If you receive SSI, you already know the constant balancing act: making sure you have enough to cover your needs while never letting your bank account creep above the resource limit. The SSI asset limit has been one of the most restrictive — and most criticized — rules in the entire Social Security system. Here's what you need to know about how it works in 2026 and what may be changing.
In this article, we'll cover:
- The current SSI resource limits for individuals and couples
- What counts as a resource and what doesn't
- Common situations that accidentally push people over the limit
- Legislative efforts to raise the resource limit
- Strategies to stay compliant without living in constant anxiety
- How Purple helps you monitor your resources in real time
What Are the SSI Resource Limits in 2026?
The SSI resource limit is $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a married couple. If your countable resources exceed this amount at any point during the month, you are ineligible for SSI for that month.
Here's what's remarkable about this number: the $2,000 limit was set in 1989 and has not been adjusted for inflation since. If it had kept pace with inflation, it would be well over $5,000 today. For 35+ years, SSI recipients have been held to a savings cap that was set when a gallon of gas cost under a dollar.
The $3,000 couple limit was also set in 1989 and has been equally frozen. This means that two people sharing a household have only $1,000 more in resource allowance than a single individual, despite having two sets of needs.
What Counts as a Resource?
Not everything you own counts toward the $2,000 limit. The SSA divides your assets into countable and excluded resources. Understanding the difference is essential to staying compliant.
Countable resources include cash on hand, money in checking and savings accounts, stocks, bonds, and mutual funds, a second vehicle (if you own more than one), real estate other than your primary home, and life insurance policies with a face value over $1,500.
Excluded resources — things that don't count — include your primary home (regardless of value), one vehicle (regardless of value), household goods and personal belongings, burial plots for you and your immediate family, up to $1,500 in designated burial funds, money in an ABLE account (up to $100,000 for SSI purposes), and assets in a properly structured special needs trust.
The most important thing to understand is that your bank account balance is the most visible and most commonly monitored countable resource. When the SSA conducts a redetermination (a periodic review of your eligibility), your bank records are among the first things they check.
Common Ways People Accidentally Go Over the Limit
Many SSI recipients who lose benefits because of the resource limit didn't do anything intentionally wrong. Some of the most common triggers include receiving a tax refund that temporarily pushes the balance above $2,000, getting a gift or small inheritance, having a delayed bill leave more money in the account than expected at the end of the month, receiving back pay or a lump sum from another program, and forgetting to spend down after receiving a one-time payment.
The cruel irony is that the resource limit punishes the very behavior that financial advisors tell everyone to practice: saving a little money for emergencies. On SSI, having an emergency fund of $2,500 can cost you your entire monthly benefit.
Are There Efforts to Raise the Limit?
Yes, and they have significant bipartisan support. The SSI Savings Penalty Elimination Act has been introduced in Congress with the goal of raising the individual resource limit to $10,000 and the couple limit to $20,000. The legislation would also index the limits to inflation going forward, so they wouldn't remain frozen for another three decades.
Other proposals have suggested even higher limits or eliminating the asset test entirely for certain categories of recipients. Advocacy organizations including the Consortium for Citizens with Disabilities, the National Council on Disability, and AARP have publicly supported reform.
As of 2026, these proposals continue to be debated in Congress. While there's broad agreement that the current limits are outdated and harmful, the legislative process has been slow. If these changes matter to you, reaching out to your representatives in Congress is one of the most effective things you can do.
Strategies to Stay Compliant
Until the law changes, SSI recipients need practical strategies for managing within the current limits. Knowing what's excluded is the most important step — your home, your car, burial funds, and ABLE account balances don't count. Using an ABLE account to save above the $2,000 limit is one of the best tools available. You can contribute up to $20,000 per year, and the funds won't affect your SSI eligibility up to $100,000. Spending down promptly when you receive a lump sum is critical — pay bills, stock up on groceries, make needed purchases, or contribute to your ABLE account before the end of the month. Keeping a buffer below the limit rather than riding right at $2,000 gives you room for unexpected deposits or delayed withdrawals. And checking your bank balance regularly — ideally daily during months when you have irregular income or expenses — helps you catch problems before the SSA does.
How Purple Helps You Stay Under the Limit
The biggest challenge with the resource limit isn't understanding the rule — it's monitoring it in real time. A traditional bank account shows you your balance, but it doesn't tell you how that balance relates to the $2,000 SSI threshold. It doesn't warn you when you're getting close, and it doesn't help you distinguish between countable and excluded resources.
That's what Purple is built for. Purple's checking account gives you real-time resource tracking relative to the SSI limit, so you always know exactly where you stand. Instead of checking your balance and doing mental math, you can see at a glance how much room you have — and plan accordingly.
The $2,000 limit may not have changed since 1989, but the tools available to manage it have. Purple's checking account is designed specifically for SSI recipients, with built-in resource tracking that takes the guesswork out of staying compliant.