SSI Payment Amounts 2027: Every Federal Rate
Federal benefit rates, 2026 → 2027
| Category | 2026 | 2027 | Monthly raise |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible individual (own household) | $994 | $1,029 | +$35 |
| Eligible couple (own household) | $1,491 | $1,544 | +$53 |
| Individual living in another person's household | $662.67 | $686 | +$23.33 |
| Couple living in another person's household | $994 | $1,029.33 | +$35.33 |
| Essential person (added amount, on top) | $497 | ≈$515 | ≈+$18 |
| Individual or couple in a Medicaid-paid medical facility | $30 | $30 | unchanged |
The "another person's household" rows reflect the standard one-third reduction that applies when you live in someone else's household and receive food and shelter from them. The essential-person amount is one-half of the individual rate. The $30 rate applies when Medicaid pays more than half the cost of care in a hospital or medical facility; it is a long-standing statutory figure, not adjusted by the COLA. State supplements (see SSI state supplements) come on top of these federal amounts in most states.
Related 2027 SSI figures
| Figure | 2026 | 2027 |
|---|---|---|
| Resource limit — individual | $2,000 | $2,000 (unchanged) |
| Resource limit — couple | $3,000 | $3,000 (unchanged) |
| Student earned-income exclusion — monthly | $2,410 | $2,500 |
| Student earned-income exclusion — annual | $9,730 | $10,080 |
The resource limits have been frozen since 1989 — a fact that matters more each year, because the COLA raises payments while the asset ceiling that recipients must stay under never moves. The student exclusion, by contrast, is indexed and rises with the same announcement. Your actual payment is the applicable rate above minus your countable income; the SSI COLA calculator estimates your personal increase, and the SSI payment schedule shows when each 2027 payment lands.
Frequently asked questions
What is the maximum SSI payment in 2027?
The federal benefit rate for 2027 is $1,029 a month for an eligible individual and $1,544 for an eligible couple, up from $994 and $1,491 in 2026 — the 3.6% COLA applied to the federal standard. States may add a supplement on top.
Why is my SSI amount less than the maximum?
The federal benefit rate is a ceiling, not a guarantee. Countable income — including any Social Security benefit you also receive — reduces your SSI dollar for dollar after the standard exclusions, and living in someone else's household reduces the rate itself by one-third.
What is the essential person amount?
A legacy category: when an essential person — someone whose presence is medically or administratively required — lives with an eligible individual or couple, an additional amount equal to half the individual rate is included. For 2027 that increment is approximately $515. The category has been closed to new entrants since the 1970s but a small number of long-standing cases remain.
Do SSI resource limits change in 2027?
No. The resource limits stay at $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple — unchanged since 1989 and not indexed for inflation. The COLA raises payment amounts only, not the asset rules.
Sources: SSA 2027 COLA fact sheet (federal payment standards, student exclusion, resource limits); SSA, "SSI Federal Payment Amounts" table (rate history and the one-third reduction structure).