When Do Resources Count? (SSI Resource Rules)

Art: Robin Mead

Pandemic Update

🌷 Your stimulus check will not count as a resource for 12 months. Learn more: The Disabled Person’s Guide to Stimulus Checks

SSI Resource Rules

🌷 The resource limit is applied on the end of the last day of each month.

🌷 If you go over the resource limit during the middle of the month, this has no affect on your SSI.

🌷 If you are over the limit at the end of the last day, the next month you lose SSI (or you get the SSI, but later owe the money back)

🌷 Look at what is in your bank account and what you own at the end of the last day of each month. If it is under the limit in that moment, you are fine. If it is over the limit in that moment, this causes a problem.

🌷 If it is over the resource limit, you could lose SSI for one month (or you could owe money back). Next month, do the same thing. If it is over the limit again, you could again lose SSI for another month.

🌷 This will continue for as long as you are over the limit. The moment you go back under the limit, your can SSI come back.

🌷 Here’s the policy. (It’s actually first moment of first day of the month, but it’s safer to think of it as last moment of last day). https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0501110600

Transfer of Resource Rules

Social Security has some special rules about how you can spend money. In most situations, you can spend your money any way you wish.

However, they do not like it when people give away money in order to qualify for SSI. This is called “Transfer of Resources.”

Learn more about Transfer of Resource Rules on this page: How to Handle If You Are Over the SSI Resource Limit

Social Security may like to see that you have not transferred resources, so if you are over the resource limit, it is a good idea to keep receipts, or pay by check or credit card, so you can show that you spent your money and did not give it away.

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Learn More

Everything you need to know about: How to Stay Out of Hot Water with SSI

Art on this page by Robin Mead and Elizabeth D’Angelo.

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