Understanding Supplemental Security Income
Reporting Responsibilities2009 Edition

  WHAT  THINGS  MUST  YOU  REPORT  TO  SOCIAL  SECURITY?  

You must report any of the changes listed below to us, because they may affect your eligibility for SSI and your benefit amount:

	change of address;
	change in living arrangements;
	change in income, including a change in wages or net earnings from self–employment, including your spouse's income, if you are married and living together, and parents income if applying for a child;
	change in resources including your spouse's resources, if you are married and living together, and parents resources if applying for a child;
	death of spouse or anyone in your household;
	change in marital status;
	change in citizenship or immigration status;
	change in help with living expenses from friends or relatives;
	eligibility for other benefits and/or payments;
	admission to or discharge from an institution (such as a hospital, nursing home, correctional institution (such as prison, jail, detention center, boot camp, etc,));
	change in school attendance, if you are under age 22;
	change in legal alien status;
	leaving the United States for more than 30 consecutive days or a full calendar month;
	a warrant has been issued for your arrest for a crime, or attempted crime, that is a felony or, in jurisdictions that do not classify crimes as felonies, a crime that is punishable by death or imprisonment for more than one year.; and
	a warrant has been issued for your arrest because you violated a condition of your parole or probation.

  WHAT  MUST  YOU  ALSO  REPORT  IF  YOU  ARE  DISABLED?  

	improvement in your medical condition;
	you begin working;
	any change in your Ticket to Work status; or
	any change in work or Plans to Achieve Self-Support expenses.

  WHEN  DO  YOU  NEED  TO  REPORT?  

Report any changes that may affect your SSI as soon as possible and no later than 10 days after the end of the month in which the change occurred.

  WHAT  HAPPENS  IF  YOU  DO  NOT  REPORT  CHANGES    
  ON  TIME  AND  ACCURATELY?  

You may be underpaid and not receive the benefits due to you, as quickly as you could, if you do not report changes on time.

We may overpay you, and you may have to pay us back. We may apply a penalty that will reduce your SSI benefit by $25 to $100 for each time you fail to report a change to us, or you report the change later than 10 days after the end of the month in which the change occurred.

If you knowingly make a statement which is false or misleading or knowingly fail to report important changes, we may impose a sanction against your payments.  The first sanction is a loss of payments for 6 months.  Subsequent sanctions are for 12 months and then 24 months.

See also the SSI Spotlight on Rights and Responsibilities.