The Social Security Administration (SSA) administers a lot of benefits, and while most people are familiar with the retirement benefit that they will receive once they finish their working life, there is perhaps one other benefit that is even more necessary as it is only given to those in very vulnerable economic situations. That benefit is called Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and it is also distributed monthly by the SSA.
This benefit is very important for families and individuals going through a very tough situation, and the conditions necessary to receive it reflect it. They are very strict and meticulously enforced by SSA personnel, and any deviation of income or asset reporting results in not only termination of benefits, but also legal trouble while you give back the extra that you receive.
To receive SSI you must:
- Have little or no income. You must also earn at or below $2,019 from work each month, although if you are part of a couple or have children this limit can be revised to reflect your situation. If you have other sources of income besides a job, like disability benefits, unemployment, and pensions the amount you receive will also be cut or you will not be deemed eligible.
- And have little or no resources. Common resources are vehicles and money in bank accounts. Total resources should not be more than, $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for couples although for parents applying on behalf of children, these numbers increase by $2,000. A family house and personal effects do not count towards resources, although there is a complete list in the SSA website which explains what counts and what does not towards this number.
- And a disability, blindness, or be age 65 or older. As the SSA explains, “If you’re age 64 or younger, you must have a disability that:
- Affects your ability to work for a year or more, or
- Will result in death, or
- Severely limits daily activity (for children with disabilities).
- If you have a disability, you’ll also need to prove you’ve earned less than $1,550 from work per month in the month you’re applying. Citizens ages 65 or older don’t need to have a disability to get SSI.”
When will you get your SSI payment
The SSA distributes SSI payments on the first of every month unless the date falls on a national holiday or weekend, in which case they distribute the payments on the previous date that banks are open and the USPS delivers mail. Because now the government is cracking down on paper and eliminating checks, recipients are encouraged to apply and obtain a Direct Express card, which works just like a SNAP EBT card and will allow for benefits to be automatically deposited into your account, just like Direct Deposit does.
The June payment has already gone out, and so the next payment that will be received will be that of July on Monday, July 1, 2025.
The average monthly payment for SSI is $967, but that is not the maximum monthly payment that a beneficiary can receive. This payment goes up every year thanks to the cost of living adjustment that accounts for inflation, and in 2025 it is $967 for an individual and $1,450 for a couple. Having said that, few people actually get the maximum payments, as, for example, for every $2 you earn from work, your SSI payment is reduced by about $1 and for every $1 you get from non-work sources, your SSI payment is reduced by about $1.
Other factors like living with a spouse of having children or living with parents can also affect the amount you receive in benefits, so if you are curious about how much you would receive, you would have to go to an SSA office and do the calculations there with all the information available.