Qualifying for Supplemental Security Income (SSI)

The amount of your monthly SSI check will depend on whether you're single or married, live alone or with others, and have other income or not.

To get disability benefits from SSI, you can't have much income or assets, though Social Security gives you some breaks when counting your income.

The Social Security Administration's rules for determining a person's income are a common source of confusion for SSI applicants because not all income is counted.

Applying for Social Security disability benefits can be a long and frustrating process, but some SSI applicants can qualify for immediate benefits.

You can work as long as your countable income doesn't go above the SSI income limit.

Under SSI rules, free room and board count as in-kind income and can reduce your monthly benefit payment.

Social Security will ignore your federal tax refund for 12 months; after that, if you have too much money, you could lose your SSI benefits.

Use a trust to leave money to a loved one with a disability—without jeopardizing government benefits.

If you are serving as trustee of a special needs trust, you need to know whether you can use trust funds to pay for food or shelter.

SSI can help pay for food, shelter, and services for children with special needs.

If your child has a disability that greatly affects their ability to function, they may qualify to receive Social Security disability benefits.

Social Security attributes some of parents’ income to children for the purpose of deciding SSI eligibility in a process called “deeming.”

SSI benefits are an important resource for parents and family members of disabled children, and having a lawyer's help can make them easier to obtain.