SSI Federal Benefit Rate History, 1974–2027
The complete federal rate table
| Payment year | SSI increase | Max federal benefit — individual | Max federal benefit — couple | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | — | $140.00 | — | Initial federal benefit rate from Jan 1 1974 (P.L. 93-233 raised the P.L. 92-603 rate of $130 retroactively). |
| 1975 | 8.0% | $157.70 | $236.60 | |
| 1976 | 6.4% | $167.80 | $251.80 | |
| 1977 | 5.9% | $177.80 | $266.70 | |
| 1978 | 6.5% | $189.40 | $284.10 | |
| 1979 | 9.9% | $208.20 | $312.30 | |
| 1980 | 14.3% | $238.00 | $357.00 | |
| 1981 | 11.2% | $264.70 | $397.00 | |
| 1982 | 7.4% | $284.30 | $426.40 | |
| 1983 | 7.0% | $304.30 | $456.40 | Legislated 7.0% increase (OASDI COLA that year was 3.5%) |
| 1984 | 3.5% | $314.00 | $472.00 | |
| 1985 | 3.5% | $325.00 | $488.00 | |
| 1986 | 3.1% | $336.00 | $504.00 | |
| 1987 | 1.3% | $340.00 | $510.00 | |
| 1988 | 4.2% | $354.00 | $532.00 | |
| 1989 | 4.0% | $368.00 | $553.00 | |
| 1990 | 4.7% | $386.00 | $579.00 | |
| 1991 | 5.4% | $407.00 | $610.00 | |
| 1992 | 3.7% | $422.00 | $633.00 | |
| 1993 | 3.0% | $434.00 | $652.00 | |
| 1994 | 2.6% | $446.00 | $669.00 | |
| 1995 | 2.8% | $458.00 | $687.00 | |
| 1996 | 2.6% | $470.00 | $705.00 | |
| 1997 | 2.9% | $484.00 | $726.00 | |
| 1998 | 2.1% | $494.00 | $741.00 | |
| 1999 | 1.3% | $500.00 | $751.00 | |
| 2000 | 2.5% | $513.00 | $769.00 | Levels shown are the corrected amounts effective under P.L. 106-554. |
| 2001 | 3.5% | $531.00 | $796.00 | |
| 2002 | 2.6% | $545.00 | $817.00 | |
| 2003 | 1.4% | $552.00 | $829.00 | |
| 2004 | 2.1% | $564.00 | $846.00 | |
| 2005 | 2.7% | $579.00 | $869.00 | |
| 2006 | 4.1% | $603.00 | $904.00 | |
| 2007 | 3.3% | $623.00 | $934.00 | |
| 2008 | 2.3% | $637.00 | $956.00 | |
| 2009 | 5.8% | $674.00 | $1,011.00 | |
| 2010 | 0.0% | $674.00 | $1,011.00 | |
| 2011 | 0.0% | $674.00 | $1,011.00 | |
| 2012 | 3.6% | $698.00 | $1,048.00 | |
| 2013 | 1.7% | $710.00 | $1,066.00 | |
| 2014 | 1.5% | $721.00 | $1,082.00 | |
| 2015 | 1.7% | $733.00 | $1,100.00 | |
| 2016 | 0.0% | $733.00 | $1,100.00 | |
| 2017 | 0.3% | $735.00 | $1,103.00 | |
| 2018 | 2.0% | $750.00 | $1,125.00 | |
| 2019 | 2.8% | $771.00 | $1,157.00 | |
| 2020 | 1.6% | $783.00 | $1,175.00 | |
| 2021 | 1.3% | $794.00 | $1,191.00 | |
| 2022 | 5.9% | $841.00 | $1,261.00 | |
| 2023 | 8.7% | $914.00 | $1,371.00 | |
| 2024 | 3.2% | $943.00 | $1,415.00 | |
| 2025 | 2.5% | $967.00 | $1,450.00 | |
| 2026 | 2.8% | $994.00 | $1,491.00 | |
| 2027 | 3.6% | $1,029.00 | $1,544.00 | From SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet (announced 2026-10-14); already used across the live site |
Source: SSA, "SSI Federal Payment Amounts" (ssa.gov/OACT/COLA/SSIamts.html) for 1975–2026; the 2027 row from the SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet; the 1974 initial rate from SSA's SSI Annual Statistical Report 2024, Table IV.A2. Increases took effect with July payments for 1975–1983 and with January payments from 1984. State supplementary payments are not included.
The individual maximum at a glance
The visible steps: the legislated 1983 jump, the flat 2010–2011 and 2016 years (0.0% COLAs), and the 2023 step (the 8.7% adjustment) — the largest single-year dollar increase in the program's history, +$73.
Three stories inside the table
1983: the year Congress overrode the formula
The SSI column is on a payment-year basis, and in 1983 it shows 7.0% where Social Security's COLA was 3.5%. That is not an error: the 1983 amendments gave SSI a one-off legislated 7.0% increase in the federal payment standard while the OASDI COLA ran on the formula. It is the only large divergence between the series — and the reason the two tables on this site are kept separate rather than merged.
2000–2001: the correction (P.L. 106-554)
The levels shown for 2000 ($513/$769) and 2001 ($531/$796) are the corrected amounts. Payments originally ran $1 lower ($512, then $530 for individuals) because of the same CPI computation error that understated the 1999 COLA; Public Law 106-554 fixed both, with the corrected SSI amounts applied from August 2001.
Purchasing power: roughly kept pace — with an asterisk
The July 1975 individual maximum of $157.70, restated in 2024 consumer prices (CPI-U), is about $919.20. The actual 2024 maximum was $943.00 — slightly ahead, meaning the federal rate has just about held its real value across five decades of COLAs. The asterisk: eligibility has not kept pace. The SSI resource limits — $2,000 for an individual, $3,000 for a couple — are not indexed and have not changed in decades, so the program's gate has tightened in real terms even as its payment standard held. State supplements, where they exist, come on top of everything on this page: see SSI state supplements, plus the 2027 SSI payment schedule and the SSI calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What was the maximum SSI payment in 2010?
$674 a month for an individual and $1,011 for a couple — unchanged from 2009, because the SSI COLA was 0.0% in both 2010 and 2011. The full federal rate table back to 1974 is above.
Why did SSI get a 7.0% increase in 1983 when Social Security got 3.5%?
The 1983 SSI increase was legislated directly by Congress rather than produced by the COLA formula: the 1983 amendments raised the federal SSI payment standard by 7.0% as a one-off, separate from that year's 3.5% OASDI COLA. It is the largest single divergence between the two series.
When did SSI payments switch from July to January increases?
SSI amounts rose with July payments from 1975 through 1983. From 1984 onward, the increase took effect with January payments — the same six-month shift the 1983 reforms applied to Social Security COLAs — and that is also why the modern first increased SSI payment lands on December 31 when January 1 is a holiday.
Does the federal rate include state supplements?
No. This page is the federal payment only. Most states add a supplementary payment on top — see the state-by-state breakdown on our SSI state supplements page. A handful of states (Arizona, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee, West Virginia) pay no supplement at all.
Sources: SSA OACT, "SSI Federal Payment Amounts"; SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet; SSA SSI Annual Statistical Report 2024, Table IV.A2 (1974). CPI-U conversion: Bureau of Labor Statistics annual averages — methodology notes on the COLA vs. inflation page.