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Young adult working at a cash register

Using SSI Work Incentives

Quick Facts

  • Not all income counts when calculating the SSI payment.
  • The first $20 of unearned income does not count. Any remainder of the $20 can be applied to earned income.
  • The SSI program never counts the first $65 and 50 percent of the remaining earned income.
  • The Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) lets students up to age 22 who regularly attend school deduct up to $2,290 of earned income per month with an annual cap of $9,230 per year in 2024.
  • Workers can deduct Impairment-Related Work Expenses from their countable earned income which can result in an increased SSI payment.
  • Workers who are blind can deduct any reasonable cost associated with working from their countable earned income which can result in a much higher SSI payment.