Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a federal program that provides monthly payments to people who have limited income and few resources. SSI is for people who are 65 or older, AND for those of any age, including children, who are blind or who have disabilities and meet the asset limits.
To get SSI, you must:
- Be totally or partially blind; or
- Have a medical condition that keeps you from working full time, and is expected
to last at least one year or result in death.
- Be a US resident
- meet the financial qualifications.
- The basic monthly SSI payment for 2018 is the same nationwide. It is:—$750 for one person; or —$1,125 for a couple.
Not everyone gets the same amount. You may get more if you live in a state that adds money to the federal SSI payment, states or counties with high costs of living. You may receive less if you or your family has other income. Where and with whom you live also makes a difference in the amount of your SSI payment. Your income includes the money you earn, your Social Security benefits, your pensions and the value of items you get from someone else, such as food and shelter. You may be able to get SSI if your resources (the things you own) are worth no more than $2,000 for a person or $3,000 for a married couple living together. They don’t count everything you own. For example, they usually don’t count a house you own if you live in it, and usually don’t count your car. They do count cash, bank accounts, stocks and bonds.