What financial resources count for SSI eligibility?

Andy Markowitz

Updated December 24, 2025

Comments

En español

Published November 05, 2021

/ Updated December 24, 2025

Supplemental Security Income (SSI) provides monthly payments for people who are older, blind or have a disability and are in financial need. The Social Security Administration (SSA), which administers the program, sets strict limits on how much SSI beneficiaries can earn and on the level of financial assets, such as savings or stocks, they can own.

To be eligible for SSI, an individual cannot have more than $2,000 worth of what Social Security calls “countable resources.” For a married couple, the spouses’ combined assets cannot exceed $3,000. Resources topping those levels are grounds for Social Security to reject an application for SSI, and to withhold or terminate benefits if you’re already getting them.

The maximum federal SSI payment for 2026 is $994 a month for an individual recipient and $1,491 for a married couple in which both spouses qualify for the program. The amounts are adjusted annually for inflation.

What Social Security considers resources

The SSA defines resources as things of value that you own, including:

Cash
Bank accounts
Financial investments such as stocks and bonds
Vehicles
Land
Life insurance
Personal property
Anything else you own that could be converted to cash and used for food or shelter

Say you have $800 each in checking and savings accounts, with no other financial assets. You may qualify for SSI, provided you also meet the age or disability criteria and do not exceed the income caps. However, if, in addition to that $1,600 in the bank, you have $2,000 in a mutual fund or individual retirement account (IRA), you are not eligible for SSI.

Social Security also may count some “deemed resources” toward your limit. These are assets belonging to a spouse, parent or in-law that you live with or, if you’re an immigrant, to a sponsor who supports your U.S. residency.

Not all resources count

Just as the SSA does not count every dollar you collect from work and other sources in determining whether you meet SSI income requirements, it does not factor all your assets into the resource equation.

For example, your resource tally will not include the home you live in or a vehicle you or another member of your household relies on for transportation. (If you own a second car or another property, those may count.)

Here are some other types of resources that do not count toward SSI eligibility:

Household goods and personal items you use or wear regularly, such as furniture, appliances and clothes. (Personal property you own because it has value as an investment does count.)
Property essential to self-support, such as real estate you own for use in a trade or business.
Life insurance policies with a combined face value of $1,500 or less.
Funds set aside to pay for burial of you and your spouse, up to $1,500 each.
Money in a health care flexible spending account (FSA).
Savings in certain specialized accounts designed for disabled or low-income people.
Grants, scholarships, fellowships or gifts received for educational purposes. (These may become countable if not used within nine months.)

You can find a full list of exclusions on Social Security’s webpage on SSI and resources.

Keep in mind

Social Security periodically reviews SSI beneficiaries’ income and assets to ensure they remain eligible. This process, called “redetermination,” is distinct from a continuing disability review, which checks your continued eligibility for SSI based on a medical condition.
If the SSA finds that your countable assets have grown beyond the limit, you lose SSI benefits as of the month in which you crossed the line. You may be able to restore your eligibility by selling or transferring ownership of excess resources and in some cases collect conditional benefits while doing so.
The SSA frowns on selling or transferring assets at less than fair market value to get under the resource limit. Doing so could render you ineligible for SSI for up to 36 months.

%{postComment}%

About the author

Andy Markowitz is an AARP senior writer and editor covering Social Security and retirement. He is a former editor of the Prague Post and Baltimore City Paper.

More Social Security FAQs

Unlock Access to AARP Members Edition

Join AARP to Continue

Already a Member? Login