If you're receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI), you might be wondering whether picking up a part-time job could put your benefits at risk. The good news is that SSI does allow you to work—but the rules around how your earnings affect your monthly payment can be confusing if you don't know what to expect.
In this article, we'll cover:
- Whether SSI recipients are allowed to work
- How Social Security counts your earned income
- The earned income exclusions that protect part of your paycheck
- How working affects your monthly SSI payment amount
- Special work incentives like PASS and student exclusions
- Tips for reporting wages correctly to avoid overpayments
Yes, You Can Work on SSI
Social Security actually encourages SSI recipients to work when they're able to. There's no rule that says you must be completely unable to work to receive SSI. What matters is that your countable income and resources stay within the program's limits.
The key thing to understand is that working won't automatically disqualify you from SSI—but it will reduce your monthly payment based on how much you earn. The reduction follows a specific formula, and thanks to several built-in exclusions, you get to keep more of your earnings than you might think.
How SSI Counts Your Earned Income
Social Security doesn't count every dollar you earn against your SSI benefit. Here's how the math works:
First, SSA applies a $20 general income exclusion to any income you receive (this applies to unearned income first, but if you don't have unearned income, it applies to your earnings). Then, SSA applies a $65 earned income exclusion specifically to your wages. After those exclusions, Social Security only counts half of your remaining earnings.
So if you earn $500 per month from a part-time job and have no other income, the calculation looks like this: $500 minus $20 (general exclusion) = $480. Then $480 minus $65 (earned income exclusion) = $415. Then $415 divided by 2 = $207.50 in countable income. Your SSI payment would be reduced by $207.50, meaning you'd still receive $786.50 from SSI (based on the 2026 federal benefit rate of $994), plus your $500 in wages—giving you a total monthly income of $1,286.50. That's $292.50 more than you'd have on SSI alone.
Work Incentives That Can Help Even More
Social Security offers several work incentive programs designed to help people transition into employment without immediately losing their safety net.
Plan to Achieve Self-Support (PASS) allows you to set aside income and resources toward a specific work goal—like paying for education, vocational training, or starting a small business. Money set aside in a PASS plan doesn't count against your SSI resource limit or reduce your benefit.
Student Earned Income Exclusion is available to SSI recipients under age 22 who are regularly attending school. In 2026, eligible students can exclude up to $2,410 per month (up to $9,730 per year) of earned income from their SSI calculation. This is a significant benefit that can allow young people to work substantial hours without losing SSI.
Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE) lets you deduct certain disability-related costs you need to work—like specialized transportation, medications, or assistive devices—from your earnings before SSA calculates your countable income.
Watch Your Resource Limit
Even though you're allowed to work, you still need to keep your countable resources below SSI's limits: $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for couples. If your paychecks start building up in your bank account and push you over the limit on the first of any month, you could lose your SSI for that month.
This is where planning ahead matters. You might consider spending down earnings on exempt items (like household goods or a vehicle), contributing to an ABLE account (which allows you to save up to $100,000 without it counting against SSI), or working with a benefits counselor to create a strategy that protects your eligibility.
Report Your Wages—Every Month
If you work while receiving SSI, you're required to report your earnings to Social Security by the 10th of the month following the month you earned the income. Failing to report wages—or reporting them late—can lead to overpayments, which SSA will eventually ask you to pay back.
You can report wages through your my Social Security account online, by calling SSA at 1-800-772-1213, by using the SSI Telephone Wage Reporting system, or by visiting your local Social Security office. Keeping pay stubs and maintaining a simple log of hours worked can save you a lot of headaches down the road.
The Bottom Line
Working part-time on SSI is not only allowed—it can genuinely improve your financial situation. Thanks to income exclusions, every dollar you earn results in only about a 50-cent reduction in your SSI payment. That means work always puts more money in your pocket than not working. The key is understanding the rules, reporting your wages on time, and keeping your resources in check.
Staying on top of your SSI while working shouldn't require a math degree. Purple's checking account is built for SSI recipients, with tools that help you track your resources and stay compliant—so you can focus on building the life you want.