*It is possible this information is no longer relevant.*

Does someone in your household receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI)? Did someone in your household also get the increased unemployment assistance sometime during 2020 or in early 2021? This could mean that the Social Security Administration says you have an overpayment.

The amount of your SSI payment is impacted by your countable income. SSI benefits decrease dollar-for-dollar based on countable income. SSI may be unavailable if countable income is over the allowable limit.

Unemployment assistance is countable income for SSI.

To help people who lost work due to COVID-19, Congress passed laws that provided extra unemployment assistance, in addition to the regular amount. From March 2020 through July 31, 2020, people on unemployment received an extra $600 a week. From January 2021 through March 14, 2021, people on unemployment are receiving an extra $300 a week. SSI participants must report this unemployment assistance income to the Social Security Administration (SSA) to avoid an overpayment.

If SSA is saying you have an overpayment due to this increased income from unemployment assistance, you may be able to ask for a waiver of the overpayment. Read our article on Social Security Overpayments to learn more.

Do you need help with filing a waiver for an overpayment? You can apply for help from Legal Aid by calling 1-866-255-4370 or online.