Resource and Income Limits

To see if you qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the Social Security Administration (SSA):

• Looks at your countable resources to see if they are below the SSI resource limit, and
• Figures out your countable income to see if it is below the SSI income limit.

If your resources and countable income are below the limits and you have a disability, Social Security gives you monthly SSI benefits to help you pay for your basic needs. The amount you get each month depends on how much other income you have.

SSI’s Resource Limit

When you apply for SSI, you have to list money and property that you own. These are called "resources." Some resources don’t count towards SSI’s resource limit, like the home you live in and one vehicle. Social Security has a complete list of excluded resources.

Additionally, if your disability began before you turned 26, you can open an ABLE account where you can keep up to $100,000 in resources and not have them counted by SSI. Learn more about ABLE accounts in DB101's Building Your Assets and Wealth article.

Countable resources are all resources that aren’t excluded. You must have less than $2,000 in countable resources ($3,000 for a couple) to qualify for SSI benefits.

If your countable resources are below the resource limit, you may qualify for SSI.

SSI’s Income Limit for Your Living Situation

The most you can get in SSI each month is what Social Security thinks somebody in your situation needs to spend on basic needs. The countable income limit for getting SSI is the same as this maximum benefits amount.

If you pay for your own housing, usually the most you can get in SSI benefits is $974.25 per month if you are single, or $1,440.35 per month if both you and your partner qualify for SSI. This amount can change each year for the cost of living.

Some living arrangements might mean you have a lower maximum SSI benefit, like if you don’t pay for all of your own housing or if you live in a medical facility. Keep reading to see some of the ways living arrangements can affect your benefits.

Living Arrangements

If you live alone, the most you can get in SSI benefits is $974.25 per month, but the countable income limit for SSI and the maximum amount you can get may be different if:

• You are married
  • If you live with another person and the two of you act as though you are married and present yourselves as being married, Social Security considers you a married couple for SSI purposes.
• Somebody else helps pay the costs of your shelter (where you live), or
• You live in a medical facility, such as a hospital, nursing home, or prison.

If you are under 18 and living with your parents or relatives, the rules are different. Learn more about them in DB101’s Benefits for Young People article.

Rules for Couples

When you are married, how SSI looks at your income and benefits amount depends on if your spouse also qualifies for SSI.

If Your Spouse Does Not Qualify for SSI: Spousal Deeming

If you are married and your spouse doesn’t qualify for SSI, the maximum SSI benefit is $1,095.99 per month. To determine your benefits amount, Social Security figures out how much of your spouse’s income can be used to help pay for your basic needs. This process is called spousal deeming. For each dollar of your spouse’s income that can be deemed, your maximum SSI benefits amount goes down by a dollar.

Note: If your spouse gets help from certain programs, like NJ SNAP, WorkFirst New Jersey, or other benefits based on need from the state, your county, or the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), those benefits and the income used to calculate those benefits might not be deemed, so your SSI benefits amount wouldn't go down as much.

If you have questions about spousal deeming, talk with a Benefits Planner.

If Your Spouse Does Qualify for SSI: Eligible Couple

Social Security calls you part of an eligible couple if:

• You are married
• You live with your spouse, and
• Both you and your spouse qualify for SSI.

The most an eligible couple can get in SSI each month is $1,440.35 (only about 150% of the individual maximum of $974.25).

Rules if Somebody Else Helps Pay for Your Shelter

On September 30, 2024, some in-kind support and maintenance (ISM) rules changed. The information shown here has been updated.

If you are single and pay for your own shelter (where you live), you get up to $974.25 per month in SSI benefits. Shelter expenses can include rent, mortgage payments, property taxes, heating fuel, gas, electricity, water, sewer service, and garbage collection.

If someone else pays for some or all of your shelter, Social Security may reduce the maximum SSI benefits amount you can get. This is called in-kind support and maintenance (ISM). How Social Security calculates your ISM depends on your situation.

Tip: If you are getting help paying for your housing expenses (like rent), see if the person helping you can instead put money into an ABLE account, which you can then use to pay for your shelter yourself. By doing this, you could keep getting up to $974.25 in SSI and not have your benefits reduced due to the ISM rules. Learn more about ABLE accounts on DB101.

The Value of the One-Third Reduction (VTR) Rule

The VTR rule says that the most you can get in SSI benefits goes down by one-third if:

• You live in somebody else’s household, and
• Somebody in that household helps with shelter and all meals.

The VTR rule is all or nothing. It doesn’t matter how much you actually get in free food or free shelter; all that matters is that you get both shelter and all your meals from somebody living in the same household.

Usually, the maximum SSI benefits amount is $974.25. The VTR reduction is just about one-third of that. If the VTR rule applies, the maximum SSI benefits amount most people can get is $672.98

Note: Because of the way SSI works in New Jersey, this amount is not exactly two-thirds of the usual maximum SSI benefits amount.

The Presumed Maximum Value (PMV) Rule

The PMV rule says that the most you can get in SSI benefits goes down by a certain amount if:

• Somebody helps you with shelter, and
• The VTR does not apply to your case.
  • Examples: The VTR does not apply if you do not live in the same household as the person helping you with your food and shelter, or if the person helping you does not help with both food and shelter.

The exact amount your maximum SSI benefits go down depends on your situation:

• By default, it goes down by about one-third of the maximum SSI benefits amount plus $20. For 2024, this Presumed Maximum Value (PMV) is $334.33 for an individual.
• However, if the actual help you get paying for shelter is worth less than the PMV, then your SSI benefits are only reduced by the actual support amount.
  • If the value of the support you get is less than the default PMV, you must show Social Security documentation of how much support you actually get.
    

Note: The support you get according to the PMV rule counts as unearned income for SSI. Because SSI's general income exclusion means your first $20 in unearned income aren't counted, the amount of SSI benefits you get may be almost the same regardless of whether the VTR or PMV applies.

Rules If You Live in a Medical Facility

If you live in a medical facility, such as a hospital or nursing home, you probably can’t get full SSI benefits:

• If Medicaid pays for more than half the cost of your care in the facility, the most you can get in SSI benefits is $50 per month.
• If Medicaid does not pay for more than half of your care in the facility, 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 keep getting your full SSI benefits.
  • Note: 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.