Understanding Supplemental Security Income (SSI)-- Reporting Responsibilities (2024)

REPORTING RESPONSIBILITIES

WHAT THINGS MUST YOU REPORT TO SOCIAL SECURITY?

You must report any of the changes listed below to us, because they may affect your eligibility for supplemental security income (SSI) and your benefit amount:

Change of address.

Change in living arrangements.

Change in earned and unearned income, including a change in wages or net earnings from self-employment, including your spouse’s income if you are married and living together, and parents’ income if applying for a child.

Change in resources including your spouse’s resources, if you are married and living together, and parents’ resources if applying for a child.

See Also
Women, Marriage, and Social Security Benefits RevisitedCommunicate changes to personal situationDrawing Social Security Off Ex-Spouse - The Medicare FamilyHow does social security know if you are married?

Death of spouse or anyone in your household.

Change in marital status (including any same-sex relationships).

Change in citizenship or immigration status.

Change in help with living expenses from friends or relatives.

Eligibility for other benefits or payments.

Admission to or discharge from an institution (such as a hospital, nursing home, or a correctional institution such as prison, jail, detention center, boot camp, etc,).

Change in school attendance, if you are under age22.

See Also
Marriage Equality – Center for Disability Rights

Change in lawful noncitizen status.

Sponsor (or sponsor’s spouse) changes of income, resources, or living arrangement for noncitizens.

Leaving the U.S. for a full calendar month or for 30 consecutive days or more; or

an unsatisfied felony or arrest warrant for escape from custody, flight to avoid prosecution or confinement, or flight-escape.

WHAT MUST YOU ALSO REPORT IF YOU ARE A PERSON WITH A DISABILITY?

Improvement in your medical condition.

When you start or stop work, or have a change in pay or hours worked.

Any change in your Ticket to Work status.

Any change in your work or Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) expenses.

WHEN DO YOU NEED TO REPORT?

Report any changes that may affect your SSI as soon as possible and no later than 10days after the end of the month in which the change occurred.

Please see the Spotlight on Reporting Your Earnings to SSA.

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DO NOT REPORT CHANGES TIMELY AND ACCURATELY?

We may overpay you and you may have to pay us back. We may apply a penalty that will reduce your SSI payment by $25 to $100 for each time you fail to report a change to us, or you report the change later than 10 days after the end of the month in which the change occurred.

If you knowingly make a false or misleading statement or knowingly fail to report important changes, we may impose a sanction against your payments. The first sanction period is a withholding of payments for 6 months. Subsequent sanction periods are for 12 months and then 24 months.

See the SSI Spotlight on Rights and Responsibilities.

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