Warning: Unless you are quite geeky and enjoy being confused, you may want to turn back now. Here’s where you can find a simpler answer to this question: How Poor Do I Have to Be to Get SSI?
How Do They Determine SSI?
It is, sadly, nearly impossible to figure out for certain if you will qualify for SSI because the rules are so complex. To make things even worse, you cannot call Social Security and ask questions about the SSI financial policies, because the people who answer the phones do not know these policies and you will almost always be told strange, funny, or untrue things in this area.
Despite the impossibility of this situation, we are going to take a shot at covering a few of the basics:
The Most Important Thing You Need to Know
The most important thing you need to know is that SSI has two different financial policies: Resource policies and income policies.
People constantly confuse these two policies and wind up in a muddle. These policies are completely and utterly different! If you have been getting confusing or conflicting information, nine times out of ten it is because someone is mixing up the resource policies with the income policies. Here’s How to Tell the Difference Between the Income and Resource Rules
Another reason you can get conflicting information is because someone is mixing up the SSI and SSDI rules here is: How to Tell The Difference Between SSI and SSDI
Part One: Resources!
🌟 If you want to apply for SSI, you can only have a certain amount of resources.
🌟 Resources are things you own and money you already have.
🌟 But wait! Not everything counts as a resource! In most cases, they do not count one house, one car, ordinary household items, certain types of trusts, and some other things. What Counts as a Resource for SSI?
🌟Count resources for you and your spouse. If you are under 18, count your parents. In most situations, you don’t count other people: “I Live With Other People. Does Their Money Affect My SSI?”
🌟 For adults: The resource limit is $2,000 for a single person. $3,000 if married and living with spouse.
🌟 For children: If you are applying for SSI for your disabled child, the resource limits are more complicated. Learn more about The SSI Resource Limit
🌟 For children age 18+: Social Security will stop counting the parent’s resources at this point. Even if your child still lives with you, they will not consider any resources you have. (Unless you’ve added your child’s name to your bank account… don’t do this!)
🌟 If you and/or your spouse own more than one car, the second car will count as a resource. There are some exceptions: How to Own Two Cars on SSI
🌟 If you are over the resource limit, Social Security policies will allow you to spend or change some of your resources before you apply, but you must follow some special regulations.
🌟 Policies: SSA policy on excluded resources, SSA Spotlight on Resources, SSA policy on gifts as excluded resources, Social Security policy on resource limits
Part Two: Income!
🌟 Income is money you got this month.
🌟 The income rules are so complex we can’t possibly explain them all here, but we will include some of the basic info below. The easiest thing to do is just apply. Social Security will tell you if you are poor enough.
🌟 Some types of income do not count and do not affect SSI. For example: Food stamps, student loans, personal loans, section 8 rental assistance, Liheap utility assistance, gifts placed in a Special Needs Trust, and some kinds of presents. Learn more about what does and doesn’t count: How You Can (and can’t) Make Money While on SSI.
🌟 If you have income that does count, your SSI check may start to slowly lower. Your check will lower in different ways at different rates depending on the type of income. Learn more: How Will Income Affect My SSI Check?
🌟 If your check lowers so much that it gets below goes to zero, you will no longer be eligible for SSI. (If your income changes, you can restart your check anytime within twelve months. After twelve months, you must reapply).
🌟Count income for you and your spouse. If you are under 18, count your parents. In most situations, you don’t count other people: “I Live With Other People. Does Their Money Affect My SSI?”
🌟 Age 18+: If you are married, the rules for income get really crazy!! If you enjoy being confused, here’s some more about the SSI rules for spousal deeming. If you are told you cannot apply because your spouse has too much income, take a look here: How to Apply for Disability if You Are Married to Someone With Income
🌟 Under Age 18: If your child is disabled, you are going to need a calculator and the patience of a saint. Or you can just go apply for SSI and see what they say. Here’s some SSI rules for parental deeming. Here’s a longer booklet on this with more detail: Parent to Child Deeming. There is a simpler chart on this page that may tell you if your child is eligible to receive any amount ($1 or more) scroll down to read the chart.
🌟 The parental deeming rules only apply to children under age 18. Once your child turns 18, your income no longer counts and none of the above rules matter (even if your child still lives with you). However, if you give your child does not pay rent for the room they are living in, this will impact their check. Learn more about this here: Rent & SSI
🌟 SSDI Income: If you are applying for both SSI and SSDI, it may help to check how high your SSDI check will be so you can figure out: Can Get Both SSI and SSDI?
🌟 Policy manual: Types of Excluded Income, Yet More Types of Excluded Income, Policies on Unearned Income Exclusions
Here’s a little tip: If you are poor, it is always good to apply for both SSI and SSDI, even if your SSDI check is really high. There is a funny loophole where sometimes applying for both gives you extra backpay.
Tools for Troublemakers
The Sleepy Girl Guide to Social Security Disability
How to Stay Out of Hot Water with SSI
Thanks for Reading
🌸 Art on this page by Robin Mead and Elizabeth D’Angelo.
🌸 Page Updated: 8/1/19
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How to Get On 
So…any help on parents or second children applying for SSI after one child is already on it? I can’t for the life of me figure out what the rules are for multiple people with SSI in one household, especially if some are children. Theoretically I would now count as disabled, and my other child may or may not count as disabled enough.
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hi, I just been denied SSi the problem is that i had a checking account with my son it was closed in December 2019 ( the money belong to him )when that account closed the balance was $12000 after that I opened my own account and my balance always $1500 (I am 78 years old and unemployed since June 2019 ). I know that since my name appeard as second user for that closed account SSA consider me like the money is mine , but the question how far back they check my bank accounts ? and what solution for this problem ?
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The wait time is up to three years until you can apply if you had money and you can’t show what happened to it.
You can appeal the decision and enclose proof that either:
a. you spent the money. show receipts for how you spent it. it needs to be spent not given away.
b. the money was not yours but your sons. This kind of appeal may not be accepted, but you can try. there are rules that let you rebut a decision by showing it was not yours, or only half yours.
c. if you still have the money, you can spend it now and show receipts. Should be spent not given away, but it can be used to pay back personal loans if there was a valid, written loan contract.
hope this helps. https://howtogeton.wordpress.com/options-and-next-steps-if-you-go-over-the-ssi-resource-limit/
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Thatnk you for your fast and complete answer, let say that i buy next week a car for maybe 8 thousands (I dont have a car right now) and show a reciept for my purchase .is that a way to spend the money ?.
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Yes, if you want to spend the money, a car is excluded, as long as it’s in your name (not buying a car for someone else). Though that would still leave a few thousand dollars unaccounted for.
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My ssi interview is tomorrow morning and I’m still so confused. I have been receiving help from family for the last two years in the form of money deposited into my account for rent food etc. The total monthly is more than the 2000 resource limit. Does this disqualify me completely from ssi? Should I still try? You’ve mentioned that it matters what’s in the account by the end of the month which is usually under 100. Not sure how they calculate things or what I need to specify in order to get approval of some kind. At this point my biggest fear is that my ssd check will be lowered because of my resources or that somehow this will negatively impact my backpay. I know it’s not supposed to affect that but want to make sure. Also just trying to understand if a loan agreement for this time helps in how they calculate my resources? Thanks for all your help and posts and guidance!
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Do you know: are you applying for SSI or SSDI or both?
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I’m already approved for ssdi but got denied for ssi today because my rent is too high and therefore my help/resources are too high. I plan to appeal as my situation changes since my family can’t keep helping. Any suggestion how to be able to live and receive support in the meantime that won’t jeapordoze my eligibility going forward? Also It’s my understanding that this ssi interview doesn’t affect ssdi payments-correct?
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Do you know if your SSDI check will be higher or lower than $800?
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It will be $543 minus the $144 for Medicare which I hope to get reimbursed
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OK, well, you can definitely sign up for medicaid, that will pay the medicare premium.
for the SSI, there are two parts…
One: back pay. if you were getting gifts of 2k per month, you won’t qualify. If it was a loan, then you can appeal the backpay decision if you have a written valid loan agreement.
two: future checks. If there is a month where you don’t have any gift income, you can contact your local office and ask for a new ssi interview. So, if you got gifts in feb but not march, then you could make an appointment for march.
That is my understanding of how it works.
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Thanks. What I don’t understand in terms of the loan is if I’m required to pay it in a lump sum or if there is a specific way that it needs to be listed as payments and how that is monitored/what I need to show for it to be valid going forward?
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it needs to be a loan contract that is valid and legal in your state. how and when you pay it back is usually written in the agreement for it to be considered valid. social security doesn’t monitor loan repayment. Typically, loan agreements need to be signed before any money is transferred in order to be valid, but I don’t know contract law.
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