Supplemental Security Income (SSI) pays monthly cash to older adults and to people with disabilities who have limited income. The federal maximum rises by 3.6% in January 2027, to $1,029 for an individual.
This guide gives the 2027 federal rates, how the Social Security Administration rounds them, the student earned income exclusion and related amounts, all taken from SSA's notice in the Federal Register of 26 October 2026.
| Category | 2026 monthly | 2027 monthly | 2027 annual | Increase |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eligible individual | $994 | $1,029 | $12,348 | $35 |
| Eligible individual with an eligible spouse | $1,491 | $1,544 | $18,528 | $53 |
| Essential person | $498 | $516 | $6,192 | $18 |
The Social Security Administration (SSA) says these are the maximum federal SSI monthly payment amounts under title XVI of the Social Security Act. They rise by 3.6% effective for payments made for January 2027, which are paid on December 31, 2026. The dollar increases in the last column are our subtraction.
SSA starts from unrounded yearly amounts of $12,358.92, $18,536.33 and $6,193.63 for 2027, which are the 2026 unrounded amounts increased by 3.6%. Each yearly amount that is not a multiple of $12 is rounded to the next lower multiple of $12, giving $12,348, $18,528 and $6,192. Dividing by 12 gives $1,029, $1,544 and $516 a month. For an eligible individual with an eligible spouse, the amount payable is divided equally between the two spouses, which is $772 each.
| Case | 2026 | 2027 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Individual, monthly | $994 | $1,029 | +$35 |
| Individual, yearly (monthly x 12) | $11,928 | $12,348 | +$420 |
| Couple, each spouse (couple amount divided by 2) | $745.50 | $772 | +$26.50 |
These are our calculations from the published rates and assume both spouses are eligible and receive the maximum rate; SSA's annual figure of $12,348 matches the monthly rate times 12.
| 2026 | 2027 | |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly maximum | $2,410 | $2,500 |
| Yearly maximum | $9,730 | $10,080 |
Children who are blind or have a determined disability can have limited earnings that do not count against their SSI payments if they are students regularly attending school, college, university, or a course of vocational or technical training. SSA computes each maximum by increasing the unrounded 2026 amount by the cost-of-living increase and rounding to the nearest $10.
The same notice sets the maximum 2027 monthly benefit for certain World War II veterans under title VIII at 75% of $1,029, or $771.75, and a dollar limit on the representative payee fee of $59 a month ($110 a month for a beneficiary who is determined to be disabled, has an alcoholism or drug addiction condition, and is incapable of managing benefits). The notice describes the existing fee limit as the lesser of 10 percent of the monthly benefit or the dollar amount. SSI is separate from the Social Security retirement benefits that get the 3.6% cost-of-living increase; see our 2027 cost-of-living adjustment guide.
These are maximum federal rates. The notice we used does not describe the income and resource rules that reduce an individual's actual SSI payment, so your own payment can be lower than the maximum. State supplements are outside this notice; ask SSA whether your state pays one. Use SSA's benefit tools for your case.
Social Security Administration: Cost-of-Living Increase and Other Determinations for 2027 (Federal Register, 26 October 2026), Federal Register official PDF (govinfo.gov), 91 FR 67380.