Supplemental Security Income (SSI) has benefitted several low-income households that need the extra cash to support a child with a physical and mental disability. The amount may be small, but is a good extra to tide over medical and additional care expenses. A parent’s total income, from earned and unearned sources, is key in deciding the child’s qualification for SSI. Not only this, the question of how much can a parent make for a child to get SSI is also important as it decides the monthly benefit a child will get as part of the scheme.
One must also understand that qualification for SSI is not permanent. A regular evaluation is conducted to decide eligibility and could result in disqualification at a later date. The good thing about SSI is that it has allowed a number of limited-income households to improve their quality of life. It also encourages parents to continue with work.
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) comes as a welcome relief measure for low-income families that have the added responsibility of caring for children with disabilities. SSI is disbursed as a monthly cash benefit to eligible candidates.
The problem with Supplemental Security Income is that not everyone qualifies for it. Parental income, type of disability, and degree of disability are the main determinants for qualification and SSI amount. In this article, we talk about how much can a parent make for a child to get SSI. We’ve covered a few other questions too.
SSI is sponsored by the federal administration and the funds for it are drawn from the federal taxes and not the social security taxes. It covers seniors above the age of 65 and adults with disabilities and limited financial resources. There is a provision to provide aid to blind and disabled children too. For children, there is no minimum age eligibility requirement; only can apply for benefits from the time of birth.
Does my income affect my child’s SSI?
Yes, it does. During assessment for eligibility, the administration factors in parental income in a process called deeming. While calculating total income, it considers the parent’s earned income (monthly salary from a job) and unearned income (money received in the form of benefits, investments, pensions, alimony). The calculation also includes a valuation of assets. If the child lives with a stepparent, their income is included in the calculation of the SSI amount as well.
The scheme assumes that a part of the parent’s income goes towards the care of the disabled child. Besides, it also considers that a certain portion of income is paid towards the needs of the parents and the other non-disabled dependent children. The amount to be paid as SSI is then calculated based on the remaining income amount.
How much can a parent make for a child to get SSI 2021?
There are three factors that come into play here – the number of eligible children in the household, earned or unearned income, and one parent/two parent household. Thus, in a one parent household with one eligible child, the earned monthly income should be less than $3698 while in a two parent household it must be less than $4492.
What disqualifies you from getting SSI?
In order to qualify for SSI, the parent’s income and assets must be within the stipulated limit. In addition to this, the child must be below 18 years of age. The child must suffer from a physical impairment or mental disability that impacts his functional ability negatively. Evidence of the impairment must be certified by licensed medical professionals.
The child should not be a householder, should not be married, and should be residing with his/her parents. These are the basic criteria that must be met to apply for SSI for children. Failure to do so could result in disqualification for SSI.
Not only this, the parent’s income is deemed every month, implying that your child’s eligibility for financial aid is assessed on a month-to-month basis. The deeming process is important as it could result in your child being disqualified due to a possible change in living conditions.
