Social Security is not "earned" income. If you are trying to determine if you can claim your mother as a dependent, the SS does not "count"---but any other income counts--like a pension, investment income, distributions from retirement accounts, money from working, etc. etc.
IRS interview to help determine who can be claimed:
https://www.irs.gov/help/ita/who-can-i-claim-as-a-dependent
**Disclaimer: Every effort has been made to offer the most correct information possible. The poster disclaims any legal responsibility for the accuracy of the information that is contained in this post.**
