Working While on SSI
If you get SSI and want to work, you don't have to choose between a paycheck and your benefits. Social Security has rules — called work incentives — that let your SSI check and Medicaid keep going, at least in part, while you work and earn money. In most cases, working means more total income overall, even though your SSI check goes down some.
How Working Affects Your SSI Check
Social Security doesn't count all of your work earnings against your SSI check. Each month, the first $85 you earn is ignored completely (a combination of a $20 general exclusion and a $65 earned income exclusion). After that, only half of what's left reduces your check.
In other words: for roughly every $2 you earn above $85; your SSI check goes down by about $1. Because of this, working almost always increases your total monthly income, even after your check is reduced.
Where to Get More Help
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Social Security Administration: (800) 772-1213 — www.ssa.gov
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SSI and SSDI employment support policies, called work incentives, are described in their “Red Book,” updated annually (including IRWE): www.ssa.gov/redbook/eng/ssdi-and-ssi-employments-supports.htm
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Ticket to Work Help Line: 1-866-968-7842 (TTY: 1-866-833-2967) — www.ssa.gov/work
A Quick Example
Say you earn $630 in a month and your SSI benefit is $994:
$630.00 what you earned
− $ 85.00 ignored (the $20 + $65 exclusions)
= $545.00
÷ 2 (only half of this counts)
= $272.50 counted against your SSI check
$994.00 your usual monthly SSI check
− $272.50 that amount counted against your
SSI check (“countable income”)
= $721.50 your SSI payment for this month
Total income for the month:
$630 (earnings) + $721.50 (SSI) = $1,351.50
— about $357 more for that month than your usual monthly $994 SSI payment.
How Much Can I Earn Before My Check Stops?
There's no single number that applies to everyone — it depends on your other income and living situation. But as a rule of thumb, you can generally earn up to about double your SSI check, plus $85, before your SSI payment for that month reaches $0. For someone getting a $994 SSI payment, that works out to around $2,073 a month.
What Happens to My Medicaid?
Medicaid usually continues as long as your earnings stay under the SSI limit. Even if your earnings go high enough to stop your cash payment entirely, Medicaid can often keep going under a rule called "Section 1619(b)" — as long as you're still disabled, still need Medicaid to be able to work, and couldn't afford similar coverage on your own. Just let Social Security know you want to be treated as a “Section 1619(b)” case.
What If I Get Sick or Lose My Job?
If your SSI check stops because of your earnings and then your job ends or your health gets worse, you usually don't have to start from scratch to get your benefits restarted. If it's been less than about a year, your checks can often restart automatically. If more time has passed, you can request Expedited Reinstatement within five years of when your benefits ended — a faster process than filing a brand-new application, and one that can include up to six months of benefits while Social Security reviews your case.
Ways to Keep More of Your Check
Two work incentives can lower the income that Social Security counts against you:
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Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE): disability-related costs that make it possible for you to work — like specialized transportation, equipment, or medications — can be subtracted before your check is calculated.
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Plan for Achieving Self-Support (PASS): money you set aside toward a specific work goal, like going back to school or starting a business, doesn't count as income at all, when you’re enrolled in an approved PASS Plan.
Getting Help to Work: Ticket to Work
If you'd like support finding a job, training for a new one, or building your skills, the Ticket to Work program connects you with approved providers who offer career counseling, training, and job placement help — at no cost to you. Your monthly benefit check continues while you're actively working your plan, and Social Security generally pauses medical reviews of your case while you're using your Ticket.
Where to Get More Help
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Social Security Administration: (800) 772-1213 — www.ssa.gov
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SSI and SSDI employment support policies, called work incentives, are described in their “Red Book,” updated annually (including IRWE): www.ssa.gov/redbook/eng/ssdi-and-ssi-employments-supports.htm
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Ticket to Work Help Line: 1-866-968-7842 (TTY: 1-866-833-2967) — www.ssa.gov/work