As we explain in this blog post, SSI can check your bank accounts anywhere from every one year to six years, or when you experience certain life-changing experiences. The 2022 maximum amount of available financial resources for
If you receive benefits through the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, the Social Security Administration (SSA) can check your bank account. They do this to verify that you still meet the program requirements.
In a Nutshell
The simple answer is no, but there are some reasons that your bank account may be checked if you're applying for Social Security benefits.
Financial institution accounts include checking or savings, Christmas club, credit union, certificate of deposit, and money market accounts. They can be individual or joint accounts. We look at the title of the account to determine who has access to the money in that account.
WHAT IS THE RESOURCE LIMIT? The limit for countable resources is $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple.
To get SSI, your countable resources must not be worth more than $2,000 for an individual or $3,000 for a couple. We call this the resource limit. Countable resources are the things you own that count toward the resource limit.
We redetermine eligibility and benefit amounts of most recipients once every 1 to 6 years. When you report a change that affects eligibility or payment (for example, marriage), we may review your income, resources, and living arrangements.
The Benefit Verification letter, sometimes called a "budget letter," a "benefits letter," a "proof of income letter," or a "proof of award letter," serves as proof of your retirement, disability, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), or Medicare benefits.
If you fail to report changes in a timely way, or if you intentionally make a false statement, we may stop your SSI, disability, and retirement benefits. We may also impose a sanction against your payments. The first sanction is a loss of payments for six months. Subsequent sanctions are for 12 and 24 months.
THE SSA INVESTIGATION USUALLY STARTS WITH THE INTERNET
SSA opens their investigation by looking for you on the internet. They will look up your name, phone number, and address. They usually already have this information, but they are checking it to make sure you are living at the address that you say you are living at.
When determining what your assets or resources are, the SSA will review things such as how much cash you have, bank accounts, savings accounts, land, life insurance, personal property, vehicles and pretty much anything else that you own that you could sell and use to pay for housing and food for your family.
Lottery winnings do not affect Social Security disability income (SSDI), but it can reduce or eliminate any Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Some states have laws in place that remove people from public assistance programs such as food stamps or other welfare programs if they win the lottery.
Social Security Benefits
You will receive the money you pay into the program if you meet the minimum age and immigration status requirements. For this reason, having a savings account does not influence your ability to access Social Security.
If you no longer receive SSI or SSDI, Social Security will request the full amount of the overpayment from you, but you can negotiate a repayment plan to pay it back over time. If you don't pay it back, Social Security can take your federal tax return and take other measures.
Recipients of SSDI and SSI can have their disability benefits taken away for many reasons. The most common reasons relate to an increase in income or payment-in-kind. Individuals can also have their benefits terminated if they are suspected of fraud or convicted of a serious crime.
Unlike private insurance companies the SSA does not generally conduct surveillance investigations, but that doesn't mean that they can't or never will. Once you file a disability claim, the SSA looks for proof of your disability.
WHAT IS A CONTINUING DISABILITY REVIEW? Social Security periodically reviews your medical impairment(s) to determine if you continue to have a disabling condition. If we determine that you are no longer disabled or blind, your benefits will stop. We call this review a continuing disability review (CDR).
The standard insurance amount provided for FDIC-insured accounts is $250,000 per depositor, per insured bank, for each account ownership category, in the event of a bank failure.
Social Security excludes the first $65 in earnings and one-half of all earnings over $65 in a month. The earned income exclusions mean that in 2021 a person can earn about $1,650/month and still qualify for SSI (though the monthly payment is reduced when you have countable income). This is how this works.
Can I split the direct deposit of my Social Security benefit between two bank accounts? Currently our system allows direct deposit only to a single account, at a financial institution (e.g. checking account, savings account, or prepaid card account).
Does Social Security Prohibit Disability Recipients From Buying a House? Social Security doesn't prohibit individuals who receive disability benefits—under either the SSDI or SSI program—from purchasing a home or using their monthly disability payments to fund the purchase of a house.
IN THE MONEY
Since January 1 is a federal holiday, SSI benefits are usually sent out the day prior. New Year's Day falls on a Saturday this year – so the holiday will be observed on a Friday. This means eligible SSI recipients will get two payments this month.