Will My SSDI or SSI Benefits Transfer Between States?

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) are federal programs administered by the Social Security Administration (SSA). If you've been receiving SSI or SSDI benefits in one state, you'll continue receiving benefits if you move to a different state. But your benefit amount could change depending on:

• whether you're getting SSI or SSDI, and
• which states you're moving to and from.

Read on to learn how moving can affect your Social Security disability benefits and how to transfer your benefits to your new state of residence.

Moving to Another State When You Get SSDI Benefits

The SSDI program provides payments to people who are disabled or blind if they've worked long enough in qualifying jobs (where they paid FICA taxes). Self-employment—running your own business or freelancing—is also considered a qualifying job if you paid self-employment taxes.

Social Security bases the amount of your SSDI benefit on your earnings history. So, the more you've earned over your lifetime, the higher your SSDI benefit amount. And because your benefit amount is based solely on your earnings record, your SSDI payments will be the same no matter which state you live in.

How Moving to Another State Affects Your SSI Benefits

The SSI program is a needs-based program that benefits people with disabilities, those who are blind, and seniors. To qualify for SSI, you must have limited income and resources.

While SSI is provided through the federal government, most states pay at least some SSI recipients an additional amount (called a "state supplement"). All states except for the following pay a state supplement to residents receiving SSI benefits:

• Arizona
• Mississippi
• North Dakota, and
• West Virginia.

Several other states will only pay you a state supplement if you live in a nursing home or alternative care facility.

If you currently live in a state that provides a state supplement, you can only receive that supplement if you continue to live there. So, if you move to a different state, you'll lose the state supplement you'd been getting. But if your new state of residence pays an SSI state supplement, you may qualify to receive it after you move.

Whether a state has a supplement and how much it is can affect your SSI eligibility because it can affect the income limit in that state. You may be able to earn more in a state where you get a supplement.

In addition, Social Security might adjust your SSI benefit amount if your living situation changes when you move.

If you qualify for both SSDI and SSI benefits, although the amount of your SSDI won't change, moving to another state could still affect your eligibility for SSI and how much you can receive. Before you move, contact Social Security to ask what your benefits would be in the state you plan to move to.

How to Transfer Disability Benefits to Another State

If you're moving to a new state, your Social Security disability benefits can follow you. You don't need to apply for disability benefits again in your new state. Transferring your benefits is mostly a matter of telling Social Security about the move and providing your new address, contact, and banking information.

To transfer your SSI benefits to a new state, you'll need to contact your local Social Security office or call the SSA's national office at 800-772-1213 (TTY 800-325-0778). If you're moving to or from a state that pays a supplement administered by the state (and not Social Security), you'll also need to notify the appropriate state agency of your move.

If you're receiving SSDI benefits, you can transfer your benefits to another state using one of the methods above or by updating your My Social Security account profile online. The online site allows you to:

• change your address
• update phone number
• change your direct deposit banking information, and
• tell Social Security when the changes take effect.

If you receive Medicare, retirement, or survivors benefits, you can also use the online portal to notify Social Security of your move.

You Must Report Your Move to Social Security

Regardless of whether you're receiving SSI or SSDI, you must report an address change immediately to Social Security. Doing so ensures you continue to receive your benefits with no interruptions.

If you're receiving SSI and your living arrangements are changing with the move—for instance, if you're moving in with a relative—you must report it within 10 days after the month the change occurs. So, if the change occurs in July, you must report it to Social Security by August 10.

If you don't report the change in time, you might not receive as much SSI as you're entitled to in your new state. Or you might receive too much SSI (called an overpayment) and have to pay some back. Social Security can also penalize you for not reporting a change in time, and this penalty might be taken out of your monthly payments.

Remember, if you're receiving a state supplement not administered by Social Security, you must notify the appropriate state agency that you're moving out of state. If you don't report the changes to your state right away, you could face similar penalties to those imposed by Social Security.