, if you’re a person who lives alone, the maximum SSI benefit is $1,133.73 ($1,211.00 if you're blind). The maximum is different if you are an eligible couple, if you live in someone else’s household and you don’t pay the full costs of food and shelter, or if you live in an institution, such as a hospital, nursing home, or prison.

Couples

Social Security calls you part of an eligible couple if:

• You are married; and
• You are living with your spouse; and
• Both you and your spouse are eligible for SSI benefits.

Note: If two people live in the same household, act as if they are married, and present themselves to the community as being married, Social Security will consider them a married couple for SSI purposes.

Social Security figures that two people who live together can live cheaper than two people who live separately, so the maximum SSI benefits amount for a couple is $1,927.62 (which is only about 170% of the individual maximum of $1,133.73). The maximum for a couple where both people are blind is $2,134.14.

If you’re married and living with your spouse, but your spouse is not eligible for SSI benefits, then Social Security thinks that some of your spouse’s income must be available to help pay for basic needs. The process of deciding how your spouse’s income should affect your SSI benefits is called spousal deeming.

If you’re not married or are not living with your spouse, Social Security treats you as separate people when calculating your benefits.

Living in Somebody Else's Home

If you live in your own place and pay for your own food and shelter, you can get up to $1,133.73 per month ($1,211.00 if blind). It doesn’t matter if you own or rent your place.

If you live in someone else’s household, but pay for your own food and shelter, you can still get up to $1,133.73 per month ($1,211.00 if blind).

But if you live in someone else’s household, and somebody else is paying for some or all of your food and shelter costs, Social Security reduces the maximum benefits amounts you can get. This is because Social Security considers the help you are getting to have value, meaning you need less help from SSI. The maximum SSI benefit in this situation is $833.89 ($911.16 if you're blind).

Shelter can include any of the normal costs of keeping a place to live: rent, mortgage payments, property taxes, heating fuel, gas, electricity, water, sewer service, and garbage collection.

Note: If the other person who supplies you with food and shelter is your spouse who lives with you, that help is not considered in this way. Instead, some of your spouse’s income is deemed to be available to you.

People Living in Medical Facilities

People who live in medical facilities like hospitals and nursing homes generally can’t collect full SSI benefits.

• If you are living in a medical facility where Medi-Cal pays for more than half the cost of your care, your SSI benefits amount is at most $59 a month for an individual or $117 for a couple.
• If you live in a public facility and Medi-Cal is NOT paying for more than half of your care, you cannot get any SSI benefits.
• If your doctor says you will be in the facility for less than 90 days, and you can show that you need your SSI benefits to keep your home or living arrangement, you may continue to get your SSI benefits.

If you’re expecting to stay for less than 90 days, you need to get the doctor’s note and documentation about your need to Social Security right away. The facility’s admissions office can help you. SSI also needs a statement from you or someone who knows your cicrumstances saying that you need to keep your SSI benefits to avoid losing your home or living arrangements.

Homelessness

You don’t have to have a fixed address to collect SSI benefits. If you’re experiencing homelessness, you have the same access to SSI benefits as anyone else. See Social Security’s Spotlight on Homelessness for more information.

How SSI Counts Your Income

Some people on SSI benefits have other sources of money. You could have some earnings from work, for example, or you could have other benefits coming in. SSI has rules about how much of that other income Social Security expects you to spend on basic needs. The part of your monthly income that SSI expects to be spent on basic needs is called your countable income.

Not all of your income is countable income, some of it is uncountable; there’s a calculation to figure that out. SSI deals with the 2 kinds of income differently.

Earned income is money you get from work you do. It includes salaries, wages, tips, bonuses, professional fees, or other amounts you get in exchange for physical or mental work you actually do. Note that Social Security looks at your gross earned income (wages before taxes are deducted) when figuring out your SSI benefits.

If you’re self-employed, you subtract your work expenses before reporting your earned income, the way you do when you file your taxes.

Unearned income is anything else. It’s money you get for which you do no work. Examples include disability benefits such as Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI); short-term or long-term disability insurance; Veterans benefits; or Workers’ Compensation; income from a trust or investment; dividends, profits, or any other money from a source other than work.

The countable income calculation seems complicated, but here is the basic idea: Social Security figures that most of your unearned income is supposed to go toward basic expenses, so most of your unearned income goes into your countable income. When you’re working, Social Security assumes that about half of your earned income goes to basic expenses, so roughly half of your earnings are part of your countable income.

Step 1: Countable Unearned Income

Start with your total unearned income. Subtract $20, the general exclusion that everyone gets. What’s left is your countable unearned income.

Note: When something is subtracted in the countable income calculation, the result is never allowed to be less than zero.

Countable Unearned Income:

Unearned Income

Minus the $20 General Exclusion

= Countable Unearned Income

Step 2: Countable Earned Income

Start with your total gross earned income (earnings before taxes are deducted). Subtract anything left over from that $20 general exclusion. Then subtract another $65, the earned income exclusion. Subtract any Impairment Related Work Expenses (more about these on the SSI and Work page). Take what’s left, and divide by 2. The result is your countable earned income.

Countable Earned Income (Non-Blind SSI Recipients):

Earned Income

Minus the unused portion of the $20 General Exclusion

Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion

Minus Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs)

= Subtotal

Divide by two

= Countable Earned Income

The calculation is different if you are blind according to SSI rules. If you are blind, we use Blind Work Expenses instead of Impairment Related Work Expenses (see SSI and Work for more details).

Countable Earned Income (Blind SSI Recipients):

Earned Income

Minus the unused portion of the $20 General Exclusion

Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion

= Subtotal

Divide by two

= Subtotal

Minus Blind Work Expenses (BWEs)

= Countable Earned Income

Step 3: Countable Income

Add your countable unearned income to your countable earned income. Subtract any contribution to a Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS). The result is your total countable income.

Total Countable Income:

Countable Unearned Income

Plus Countable Earned Income

Minus PASS Contribution, if applicable

= Total Countable Income

Step 4: Benefits Calculation

Start with the maximum SSI benefit for your living situation. Subtract your countable income. The result is your SSI benefits amount.

SSI Benefit Calculation:

Maximum SSI Benefit

Minus Total Countable Income

= SSI Benefit

If your countable income is larger than the maximum SSI benefit, your SSI benefits amount will be zero. In other words, Social Security thinks you are making enough money to pay for your own expenses.

Working students under age 22 can take some of their income out of the countable income calculation. You can read more about the Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) on the SSI and Work page.

Example: Magda is collecting $320/month in SSDI benefits and working a few hours a month to earn $200.

Magda's SSI Benefit Calculation:

Step 1: Countable Unearned Income
Magda's Monthly Unearned Income	$320
Minus the $20 General Exclusion	- $20
Countable Unearned Income
Step 2: Countable Earned Income
Magda's Monthly Earned Income	$200
Minus the unused portion of Magda's $20 General Exclusion	- $0
Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion	- $65
Minus Magda's Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs)	- $0
Subtotal
Divide by two	÷ 2
Countable Earned Income
Step 3: Total Countable Income
Countable Unearned Income
Plus Countable Earned Income	+
Minus PASS Contribution	- $0
Total Countable Income
Step 4: SSI Benefit Calculation
Maximum SSI Benefit	$1,133.73
Minus Total Countable Income	-
Magda's SSI Benefit
Magda's Total Monthly Income

If you're not already on SSI benefits, try the following tool to see how much your benefits might be.

Your SSI Benefit Calculation:

Step 1: Countable Unearned Income
Your Monthly Unearned Income	$
Minus the $20 General Exclusion	- $20.00
Countable Unearned Income
Unused portion of Your $20 General Exclusion
Step 2: Countable Earned Income
Your Monthly Earned Income	$
Minus the unused portion of Your $20 General Exclusion	-
Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion	- $65.00
Minus Your Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs)	- $
Subtotal
Divide by two	÷ 2
Countable Earned Income
Step 3: Total Countable Income
Countable Unearned Income
Plus Countable Earned Income	+
Minus PASS Contribution	- $
Total Countable Income
Step 4: SSI Benefit Calculation
Maximum SSI Benefit	$1,133.73
Minus Total Countable Income	-
Your SSI Benefit
Your Total Monthly Income

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Changes to Your SSI

How much you get in SSI benefits depends on your:

• Earned income
• Unearned income, and
• Living arrangements.

If any of these things change, even slightly, you must report the change twice:

• To your local county social services agency within 10 days of when the change happens.
• To Social Security at the start of the month after the change. You can report:
  • In person, by phone, or by fax during the first 10 days of the next month.
  • Using the SSI Telephone Reporting System, the SSI reporting app, or My Social Security during the first 6 days of the next month.

Tip: Some people report their earned income every month, even when the amount doesn’t change. You can sign up to get a reminder text or email each month, so that you won't forget to report.

Note: Due to COVID-19, there may be limits on in-person services. Contact your agency by phone to ask about this.

Overpayments

Social Security may decide that they have paid you more in benefits than you were supposed to get. This situation is called an overpayment. You’ll get a letter from Social Security that tells you how much money you must pay back.

It’s very important to deal with an overpayment notice right away. The overpayment letter will ask for the money to be returned within 30 days, but Social Security recognizes that people on SSI have very little income, so they are willing to work out a reasonable monthly payment plan with you. You should contact Social Security immediately to talk about your options.

The most common reason for overpayments is the failure to report changes in earnings. They can also happen if you don’t report changes in unearned income, living situation, or marriage status. You could also be overpaid because your resources grow beyond the SSI resource limit, or because you are no longer disabled — but you continue to get benefits. If you do not report changes, then the overpayment is your fault and you’ll have to pay the money back.

If you were overpaid but feel that it wasn’t your fault, and you can’t pay back the overpayment because you need the money to pay living expenses, you can ask for a waiver of the overpayment. You can get the waiver form by calling Social Security at 1-800-772-1213 and asking for form SSA-632. If the waiver is granted, you don’t have to repay the overpayment.

Social Security may make a mistake or make a decision without knowing all the facts. If you think the amount of your overpayment is incorrect or that you do not have any overpayment, you have the right to appeal (see SSI Appeals). If you decide to appeal, you should do so right away. If you appeal within 10 days of the date the notice was sent, your checks will keep coming until Social Security decides on the appeal.

Redetermination

Every 1 to 6 years, Social Security will review your income, resources, and living arrangements to make sure that you’re still eligible for SSI benefits and that you’re getting the right benefits amount. This is called a redetermination.

The redetermination can take place:

• In person
• By phone
• By mail

It’s important that you respond right away and do everything Social Security needs you to do. If you don’t respond in a timely way, your SSI payments could be stopped. If you have trouble filling out a redetermination form, you can ask for help at your local Social Security office.

In a redetermination, Social Security doesn’t ask about your medical condition. They will update your records with information about your income, assets, marital status, and so on.

Medical Reviews

Social Security is required by law to review your condition periodically to make sure that you are still medically disabled. This process is called a medical Continuing Disability Review (CDR). You will be notified when Social Security needs to do a CDR, and Social Security may ask you for medical records or other information.

• If you have been getting benefits for 2 years or more, Social Security will not do a medical review just because you go to work.
• Social Security won’t do a medical review on your case as long as you’re using employment services through the Ticket to Work Program.

Direct Deposit

Social Security will deposit your SSI benefits directly into your bank account or on a Direct Express Debit Card.

Where am I? The Benefits Planning Query (BPQY)

If you have any questions about your Social Security benefits, or if you’re planning a life change that can affect your benefits, it helps to know exactly what your Social Security records look like.

You can get this information by ordering a free statement from Social Security called the Benefits Planning Query (BPQY). You can request your BPQY at your local Social Security office or by calling 1-800-772-1213 or 1-800-325-0778 (TTY).

If the BPQY is incorrect in any way, or you don’t understand what it’s saying, you should call Social Security and get it straightened out.

If you are eligible for SSI benefits, the program uses a countable income calculation to figure out the size of your benefits amount. (You can learn about countable and uncountable income on the DB101 page The SSI Benefit.) Roughly speaking, if you earn $2 additional dollars from work, you lower your SSI benefits by only $1.

On SSI? Get a quick estimate of how working may affect your income

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Most people on SSI benefits who go to work end up better off financially. Even though their SSI benefits go down, their total income will almost always be higher. Social Security wants you to go back to work if you are able to. There are programs and special features in the SSI program that can help. Any program or feature that makes it easier for you to go to work is called a work incentive.

Even if you earn enough money and your SSI benefits amount goes to zero, you’re not “out” of the SSI program. Many people can keep their Medi-Cal coverage even after their SSI benefits amount goes to zero. Most can have their SSI benefits restarted easily if their income suddenly drops for any reason, if they are still disabled.

Work Expenses

Social Security knows that you may have extra expenses when you go to work. Some of your work expenses can be called Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs). If you are blind, still more expenses can be counted as Blind Work Expenses (BWEs). IRWEs and BWEs are used in figuring out your countable earned income. Both may keep your SSI benefits amount higher when you are working.

You need to report your IRWEs or BWEs to Social Security when you report your income. You must include receipts.

Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs)

Not every expense is a work expense, and not every work expense is an IRWE.

To qualify as an IRWE, all of the following have to be true:

• You bought an item or service that you need to work.
• You need that item or service because of a serious health condition.
• You paid for it yourself and nobody reimbursed you for the cost.
• You paid a reasonable price for it.
• You were working during the month you paid the expense.
• You can fully document the expense with receipts.
• IRWEs are approved at the local Social Security office on a case-by-case basis.

IRWEs make your countable earned income smaller — which makes your SSI benefits amount larger.

Countable Earned Income (Non-Blind SSI Recipients):

Earned Income

Minus the unused portion of the $20 General Exclusion

Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion

Minus Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs)

= Subtotal

Divide by two

= Countable Earned Income

Estimate Your Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs):

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Blind Work Expenses (BWEs)

Blind Work Expenses can be any expense that is necessary to let you work. Unlike an IRWE, a BWE does not have to be related to your blindness or other medical condition.

The countable earned income rules are different if you meet the SSI requirements for blindness.

Countable Earned Income (Blind SSI Recipients):

Earned Income

Minus the unused portion of the $20 General Exclusion

Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion

= Subtotal

Divide by two

= Subtotal

Minus Blind Work Expenses (BWEs)

= Countable Earned Income

Notice that the BWEs are subtracted after dividing by 2, rather than before. This works in your favor to keep your SSI benefits amount higher.

Working Students: The Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE)

SSI makes it easy to earn some money if you’re going to school. The Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) allows students to earn up to $2,220 per month without having those wages count as part of their countable income.

The SEIE applies for SSI recipients who are:

• Under 22 years old; and
• Regularly attending school.

For the SEIE, regular school attendance means:

• Attending a college or university for at least 8 hours a week under a semester or quarter system
• Being in grades 7 – 12 for at least 12 hours a week
• Being in a course of training (with shop practice) to prepare for a paying job for at least 15 hours a week
• Being in a course of training (without shop practice) for 12 hours a week

If there are reasons beyond your control that prevent you from going to school quite this much, Social Security can make an exception to these rules.

The SEIE lets you keep the first $2,220 in earnings each month in the countable earned income calculation. But there’s an annual cap of $8,950, so if you earn more than this in any given year, the income starts counting again.

Example: Nick is 20, attending classes at his local city college, and earning $1,800/month in a summer job. He has no other unearned income and no IRWEs.

The SEIE allows him to keep $2,220/month. The general exclusion ($20) and earned income exclusion ($65) reduce his remaining countable earned income to zero. His SSI benefits amount remains $1,133.73 and he gets to keep his earnings.

Nick's Countable Earned Income (with SEIE):

Nick's Monthly Earned Income	$1,800.00
Minus the Student Earned Income Exclusion	- $2,220.00
Minus the unused portion of Nick's $20 General Exclusion	- $20.00
Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion	- $65.00
Minus Nick's Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs)	- $0.00
Subtotal
Divide by two	÷ 2
Countable Earned Income

Your Countable Earned Income (with SEIE):

Your Monthly Earned Income	$
Minus the Student Earned Income Exclusion	- $2,220.00
Minus the unused portion of Your $20 General Exclusion	- $20.00
Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion	- $65.00
Minus Your Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs)	- $
Subtotal
Divide by two	÷ 2
Countable Earned Income

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However, if his job lasts more than a few months, he’ll hit the $8,950 annual cap. At that point, his full earnings will come into the calculation — and his SSI benefits amount will go way down.

Nick's Countable Earned Income in Later Months (without SEIE):

Nick's Monthly Earned Income	$1,800.00
Minus the Student Earned Income Exclusion (annual cap exceeded)	- $0.00
Minus the unused portion of Nick's $20 General Exclusion	- $20.00
Minus the $65 Earned Income Exclusion	- $65.00
Minus Nick's Impairment Related Work Expenses (IRWEs)	- $0.00
Subtotal
Divide by two	÷ 2
Countable Earned Income

Nick’s increased countable income means that his SSI benefits amount is now almost zero.

Other Help in Going to Work

Saving for an Employment Goal: Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS)

SSI has strict resource limits ($2,000 for an individual, $3,000 for a couple). But these limits can make it hard to go back to work. If you need to save enough money to pay for college classes or buy a delivery truck, you’ll run into the resource limit pretty quickly.

Social Security’s Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) is for people on SSI or SSDI who want to save money for a work-related goal that will help them achieve self-sufficiency, such as saving money for school or to start a business.

To set up a PASS, you must:

• Be on SSI or be eligible for SSI
• Have another source of earned or unearned income, such as SSDI or a job; or
• Have resources over $2,000 to fund your PASS
• Have a particular work goal in mind that will allow you to earn enough to get off disability benefits
• Be able to write down a plan that shows how saving a certain amount of money will allow you to reach your goal

When you have a PASS, you set aside a certain amount of money (other than SSI) each month towards your work goal. The money you set aside won’t count toward your SSI countable income, and the savings you build won’t count against your SSI resource limit. That way, SSI can keep paying for your basic needs while you get ready to work.

To learn more about PASS, read the DB101 article about Plans to Achieve Self-Support.

Saving for Specific Goals: Individual Development Accounts (IDAs)

An Individual Development Account (IDA) is a special savings account. If you are working and qualify for an IDA, you can put some of your earnings into the IDA to save for a specific goal. A goal might be going to college, making a down payment on a first home, or starting a business.

Most IDA programs will add from $1 to $4 to your IDA account for every dollar you put in yourself. This makes an IDA a very attractive way to save money.

There are many different IDA programs available. Some are funded by the federal government, others by the state, and still others by private companies or nonprofits.

If your IDA is funded by the federal government, then:

• The earnings you put into the IDA don’t count as earned income when SSI figures out your benefits
• The matching money the IDA adds to your contribution doesn’t count as SSI earned income
• The IDA account itself doesn’t count against your SSI resource limit

To learn more about IDAs, read the DB101 article on Individual Development Accounts.

Saving for the Future: ABLE Accounts

If your disability began before you turned 26, you can open an ABLE account where over time you can save up to $100,000 in resources and not have them counted by SSI. ABLE accounts mean that if you get a job (or even if you don't), you can save some money without losing your benefits. Additionally, the money in an ABLE account gets tax advantages similar to the way retirement accounts work.

However, ABLE accounts have restrictions:

• They can only be opened through specific programs or institutions.
• You can only open one ABLE account.
  • California's ABLE account program is CalABLE.
  • You can choose to open an account in another state’s ABLE program.
• You and the other people making contributions on your behalf have a limit on how much you can deposit each year. Combined, you cannot deposit more than $17,000 in 2023.
• You can only use money in an ABLE account for specific things, such as:
  • Education
  • Housing
  • Transportation
  • Help getting and keeping work
  • Health care
  • Assistive technology, and
  • Other approved expenses.
• A person can only have one ABLE account.

To learn more about ABLE accounts, read DB101's article on Building Your Assets and Wealth.

Getting Employment-Related Services: Ticket to Work Program

Sometimes all you need to go to work is some career counseling or job training or help writing a business plan.

Under the Ticket to Work Program rules, all adult beneficiaries aged 18 – 64 who get SSI or SSDI cash benefits are eligible. You can participate in the Ticket to Work Program immediately or wait until a later time when you feel ready to work. The Ticket does not have an expiration date. You can go to the Ticket to Work Choose Work website to find a list of Ticket to Work services providers in your area. As long as you are using Ticket to Work services, Social Security will not do a medical review of your disability.

To learn more, read DB101’s article on Ticket to Work.

SSI, Work, and Health Coverage

SSI recipients automatically get Medi-Cal. One reason why people worry about going to work is that they are concerned about losing their health coverage. Fortunately, it is usually possible to keep Medi-Cal coverage even if your SSI benefits amount goes to zero because of earnings.

1619(b)

If you’re on SSI and Medi-Cal, and your SSI benefits amount goes to zero because you go back to work, a part of the SSI rules called the 1619(b) work incentive allows you to keep your Medi-Cal coverage.

To keep your Medi-Cal coverage under 1619(b), you must:

• Have been eligible for an SSI cash payment for at least 1 month;
• Need Medi-Cal coverage to keep working;
• Still meet all the other SSI requirements, such as low unearned income, low spouse income, and so on;
• Still have resources below the SSI limit of $2,000 ($3,000 for a couple); and
• Have less than $57,251 in gross wages. Note: If you have medical expenses higher than the state average, this figure may be higher.

Medi-Cal coverage under 1619(b) continues with no premium.

Read more about Medi-Cal, including 1619(b), in the DB101 article on Medi-Cal.

California’s Working Disabled Program

If you are working, disabled, and your income is too high to qualify for 1619(b) and free Medi-Cal, the Working Disabled Program (WDP) may allow you to get Medi-Cal. Note: Medi-Cal's Working Disabled Program used to have a monthly premium. Starting on July 1, 2022, there is no more premium. Learn more about this change.

To qualify, you must:

1. Meet the medical requirements of Social Security’s definition of disability. You don't have to meet the income and work requirements.
2. Be working and earning income. The Medi-Cal regulations do not define what “working” means for this program, and you can qualify if you are working part time. You can use pay-stubs or other written verification from an employer to prove that you’re working.
3. Have assets worth less than $130,000 for an individual ($195,000 for a couple). For this program:
   • Retirement funds like 401(k)’s are not counted as assets.
   • Any money that you earn from your work while you are on the program will not be counted as assets, as long as you put that money into a separate bank account.
4. Have countable income less than $3,038 for individuals and $4,108 for couples.
   • Disability income does not count for the WDP program. This means that SSDI, Worker’s Compensation, California State Disability Insurance, and any federal, state, or private disability benefits are not considered as income for this program.
   • Your gross income can be much higher than your countable income. For example, an individual with no unearned income or IRWEs can make up to $73,920 a year in gross income and still be eligible for this program.
5. Have countable unearned income less than the appropriate SSI maximum benefit rate for a persona in your situation.

Use the Medi-Cal for the Working Disabled Estimator to get an idea of whether you'd qualify for this program.

Read more about Medi-Cal, including the Working Disabled Program, in the DB101 article on Medi-Cal.

A Safety Net When Work Ends: Expedited Reinstatement (EXR)

Let’s say you were getting SSI benefits, but you’ve gotten a job and are making enough money that you’re no longer eligible for benefits. Then something goes wrong and you lose your job. Don’t worry. You don’t have to start at the beginning and reapply for SSI benefits. If you’re still eligible, and less than 5 years have passed, you may be able to request Expedited Reinstatement (EXR).

You can request EXR if:

• Your SSI benefits amount went to zero because of any combination of earned and unearned income;
• You can’t work at the Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA) level because of your disability;
• Your current medical impairment is the same as the one that originally made you eligible for SSI; and
• Your benefits amount has been stopped for less than 5 years.

If you get EXR, you can get up to 6 months of temporary SSI benefits while Social Security looks at your medical records.

Knowing that EXR is available takes away some of the worry you might have about going to work. If your disability keeps you from working after all, you can always go back on SSI benefits.

Angelica’s Story

Angelica had been dealing with mental illness for years. When she was hospitalized with schizophrenia at 17, she was covered by her parents’ insurance. At 26, her mental state got worse. She could no longer hold down the part-time jobs she’d been doing. Angelica’s aunt tried to help out by occasionally paying for Angelica’s trips to the psychologist, but Angelica was running out of money and ideas. And she had no health coverage at all.

Her psychologist helped her put it together. “You have a medical condition, a mental health issue, which keeps you from working. The government calls that a disability. Why don’t you go to the local county social services agency and see if they can get some help? I think you should be able to get some cash assistance and medical coverage.”

Applying for Help

Angelica went to her county social services agency and talked to Ms. Pinkerton, one of the employees there. Angelica told Ms. Pinkerton about her medical history and her inability to work. She’d had no work for 3 months and was down to the last $500 in her bank account.

Ms. Pinkerton explained that with her medical and work history, Angelica should be eligible for Social Security disability benefits, either SSDI or SSI. Social Security would check its records to see if Angelica had enough past work to qualify for SSDI; otherwise, SSI would be the appropriate program. “You haven’t been able to work at the SGA level — $1,470/month — for some time now. And with resources of $500, you’re below SSI’s resource limit of $2,000. So you’re a good candidate.”

When Ms. Pinkerton mentioned that the Social Security application process could take several months, Angelica was unhappy. She was out of money right now. Ms. Pinkerton said, “While you are waiting for SSI, you can try applying for some other programs that may be able to help you. I can tell you the documents you need and help you fill out the applications.”

Angelica came back the next day with bank statements, tax records, pay stubs, and contact information for all the doctors and hospitals she’d dealt with. Then Angelica and Ms. Pinkerton sat together and filled out the forms. They filled out all the forms necessary for CalFresh (formerly Food Stamps) as well. Ms. Pinkerton also helped Angelica do the paperwork for Medi-Cal, saying "I think we can get you health coverage through Medi-Cal even before SSI comes through.”

Then, Ms. Pinkerton helped Angelica apply for SSI online. “We want to get your application into their records as quickly as possible, because if it turns out you qualify for SSI, they’ll pay your SSI benefits all the way back to your application date,” Ms. Pinkerton said.

Waiting

In early January, Ms. Pinkerton called Angelica. Angelica had gotten a disability determination from the state and so she was approved for Medi-Cal and CalFresh. “I’m breathing easier, because these will help me until SSI benefits begin” Angelica sighed.

On February 22, Angelica called Ms. Pinkerton, clearly upset. She’d gotten a denial letter from Social Security. Ms. Pinkerton asked Angelica to read the letterhead carefully. It turned out that Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) had denied Angelica because she didn’t have enough quarters of work to qualify. “That’s fine,” Ms. Pinkerton explained. “We didn’t expect you to get SSDI anyway, given your work record. We’re really looking for SSI. Social Security has to check to see if you’re eligible for SSDI first before they can consider you for SSI, that’s all. This isn’t a setback. You’ve just got some more waiting to do.”

Award

On April 12, Angelica got her SSI award letter. She qualified for $1,133.73/month in SSI benefits.

Angelica really started to feel good when Ms. Pinkerton told her the rest, “Later, when you’re feeling up to it, you can consider going back to work a few hours a week. You’ll have to report any changes in your income both to this office and to Social Security. But your SSI benefits amount will go down by less than your earnings, so you should always end up better off if you can work. For example, if you were earning $300/month, your SSI benefits amount would only go down by $107. And if you feel bad again and can’t work anymore, it’s pretty easy to get back on SSI at that point. I encourage you to experiment with DB101.org's online Benefits and Work Estimator to get a feel for how earnings and SSI work together. When you are seriously considering going back to work, you should contact a benefits planner for more help.”

“Thanks for everything,” said Angelica.