However, it can be difficult to qualify for the program.

Income and resource limits are extremely low, and youll need to meet other requirements.

What Is Supplemental Security Income (SSI)?

A man in a wheelchair laughs as his dog jumps up on him.

About 5 million people received SSI benefits in February 2023.

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Who Gets SSI?

The majority of SSI beneficiaries nearly 80% are eligible due to a severe disability, including blindness.

Roughly 1 million beneficiaries were children in February 2023.

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Only about 20% of people who received SSI were age 65 or older and without a disability.

How Much Is an SSI Payment?

The maximum monthly SSI benefit in 2023 is $914 for an individual and $1,371 for a couple.

Not everyone receives the full benefit though because payments vary from person to person.

Some states provide additional monthly financial assistance, which could boost your payment.

The average SSI monthly benefit was $675 in February 2023, according to theSocial Security Administration.

How Is SSI Different From Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI)?

In contrast, SSDI eligibility is based on disability and work credits.

SSDI payments also tend to be larger on average than SSI payments.

Thats because SSDI is based on how much you worked.

The more work credits you have, the higher your SSDI payment will be.

Can You Get SSI and SSDI at the Same Time?

Yes, its possible to receive benefits from both programs.

However, youll probably only qualify for both if your SSDI benefit is small.

There are a few reasons why someone might have an SSDI payment small enough to qualify for SSI.

In these cases, SSI can help fill in the gaps.

How to Qualify for SSI

To qualify for Supplemental Security Income, you must have limited incomeandresources.

In 2023, your resources cant exceed $2,000 in assets for individuals and $3,000 for couples.

Calculating what Social Security counts as income for SSI is pretty complex.

For example, money that you earn from employment counts, but not all of it.

SNAP benefits, educational scholarships and grants, home energy assistance and income tax refunds also dont count.

Check outthis listfrom the SSA to see what does and does not count as income.

How Does Income Impact Your SSI Benefit Amount?

Generally, the more countable income you have, the smaller your SSI benefit will be.

The basic monthly SSI benefit in 2023 is $914 for an individual and $1,371 for a couple.

Your countable income reduces that benefit amount.

It takes about five to 10 minutes to complete the appointment request, and no documentation is required.

A Social Security representative will then schedule an appointment to help you apply for SSI.

The Social Security representative will be able to walk you through the system process, but be prepared.

Rachel Christian is a Certified Educator in Personal Finance and a senior writer at The Penny Hoarder.

She focuses on retirement, Medicare, investing and taxes.

(Can you sense my millennial sarcasm there?)

You know which ones were talking about: rent, utilities, cell phone bill, insurance, groceries…