Who is eligible for the student
earned income exclusion?
If you are under age 22 and regularly attending school,
SSA does not count up to $1,640 of earned income per month when
they figure your SSI payment amount.
The maximum yearly exclusion is $6,600.
These amounts are for the year 2010; they are adjusted
each year based on the cost-of-living and posted online.
What does “regularly
attending school” mean?
“Regularly attending school” means that the person
takes one or more courses of study and attends class:
• in a college or university for at least 8 hours per
week; or
• in grades 7 through 12 for at least 12 hours per
week; or
• in a training course to prepare for employment for
at least 12 hours per week (15 hours a week if the
course involves shop practice); or
• for less time than indicated above for reasons beyond
the student’s control (such as illness).
Remember, the Student Earned
Income Exclusion is not automatic. You must ask your
Social Security Representative for it!
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SSI Student Earned
Income Exclusion
The Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) is a work incentive that allows certain
SSI recipients who are under age 22 and regularly attending school to exclude
a specified amount of gross earned income per month up to a maximum annual exclusion.
The SEIE decreases the amount of countable earned
income. This permits SSI recipients to keep
more of the SSI check when they work.
In many cases,
the SEIE allows students to test their ability to work
without experiencing any reduction in the SSI check
at all.
CLICK HERE TO CALCULATE YOUR EARNINGS
LESS THE SEIE
*ALSO, if a person is on SSI and
is blind, expenses needed to earn income that are paid
for by the individual (not necessarily related to the
disability) can be excluded from the income determination
for SSI. For example, transportation to and from work
would be deductible. These are called "blind work expenses." |
