Let me clarify: when you work, you're required to report ALL income you earned in the US on your tax return. Whether you receive a W-2 or 1099 form or just cash or a check, you're required to report ALL the income on your tax return. When you sign your return, you are certifying under penalty of perjury that all the information contained the return is correct. If you choose to only report some of your income, you are not doing your taxes correctly.
I am not familiar with SSI and it's eligibility requirements, but here's what I found, (link included from source of information):
SSI Eligibility Requirements
Income, for the purposes of SSI includes:
- money you earn from work
- money you receive from other sources (SS benefits, workers comp, unemployment, friends or relatives)
- free food or shelter
Why is income important to the SSI program?
- generally, the more countable income you have, the less your SSI benefit will be. If your countable income is over the allowable limit, you cannot receive SSI benefits. Some of your income may not count as income for the SSI program
How does your income affect your SSI benefit?
Step 1: We subtract any income that we do not count from your total gross income. The remaining amount is your "countable income."
Step 2: We subtract your "countable income" from the SSI Federal benefit rate. The result is your monthly SSI Federal benefit as follows:
1) Your Total Income
- Your income that we do not count
= Your countable income
2) SSI Federal benefit rate
- Your countable income
= Your SSI Federal benefit
THE FOLLOWING EXAMPLE IS BASED ON SAMPLE DOLLAR AMOUNTS:
SSI Federal Benefit with only EARNED INCOME
Total monthly income = $317 (Gross wages)
1) $317 (Gross wages)
-20 (Not counted)
$297
-65 (Not counted)
= $232 divided by 1/2 =$116 (Countable income)
2) $943 (SSI Federal benefit rate)
-116 (Countable income)
=$827 (SSI Federal benefit)
WHAT MUST YOU REPORT IF YOU ARE A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY?
- Improvement in your medical condition.
- When you start or stop work, or have a change in pay or hours worked.
- Any change in your Ticket to Work status.
WHEN DO YOU NEED TO REPORT?
- Report any changes that may affect your SSI as soon as possible and no later than 10 days after the end of the month in which the change occurred.
WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO NOT REPORT CHANGES TIMELY AND ACCURATELY?
- You may be underpaid and not receive the benefits due to you, as quickly as you otherwise could, if you do not report changes on time.
- We may overpay you and you may have to pay us back. We may apply a penalty that will reduce your SSI payment by $25 to $100 for each time you fail to report a change to us, or you report the change later than 10 days after the end of the month in which the change occurred.
- If you knowingly make a false or misleading statement or knowingly fail to report important changes, we may impose a sanction against your payments. The first sanction period is a withholding of payments for 6 months. Subsequent sanction periods are for 12 months and then 24 months.
What will we do if there is an overpayment?
We will send you a notice explaining the overpayment and asking for a full refund within 30 days. If you are currently getting payments and you do not make a full refund, the notice will:
- propose to withhold the overpayment at the rate of the lesser of 10 percent or the entire monthly payment;
- state the month the proposed withholding will start;
- fully explain your appeal rights and how you can appeal our overpayment decision;
- explain how you can ask us to review and waive the overpayment, so you may not have to pay it back.
Maximum monthly SSI payment for 2024 is $943 for an individual.
- Your amount may be lower based on your income, certain family members' income, your living situation, and other factors.
Living with others may affect your payment
- If you live in someone else’s home and don’t pay your fair share of food and shelter costs, your SSI payment may be lowered by up to $334.33.
There is more information contained in the link I posted above, but I included the information here that I thought would help you.
I apologize for not having the definitive answer about your SSI benefits, I know a lot about taxes, but next to nothing about SSI!
Please contact the SSA at this number to get your questions about your SSI benefits answered by a SSI Expert: 1-800-772-1213 between 8:00a - 7:00p Monday through Friday. Wait times are typically shorter in the morning, later in the week, and later in the month.
I hope this helps.
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