SSI Payment Amounts 2027 and How Other Income Reduces Your Check

In 2027 the maximum federal SSI payment is $1,029 a month for an eligible individual and $1,544 a month for an eligible couple, a 3.6% increase over 2026. Your actual check is that amount minus your "countable income," and the rules for counting income are friendlier to wages than to things like Social Security or a pension. This guide shows exactly how the reduction works, with step-by-step examples.

The 2027 SSI payment amounts

Supplemental Security Income has a single federal payment standard, sometimes called the federal benefit rate. It rises each year with the Social Security cost-of-living adjustment, which is 3.6% for 2027. You can read more about how that figure was set in our guide to the 2027 Social Security COLA.

These are the federal maximums. Many states add a state supplement on top, so the total some people receive is higher. State supplements vary widely and some depend on your living arrangement, so check with your state if you think one may apply to you.

The resource limits did not change. They have stayed at $2,000 and $3,000 for decades, which means they buy less every year. Your home and usually one vehicle are not counted, but cash, checking and savings accounts, and most investments are.

How SSI counts your income

SSI is designed as a floor, so it looks at nearly every dollar that comes in. The basic formula is:

SSI payment = federal rate − countable income

The key is figuring out countable income. Social Security divides income into two kinds, and they are treated very differently.

Unearned income

Unearned income is money you did not work for that month. Common examples are Social Security retirement or disability benefits, pensions, veterans' benefits, unemployment, interest, and cash gifts. After the first $20 a month, unearned income reduces your SSI one dollar for every dollar you receive.

Earned income

Earned income is pay from a job or self-employment. It is treated more generously to encourage work. After the $20 general exclusion (if you did not already use it on unearned income), the next $65 is ignored, and then only half of whatever remains is counted.

The order of the exclusions

1. Apply the $20 general exclusion, first to unearned income if you have any.
2. Any part of the $20 not used on unearned income is applied to earned income.
3. Subtract $65 from earned income.
4. Divide the remaining earned income by two.
5. Add countable unearned and countable earned income together.

Worked examples for 2027

Example 1: Social Security only

Dorothy is 70, lives alone in an apartment she rents, and receives $600 a month from Social Security. She has no other income.

• Unearned income: $600 − $20 = $580 countable
• SSI: $1,029 − $580 = $449
• Total monthly income: $600 + $449 = $1,049

Example 2: wages only

Robert receives SSI based on disability and earns $1,000 a month at a part-time job. He has no unearned income.

• $1,000 − $20 general exclusion = $980
• $980 − $65 earned income exclusion = $915
• Half of $915 = $457.50 countable
• SSI: $1,029 − $457.50 = $571.50
• Total monthly income: $1,000 + $571.50 = $1,571.50

Robert's $1,000 of wages cost him only $457.50 of SSI, so he comes out well ahead by working.

Example 3: Social Security plus wages

Linda receives $400 a month from Social Security and earns $500 a month.

• Unearned: $400 − $20 = $380 countable
• Earned: $500 − $65 = $435, and half of $435 = $217.50 countable
• Total countable income: $380 + $217.50 = $597.50
• SSI: $1,029 − $597.50 = $431.50
• Total monthly income: $400 + $500 + $431.50 = $1,331.50

Example 4: a couple

Frank and Helen are both eligible for SSI and together receive $800 a month in Social Security. A couple shares one $20 exclusion.

• Countable income: $800 − $20 = $780
• SSI for the couple: $1,544 − $780 = $764

These examples assume no state supplement and no free food or shelter from others.

When does your SSI drop to zero?

Because the two kinds of income are counted differently, the point where federal SSI stops is very different for each.

If your Social Security check is $1,049 or more and you have no special circumstances, you will not get a federal SSI payment, although a state supplement may still be possible in some states. If you are close to that line, it is worth checking whether the 2027 increase in your Social Security benefit pushed you over it. Our COLA calculator shows how much your own benefit rose.

Free housing or food: the in-kind support rules

SSI also counts some help you receive that is not cash. The most common is shelter, meaning someone else pays your rent, mortgage or certain utilities. For 2027 there are two main rules:

• Living in another person's household and receiving full support for shelter. Your SSI is reduced by one third of the federal rate. For 2027 that reduction is $343, so the most an individual could get is $1,029 − $343 = $686.
• Other situations where you get help with shelter. The reduction is based on the value of the help, but it is capped at one third of the federal rate plus $20. In 2027 the cap is $363, so the smallest possible federal payment in this case, before any other income, is $1,029 − $363 = $666.

Paying your fair share of household shelter costs can keep these reductions from applying. If you live with family, ask how your arrangement is classified, because the difference can be several hundred dollars a month.

When SSI is paid in 2027

SSI is paid on the 1st of each month, or on the prior business day when the 1st is a weekend or federal holiday. That creates a few unusual months in 2027:

• The January 2027 payment, the first with the higher rate, arrives on December 31, 2026.
• The May payment arrives on April 30, and the August payment on July 30.
• The January 2028 payment arrives on December 30, 2027.

As a result, there is no SSI deposit in January, May or August 2027, and two deposits in April, July and December. These are not bonus payments; each one is simply the next month's check arriving early. The complete calendar is in our 2027 payment schedule guide, and you can look up your own dates with the payment schedule tool.

SSI, Social Security and taxes

SSI is never subject to federal income tax. Social Security benefits can be partly taxable, but only if your combined income passes certain thresholds, and people who qualify for SSI almost never reach them. If you are unsure whether SSI or SSDI fits your situation better, our comparison of SSI vs SSDI covers the differences in eligibility and payment.

This guide is for general education and is not financial, tax or legal advice. Rules and amounts can change; confirm details with the Social Security Administration, the IRS or Medicare. Spotted an error? Let us know.