SSI Restoration Act of 2026

Summary#

This bill would change many rules for the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program in title XVI of the Social Security Act. Key changes in the bill text include: raising the general income exclusion from $240 to $1,892 and the earned income exclusion from $780 to $6,149 (each to be indexed to the CPI-E after 2026); raising resource limits to $20,000 for individuals and $10,000 for couples in 2026 (also indexed after 2026); setting SSI monthly benefit rates after 2026 to the annual poverty guideline for a single person (and twice that amount for two married individuals), while keeping the current numeric rates for 1974–2026; excluding support and maintenance furnished in kind from countable income; excluding qualified retirement and deferred compensation plans from countable resources; removing the penalty rule that treated disposals of resources for less than fair market value as causing SSI ineligibility and replacing it with a notification procedure tied to Medicaid rules; clarifying that specified State tax credit refunds are treated as tax refunds; excluding Indian general welfare benefits from countable income and resources; removing certain dedicated account and installment payment rules; extending a temporary exclusion period for certain payments from 9 months to 21 months; aligning marital status rules with title II marriage determinations; and extending SSI coverage to Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa while allowing the Social Security Commissioner to waive or modify some requirements to adapt the program in those territories. The bill says these amendments take effect on the first day of the first calendar month after a one-year period following enactment.

What it means for you#

• If you apply for SSI after the changes take effect, larger amounts of some income would not count toward eligibility (for example the new general and earned income exclusions named in the bill).
• The limit on how much countable savings you may have would be higher ($20,000 for individuals and $10,000 for couples in 2026) and would be adjusted each year for inflation using the CPI-E.
• Monthly SSI payments for years after 2026 would be set by the annual poverty guideline for a single person (and twice that for two married individuals), rather than the prior formula. For 1974–2026 the bill keeps the numeric rates shown in the text.
• Certain types of assets and payments would not count against eligibility: qualified retirement plans, eligible deferred compensation plans, Indian general welfare benefits, in-kind support and maintenance, and specified State tax credit refunds.
• SSI would become available in Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa, with the Social Security Commissioner authorized to adapt rules for each territory.

Expenses#

No publicly available information.

Proponents' View#

The bill text and title state its purpose is to update eligibility for the SSI program and related rules. The sponsors propose raising income exclusions and resource limits, updating how monthly benefits are calculated after 2026, removing certain resource penalties, excluding retirement accounts and tribal general welfare payments from countable resources and income, adjusting treatment of certain State tax credit refunds, and extending SSI to four U.S. territories. The bill also includes technical and conforming changes to implement those updates.

Opponents' View#

No publicly available information.