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Benefits and money

Social Security: SSI and SSDI

Two programs pay money each month to people with disabilities. Many people can get both. Here is how each works in 2027.

SSI or SSDI?

SSI (Supplemental Security Income)

  • For people with little income and few savings.
  • You do not need a work history.
  • Children can get it.
  • Savings limit: $2,000 for one person, $3,000 for a couple. Your home and one car do not count.
  • In most states, SSI comes with Medicaid.

SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance)

  • For people who worked and paid Social Security taxes long enough.
  • No savings limit.
  • Pays more when you earned more.
  • Medicare starts after 24 months of SSDI (right away for ALS).
  • Adults whose disability started before age 22 may get SSDI on a parent's record when the parent retires, becomes disabled or dies.

What they pay in 2027

3.6%Raise for everyone on Social Security or SSI
$1,029Most SSI pays for one person ($994 in 2026)
$1,544Most SSI pays for a couple ($1,491 in 2026)
$1,770Monthly earnings limit for SSDI ($2,950 if blind)

SSI can be lower if you have other income or someone gives you a place to live. Some states add money to SSI. SSDI depends on what you earned while working; your my Social Security account at ssa.gov/myaccount shows your amount.

When the money changes: Social Security payments go up with the January 2027 payment. SSI goes up with the payment for January 2027, which comes on December 31, 2026 because January 1 is a holiday.

How to apply

  1. Start online or by phone. SSDI: ssa.gov/apply/disability. SSI: call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778) or visit your local office.
  2. Gather your records. Doctors, clinics and hospitals you have seen, medicines, and where you worked. Do not wait for every paper; Social Security can request records for you.
  3. Answer every letter. Go to any exam Social Security sets up. Missing one can lead to a denial.
  4. Get free help. A benefits counselor or your state's disability rights agency can help for free.

There is no fee to apply. Lawyers who help with appeals can only be paid if you win, and Social Security must approve the fee.

Working while you get benefits

Trial work period (SSDI)
Any month you earn over $1,270 in 2027 counts as a trial month. You keep your full SSDI check for 9 trial months within 5 years. Then a 36-month extended period lets your check restart in any month you earn under $1,770.
SSI and pay
Social Security skips the first $85 of pay each month (plus $20 of any income), then counts half of the rest. Many people come out ahead by working.
Students under 22 (SSI)
Up to $2,500 a month and $10,080 a year of pay does not count in 2027.
Ticket to Work
Free job help for people 18 to 64 on SSI or SSDI. Call 1-866-968-7842 or visit choosework.ssa.gov.
Medicaid for people who work
Most states let people with disabilities keep Medicaid while earning more. See your state's program.

More detail: Employment Atlas: benefits and work.

ABLE accounts

An ABLE account lets you save without losing SSI or Medicaid.

  • Who can open one: anyone whose disability started before age 46 (since January 1, 2026).
  • How much can go in: $20,000 a year in 2027 from everyone combined ($19,000 in 2026). If you work and have no workplace retirement plan, you can add more from your own pay, up to the poverty line for one person ($15,960 in 2026; $19,950 in Alaska, $18,360 in Hawaii).
  • SSI: the first $100,000 does not count toward the SSI savings limit.
  • What it can pay for: housing, food, school, transportation, health care, a phone and many other daily costs.

Find your state's plan at ablenrc.org. More detail: IDD Atlas: ABLE accounts.

If you are turned down

Most people are turned down at first. Appeal within 60 days of the letter. Ask for free help from your state's disability rights agency or legal aid.

Last reviewed November 9, 2026. Sources: SSA 2027 COLA Fact Sheet; SSA: Substantial Gainful Activity; SSA: Trial Work Period; SSA: ABLE accounts and SSI; IRS: tax year 2027 inflation adjustments (IR-2026-133); HHS 2026 poverty guidelines. This page explains how programs work. It does not decide who qualifies. The agency that runs each program makes that decision.

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