Supplemental Security Income or SSI is designed to help the aged, blind, and disabled who have little to no income. However, in order to qualify for SSI, a person must have limited resources and limited income. The monthly benefit received with SSI depends on a person’s household income. Once approved for SSI, any changes in income need to be reported to Social Security as it could affect the amount received or eligibility for SSI.
Common changes those receiving SSI must report to Social Security:
- Changes in income, wages, or self-employment income;
- Starting, stopping, or changing jobs;
- Changing your address;
- People moving in or out of the household;
- Changes in marital status;
- Having more than $2,000 if you are single or $3,000 if you are married in resources that you can cash in, sell, or use to pay for food and shelter; and
- Changes in resources, including money in financial accounts and buying or selling extra vehicles, stocks, investments, or property.
You can report any changes via Social Security’s online wage report tool which can be utilized after creating a “My Social Security” account. You can learn more on how to create a “My Social Security” account here. You can also sign up for monthly SSI wage reporting email or text reminders. You can call Social Security or go to your local Social Security office. Failure to report one of the above listed changes can result in a SSI recipient receiving too much or too little from Social Security which can result in an overpayment or underpayment, respectively. Social Security states that any changes must be reported in a timely manner and can enact a penalty if the change is reported later than 10 days after the end of the month in which the change occurred. Failure to report an income change could also lead to losing SSI benefits entirely.
For more information on how changes in your situation can affect your Supplemental Security Income benefits, contact an experienced Social Security disability attorney at Gardberg & Kemmerly, P.C. today at 251-343-1111 for a free case evaluation. Gardberg & Kemmerly, P.C. represents Social Security disability claimants in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida, and Louisiana at all levels of the disability process from initial application to appeals to Federal Court.