What is the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program?
One of the disability benefits offered by the Social Security Administration is known as Supplemental Security Income. What does this payment include?
Each month, the Social Security Administration sends different payments: retirement benefits, survivor benefits, as well as disability benefits, including Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) and Supplemental Security Income (SSI).
What is the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program?
According to the SSA website, the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program provides monthly payments to adults and children with disabilities or blindness who meet income and resource requirements.
SSI payments are also provided to persons age 65 and older without disabilities who meet the financial requirements established by SSA.
Who are eligible to receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI)?
According to the Social Security Administration (SSA) website, these groups are eligible to claim SSI:
Adults who:
- Are 65 or older, blind, or have a disability.
- Have income below specific financial limits (salaries, pensions, etc.).
- Have resources below specific financial limits (the things they own).
- Are citizens of the United States
- Reside in one of the 50 states, the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.), or the Northern Mariana Islands.
Children who:
- Are under the age of 18 and have a physical or mental condition that seriously limits their daily activities for a period of 12 months or more, or that can be expected to result in death.
- Are living in a household with limited income and resources below specific financial limits.
To qualify for Supplemental Security Income (SSI), a person must have limited income and few assets. On the SSA website, you can see the table of maximum income and resources you can have to qualify for SSI in 2023.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI): How much money is sent each month?
As a result of the 8.7% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) increase this year, average SSI payments are about $550 a month. The maximum monthly benefit is up to $914 for an individual and $1,371 for a married couple where both spouses are eligible for the program.
How to apply for Supplemental Security Income (SSI)?
You can start your SSI application process online only if you are an adult with a disability. SSI applications are not available online for people under 18 with a disability or people over 65 without a disability. These individuals must make an appointment to visit their local Social Security office. The appointment can be made by calling 1-800-772-1213 between 8:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. local time from Monday through Friday, or online.
Once applied for and approved, SSA will send the monthly SSI payment on the first day of each month. However, they are sometimes sent during the last days of the month as well. This happens if the first day of the following month falls on a Saturday or Sunday. In those cases, payments are advanced to the previous Friday.