Countable Income

Countable income is the portion of your income that SSA actually uses to reduce an SSI payment after applying the program's exclusions. SSA first excludes $20 of most income per month, then $65 of earned income plus half of the remainder, meaning less than half of wages count. Other exclusions cover items such as SNAP benefits, most tax refunds, and certain assistance payments.

Whatever remains is subtracted from the SSI federal benefit rate, which is $994 per month for an individual in 2026 and adjusted annually, to determine your payment. Because unearned income, such as SSDI or a pension, gets only the $20 exclusion, it reduces SSI nearly dollar for dollar, while wages are treated more generously to encourage work.