Resource and Income Limits

To authorize for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Developed Public Assistance (APA), you must both:

  • Have countable resources below the SSI and APA resource limit, and
  • Accept countable income that is below their income limits for a person in your state of affairs.

If your resources and countable income are below the limits and you have a inability or are historic period 65 or older, yous get monthly benefits to help you pay for your bones needs. The amount you get each month depends on how much other income you lot have. If you become APA benefits, you also automatically qualify for APA-related Medicaid.

SSI's and APA's Resources Limits

When you lot practise your applications for SSI and APA, yous have to list money and holding that you ain. These are called resource. Some resources don't count towards the resource limits for these programs, like the home you alive in and and i vehicle. Social Security has a complete listing of excluded resources.

Additionally, if your disability began before yous turned 26, you tin can open an ABLE business relationship where you can keep up to $100,000 in resources and non have them counted by SSI or APA. Learn more than virtually ABLE accounts.

Countable resources are all resources that aren't excluded. Yous must accept less than $2,000 in countable resources ($3,000 for a couple) to qualify for SSI or APA benefits.

If your countable resources are below the resource limit, you may qualify for SSI and APA.

Annotation: Existent holding, including the buildings on it, that is owned by an Alaska Native or American Indian is not a countable resource for APA-related Medicaid, but is counted for APA cash benefits. For this reason, an Alaska Native who owns state worth more $2,000 might qualify for APA-related Medicaid, but not APA or SSI greenbacks benefits.

SSI and APA Benefits Depend on Your Income and Your Living State of affairs

If you have a inability that meets Social Security standards and your resource are beneath the resources limit, you may get APA-related Medicaid, SSI cash benefits, and APA greenbacks benefits.

Which of these benefits you become depends on how much countable income you have:

  • If your countable income is beneath the APA Expanded Refused Cash (RC) limit, you become APA-related Medicaid
  • If your countable income is besides below the APA payment standard, you get APA greenbacks benefits and APA-related Medicaid
  • If your countable income is also below the SSI maximum benefit level, you lot go SSI cash benefits and APA cash benefits and APA-related Medicaid

Note: The APA RC limit does non mean you have to refuse to get APA cash benefits. What it means is that you may authorize for APA-related Medicaid even if you don't qualify for APA cash benefits.

Use this tool to see the APA RC limit, APA payment standard, and SSI maximum do good level for somebody in your living situation. These levels are based on your countable income. Since SSI and APA don't count all of your income, you lot could really work at a job and make way more these limits and still authorize for benefits. Acquire more about how your income is counted.

SSI and APA Income Limits

Income Limits for Your Situation

You've told us yous are:

  • Single
  • Not getting help paying for nutrient and shelter

For a person in your living situation:

APA RC limit APA payment standard SSI maximum benefit
Income Limit $1,561 $1,203 $841
Benefits if countable income is beneath limit
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Upwardly to $362 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • $362 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • Upward to $841 in monthly SSI greenbacks benefits

Annotation: The rules are different if you live in a nursing home.

Back

Income Limits for Your Situation

You've told u.s. y'all are:

  • Single
  • Not getting aid paying for food and shelter
  • In a nursing home

For a person in your living situation:

APA RC limit APA payment standard SSI payment level
Income Limit $841
Benefits if countable income is below limit
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Up to $170 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • $170 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • Up to $30 in monthly SSI cash benefits

Back

Income Limits for Your Situation

Y'all've told us you are:

  • Single
  • Getting help paying for both food and shelter

For a person in your living situation:

APA RC limit APA payment standard SSI maximum do good
Income Limit $ane,561 $929 $560.67
Benefits if countable income is beneath limit
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Up to $368 in monthly APA greenbacks benefits
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • $368 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • Upwards to $560.67 in monthly SSI cash benefits

Annotation: The rules are different if you live in a nursing home.

Back

Income Limits for Your Situation

You lot've told us you are:

  • Single
  • Getting help paying for food and shelter
  • In a nursing habitation

For a person in your living state of affairs:

APA RC limit APA payment standard SSI payment level
Income Limit $841
Benefits if countable income is beneath limit
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Up to $170 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • $170 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • Up to $30 in monthly SSI greenbacks benefits

Back

Income Limits for Your Situation

Y'all've told us you are:

  • Married to a person who doesn't qualify for benefits
  • Not getting aid paying for food and shelter

For a person in your living situation:

APA RC limit APA payment standard SSI maximum benefit
Income Limit $ii,312 $i,362 $841
Benefits if countable income is below limit
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Up to $521 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Upward to $521 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • Upward to $841 in monthly SSI cash benefits

Note: The rules are different if you lot alive in a nursing habitation.

Back

Income Limits for Your Situation

You've told usa you are:

  • Married to a person who doesn't qualify for benefits
  • Not getting help paying for food and shelter
  • In a nursing domicile

For a person in your living situation:

APA RC limit APA payment standard SSI payment level
Income Limit $841
Benefits if countable income is below limit
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Up to $170 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • $170 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • Upwardly to $thirty in monthly SSI greenbacks benefits

Back

Income Limits for Your State of affairs

You've told us you are:

  • Married to a person who doesn't qualify for benefits
  • Getting help paying for both food and shelter

For a person in your living situation:

APA RC limit APA payment standard SSI maximum benefit
Income Limit $2,312 $1,025 $560.67
Benefits if countable income is below limit
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Upwardly to $464 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Upwardly to $464 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • Up to $560.67 in monthly SSI cash benefits

Note: The rules are dissimilar if you live in a nursing home.

Back

Income Limits for Your Situation

You've told us you are:

  • Married to a person who doesn't qualify for benefits
  • Getting aid paying for food and shelter
  • In a nursing home

For a person in your living situation:

APA RC limit APA payment standard SSI maximum benefit
Income Limit $ane,261
Benefits if countable income is below limit
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Up to $528.00 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • $528.00 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • Upward to $1,261 in monthly SSI cash benefits

Back

Income Limits for Your State of affairs

You've told us you are:

  • An eligible couple (married to a person who also qualifies for benefits)
  • Non getting help paying for nutrient and shelter

For a person in your living state of affairs:

APA RC limit APA payment standard SSI maximum benefit
Income Limit $two,312 $1,789 $1,261
Benefits if countable income is below limit
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Up to $528.00 in monthly APA greenbacks benefits
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • $528.00 in monthly APA greenbacks benefits
  • Upwards to $1,261 in monthly SSI cash benefits

Annotation: The rules are unlike if you alive in a nursing habitation.

Back

Income Limits for Your Situation

You've told us you are:

  • An eligible couple (married to a person who also qualifies for benefits)
  • Not getting help paying for food and shelter
  • In a nursing domicile

For a person in your living situation:

APA RC limit APA payment standard SSI maximum do good
Income Limit $1,561 $ane,203 $841
Benefits if countable income is beneath limit
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Upwardly to $362 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • $362 in monthly APA greenbacks benefits
  • Up to $841 in monthly SSI cash benefits

Back

Income Limits for Your Situation

You lot've told united states of america you lot are:

  • An eligible couple (married to a person who as well qualifies for benefits)
  • Getting help paying for both food and shelter

For a person in your living state of affairs:

APA RC limit APA payment standard SSI maximum benefit
Income Limit $2,312 $1,384 $840.67
Benefits if countable income is below limit
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Up to $543 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • $543 in monthly APA greenbacks benefits
  • Upwards to $840.67 in monthly SSI cash benefits

Annotation: The rules are unlike if yous live in a nursing domicile.

Back

Income Limits for Your Situation

Y'all've told us you lot are:

  • An eligible couple (married to a person who likewise qualifies for benefits)
  • Getting help paying for nutrient and shelter
  • In a nursing home

For a person in your living state of affairs:

APA RC limit APA payment standard SSI maximum benefit
Income Limit $1,561 $ane,203 $841
Benefits if countable income is below limit
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • Up to $362 in monthly APA cash benefits
  • APA-related Medicaid
  • $362 in monthly APA greenbacks benefits
  • Upward to $841 in monthly SSI cash benefits

Back

You don't authorize for SSI or APA benefits if your countable income is above the APA RC limit. Notwithstanding, you lot may even so authorize for income-based Medicaid or the Working Disabled Medicaid Purchase-In. Acquire more about these options in DB101'due south How Health Benefits Piece of work article.

Example

Rodolfo has a disability, $1,000 in resources, and no countable income. He lives lone and doesn't go help paying for his housing. He gets $841 in SSI benefits, $362 in APA benefits, and APA-related Medicaid health coverage.

Living Arrangements

If you live solitary, the nearly you can get in SSI each month is $841 and the most you tin generally arrive APA is $362. However, the maximum benefit amounts might exist unlike if:

  • You are married
    • If you live in the same household as somebody else and the 2 of you act equally though you are married and present yourselves to the community equally beingness married, Social Security considers you a married couple for SSI purposes.
  • Somebody else helps pay the costs of your food and shelter, or
  • Y'all live in an institution, such every bit a hospital, nursing abode, or prison.

If you are under 18 and living with your parents or relatives, the rules are different.

Rules for Couples

How SSI and APA expect at your income and possible benefits depends on whether your spouse also qualifies for SSI and APA benefits.

If Your Spouse Does Non Qualify for SSI or APA

If you are married and your spouse doesn't qualify for SSI or APA, then the SSI and APA programs figure out how much of your spouse's income tin can be used to help pay for your bones needs. This procedure is chosen spousal deeming. For each dollar of your spouse's income that tin be deemed, the maximum combined amount of SSI and APA benefits you can get goes downwardly by a dollar.

Instance

Magda injures her spine and applies for SSI and APA. The two programs review her awarding and make up one's mind that she has a inability and that she and her hubby, José, are below the resource limit. If they lived in their own place and had no income, Magda could get upwardly to $841 in SSI benefits and upward to $521 in APA benefits, for a combined total of $1,362 per month.

However, when the SSI and APA programs wait at José's income from his part-fourth dimension job, they figure that José can employ $450 of his monthly income to help pay for Magda's basic needs. That means that later spousal deeming, the nigh Magda can arrive benefits is $811 from SSI and $101 from APA. Combined, the virtually she tin get from SSI and APA is $912, which is $450 less than information technology would have been without deeming.

If Your Spouse Does Qualify for SSI and APA

SSI and APA say y'all are part of an "eligible couple" if:

  • Yous are married
  • You live with your spouse, and
  • Both yous and your spouse qualify for SSI and/or APA.

The almost an eligible couple tin can get is $1,261 per month in SSI benefits and and $528.00 per month in APA benefits (only virtually 150% of maximum SSI and APA benefits for individuals).

Rules if Somebody Else Helps Pay for Your Food and Shelter

If yous are single and pay for your own food and shelter, you get up to $841 per month in SSI benefits and $362 in APA benefits. Shelter expenses can include rent, mortgage payments, property taxes, heating fuel, gas, electricity, h2o, sewer service, and garbage collection. To authorize for this benefits amount if yous live alone, you cannot get aid paying for these expenses. If you alive with other people, y'all must pay your fair share without getting help.

If someone else pays for some or all of your food and shelter, the maximum combined amount of SSI and APA benefits you can get may go down. This is called in-kind support and maintenance and how it is counted depends on your situation.

The Value of 1-Tertiary Reduction (VTR) Rule

The VTR rule says that the most you can go far SSI benefits goes downward past one-3rd if:

  • Yous live in somebody else'south household, and
  • Somebody in that household helps with both nutrient and shelter.

The VTR dominion is all or null. It doesn't matter how much you really get in costless nutrient or gratuitous shelter; all that matters is that you get both from somebody living in the same household and y'all don't pay anything for them yourself.

Usually, the maximum SSI do good is $841. The VTR cuts that past 1-3rd, or $280.33. Therefore, if the VTR rule applies, the maximum SSI benefits amount most people tin can become is $841 – $280.33 = $560.67.

If you are in this living state of affairs and qualify for APA, the dominion doesn't work the same way: Y'all authorize for up to$368 in APA benefits, which is actually slightly more than than the maximum APA benefit for single people who live lone and pay for their own living expenses.

The Presumed Maximum Value (PMV) Dominion

The PMV rule says that the well-nigh yous can go in SSI benefits goes downwards past a sure amount if:

  • Somebody helps you with food and/or shelter, and
  • The VTR does not utilize to your case.
    • Examples: The VTR does non apply if you do not alive in the same household as the person helping you lot with your food and shelter, or if the person helping you lot does not help with both food and shelter.

The verbal amount your maximum SSI benefits go down depends on your situation:

  • By default, information technology goes down past ane-third of the maximum SSI benefit plus $20. For 2022, this Presumed Maximum Value (PMV) is $300.33 for an individual.
  • However, if the actual aid you lot get paying for food or shelter is worth less than the PMV, then your SSI benefits are only reduced by the actual support amount.
    • If the value of the support you go is less than the default PMV, you lot must prove Social Security documentation of how much support you actually get.

The PMV rule does not affect your APA benefits and for APA, the value of the help you get in this living situation is not counted every bit income. If y'all are single and living in this situation, you can become upward to $362 in APA benefits, the same amount you would go if you were paying for your own food and shelter.

Note: The support you become according to the PMV dominion counts as unearned income for SSI. Considering the general income exclusion ways SSI doesn't count your first $xx in unearned income, the corporeality of SSI benefits yous go may exist the same regardless of whether the VTR or PMV applies.

PMV examples

  • Edgar lives in a business firm with roommates and gets SSI benefits. He pays for his own food, merely his begetter pays Edgar'south rent, which is $500 per month. Considering $500 is more than the default PMV amount ($300.33), the PMV amount is used to summate his SSI benefits. His benefits amount is $841 – ($300.33 – $20 for the general income exclusion) = $560.67. ­He gets $362 in APA benefits.
  • Manon lives in an apartment and gets SSI benefits. Her grandmother sends $120 each calendar month to the landlord to help with the rent. If Social Security applied the full PMV amount ($300.33), Manon's SSI benefits would be just $560.67 per month. But, considering Manon showed Social Security that her grandmother'south assistance was lower than PMV, her benefits amount is $841 – ($120 – $xx for the full general income exclusion) = $741. She gets $362 in APA benefits.

Rules if You Live in a Medical Facility

If you live in a medical facility, such as a infirmary or nursing domicile, you probably can't get full SSI or APA benefits:

  • If Medicaid pays for more than one-half the cost of your care in the facility, the virtually you lot tin can get in SSI benefits is $thirty per month and for APA, the near yous can get is $170 per month.
  • If Medicaid does not pay for more than half of your intendance in the facility, you cannot go any SSI or APA benefits.
  • If your doctor says you will be in the facility for less than ninety days and you can show that y'all need your SSI benefits to keep your dwelling or living arrangement, you may go along to become your full SSI benefits.
    • Notation: If you lot're expecting to stay for less than 90 days, you need to go the medico'south note and documentation about your need to Social Security right away. The facility'southward admissions part tin help you.