Reporting Changes and Preparing for SSI or SSDI Reviews
By David Mervis, Esq., Staff Attorney for Project HEAL (Health, Education, Advocacy, and Law)
Are You Receiving SSI or SSDI?
If you get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) benefits, you must tell the Social Security Administration (SSA) about certain life changes. These changes could affect your benefits.
Life changes happen, and it’s important to tell SSA about them to keep your benefits and avoid problems. If you don’t report certain changes, SSA might send you the wrong amount of money.
If you don’t report important life changes to SSA, it could lead to problems with your benefits, such as:
- You might get paid too much and have to pay it back to SSA.
- You might not get enough benefits and miss out on money you are owed.
- SSA might stop paying your benefits or even give you a fine for not reporting important changes or if you intentionally withhold information.
Below are some life changes you need to report to SSA while receiving benefits.
Changes You Must Report for Both SSI & SSDI
Tell SSA right away if any of the following things happen:
- You start working, including part-time or self-employment.
- Your health improves and you are no longer disabled.
- Your living situation changes, such as:
- You get married or divorced.
- You have a child or adopt a child.
- Someone moves in or out of your home.
- You move to a new address.
- You take a trip out of the U.S. for 30 days or more.
- Your citizenship or immigration status changes.
Additional Changes You Must Report for SSI
If you receive SSI benefits, you must report everything listed above, in addition to the following information about income and resources.
- Income changes (yours and your spouse’s):
- If you or your spouse get a job, lose a job, or get other income (like alimony, child support, or a pension).
- If a child receiving SSI has parents who start earning more money.
- Savings or assets over the limit:
- If you are single and have more than $2,000 in savings or other assets.
- If you are married and have more than $3,000 combined with your spouse.
- If a child receiving SSI has parents who exceed the resource limit.
How to Report Changes to SSA
It’s best to report changes to SSA as soon as they happen to avoid overpayments or penalties. You can report changes in different ways:
Call SSA at 1-800-772-1213 or TTY 1-800-325-0778.
Send a fax or mail to your local SSA office (Find your
local office).
Some changes can be made using your online account (Create an account)
How Often SSA Checks Your Benefits
If you get SSI or SSDI benefits, SSA will check your benefits from time to time to make sure you still qualify. There are three main types of checks you should know about.
Continuing Disability Reviews for Adults and Children – SSI and SSDI
Every few years, SSA will review your medical condition to see if you are still disabled. These reviews happen at different times for everyone. SSA decides when they think your condition will improve and then sets a time for the review.
When contacting you, SSA will ask for your doctors’ names, medical visits, and medications from the last 12 months.
Keep a simple list of:
- Your doctors and clinics.
- Your appointment dates.
- Your medications and tests.
Non-Medical Redeterminations – SSI
Every few years, SSA will conduct a redetermination to decide if you continue to meet the non-medical eligibility criteria for SSI benefits. SSA will check your income, savings, and living situation.
Keep copies of:
- Pay stubs.
- Tax returns.
- Bank statements.
- Life insurance policies.
- Bills (rent, utilities, etc.).
- Proof of other income (pensions, child support, unemployment, etc.).
Age-18 Redeterminations – SSI
If a child gets SSI, SSA checks their case when they turn 18 to see if they still qualify as an adult. SSA will ask for information about their medical care, school, and work (if any). Keep a list of doctors, medications, and treatments to make the process easier.
How to Save Money Without Losing SSI Benefits
If you get SSDI, you can save as much money as you want without losing your benefits.
If you get SSI, you must make sure that the value of all your countable resources does not go over a strict limit: $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple.
An Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) account is a way to save more money while keeping your SSI benefits. An ABLE account lets you save up to $100,000 without it counting toward the SSI resource limit. Anyone can put money into your account, up to a combined annual limit ($19,000 in 2025).
You can use the money for “qualified disability expenses,” including:
- Education.
- Food.
- Housing.
- Medical bills.
- Transportation.
- Job training.
Currently, to be eligible to open an ABLE account, you must have a disability that started before you turned 26 years old. Starting in 2026, people with disabilities that began before age 46 will qualify for an ABLE account.
Acronym Glossary
SSA: Social Security Administration
SSI: Supplemental Security Income
SSD: Social Security Disability Insurance
ABLE: Achieving a Better Life Experience
Resources
- SSA – Report Changes to Your Situation (SSI)
- SSA – What You Must Report While on Disability (SSDI)
- SSI and SSDI Resources from Project HEAL
