Savvy Senior: How to apply for supplemental security income

Dear Savvy Senior: What can you tell me about the SSI program and what are the eligibility requirements for seniors? I’m trying to help my elderly aunt. — Searching Niece

Dear Searching Niece: The program that you’re enquiring about, SSI, or supplemental security income, is administered by the Social Security Administration and provides monthly cash benefits, based on financial need, to people who are disabled or over age 65.

Around 7.5 million people receive SSI benefits, but many more are now eligible as the SSA recently expanded access by tweaking some of the rules.

Here’s what you should know:

Eligibility requirements

To qualify for SSI your aunt must be 65 or older, blind or disabled and must be a U.S. citizen or lawful resident. She must also have limited income and assets.

For an individual to qualify, their income must generally be under $1,971 per month, or $2,915 for couples. Countable income includes wages or any other kind of money your aunt earned from working, plus money she gets from other sources such as unemployment, Social Security retirement or gifts from friends.

Her assets must also be less than $2,000, or $3,000 for couples. This includes cash, bank accounts, other personal property and anything else that could potentially be converted to cash. Her home, household goods and one vehicle, along with life insurance policies and burial funds valued under $1,500, do not count toward her assets.

In 2024, the maximum SSI payment is $943 a month for an individual, or $1,415 a month for a couple. But, if eligible, the amount your aunt would receive may be lower based on her income, living situation and other factors.

To help you determine if your aunt is eligible, take the Social Security Administration’s benefits screening test at SSAbest.benefits.gov.

You should also know that most states — except Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia — supplement the federal SSI payment with payments of their own. In some of the states that pay a supplement, your aunt may qualify for the state payment even if she doesn’t meet the federal SSI eligibility criteria.

How to apply

If you think that your aunt is eligible for SSI, begin the application process online at SSA.gov/apply/ssi.

To help make the application process go quickly and smoothly, your aunt will need her Social Security number; birth certificate or other proof of age; information about the home where she lives, such as her mortgage or lease and the landlord’s name; payroll slips, bank books, insurance policies, burial fund records and other information about her income and the things she owns; her proof of U.S. citizenship or eligible noncitizen status; and, if she is applying for SSI because she is disabled or blind, the names, addresses and telephone numbers of doctors, hospitals and clinics that have information related to her condition.

Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org.