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Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

Also known as: SSI

SSI pays monthly payments to people who are age 65 or older, blind, or have a qualifying disability and who have limited income and resources. In 2026 the maximum federal payment is $994 per month for an eligible individual and $1,491 for an eligible couple; the payment is reduced by countable income, and some states add a state supplement.

Administered by Social Security Administration (SSA)

Key figures

Who may qualify

• Must be age 65 or older, blind (central visual acuity 20/200 or less in the better eye with an optimal corrective lens, or visual field no greater than 20 degrees), or have a qualifying disability. For adults 18+, disability means a medically determinable physical or mental impairment that prevents substantial gainful activity and is expected to result in death or has lasted or is expected to last at least 12 continuous months. ✓ 2026-07-20 source
• Income counted for SSI includes money earned from work, money from other sources (Social Security benefits, workers' compensation, unemployment, pensions, VA, friends or relatives), and free shelter. Not all income is counted, but countable income reduces the SSI payment amount. As of 09/30/2024, food is no longer counted in in-kind support and maintenance calculations. ✓ 2026-07-20 source
• Countable resources must not exceed $2,000 for an individual/child or $3,000 for a couple. The home you live in, one vehicle used for transportation, household goods and personal effects, burial spaces, burial funds up to $1,500 each for the applicant and spouse, and up to $100,000 in an ABLE account do not count. ✓ 2026-07-20 source
• Must be a U.S. citizen or national, or a noncitizen in a qualified alien category granted by the Department of Homeland Security who also meets a condition allowing qualified aliens to get SSI (e.g., lawful permanent resident with 40 qualifying quarters, refugee/asylee within 7 years of status grant, active-duty or honorably discharged veteran). ✓ 2026-07-20 source
• Must be a resident of one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, or the Northern Mariana Islands, and not absent from those areas for a full calendar month or 30 consecutive days or more. ✓ 2026-07-20 source
• Not eligible for any full calendar month spent in a hospital, prison, jail, or other institution at the government's expense, with limited exceptions such as residence in a public emergency shelter for homelessness. A prerelease application procedure is available before leaving an institution. ✓ 2026-07-20 source
• Must apply for any other program benefits or payments potentially available (for example, pensions or Social Security benefits), give SSA permission to contact financial institutions for financial records, and file an SSI application. ✓ 2026-07-20 source
• Giving away a resource or selling it for less than it is worth to get under the resource limit can cause ineligibility for SSI for up to 36 months. ✓ 2026-07-20 source

Eligibility rules are set by the administering agency and can change — the linked sources are authoritative, this summary is not a determination.

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