On the current SSA website, the exclusion as of 2024 states that working students with disabilities can exclude up to $1,640 per month, but not more than $6,600 in a calendar year.

Student Earned Income Exclusion as of 2024

Based on the data, there has only been a 24.24% increase in the monthly cap since 2002. Notably, working student income and necessary expenses have gone up since then. Tuition and required fee has gone up immensely since then as well, going from roughly $8,000 to $13,600 according to the NCES. With a considerably low exclusion change, students thus have to report more income, leading to a greater loss of benefits with bigger impact nowadays considering inflation. In other words, the cap change is not reflective of current economic changes.

Changes in Student Earned Income Exclusion Since 2002

After the exhaustion of the student earned income exclusion, additional income exclusions for Supplemental Security Income (SSI) are possible. The Social Security Administration (SSA) offers two additional exclusions: an Earned Income Disregard of \$65 from countable earnings, and a General Income Exclusion of \$20 applied to unearned income or, if there is no unearned income, to remaining countable income.

Additional SSA Income Exclusions

In 2002, the SSA allowed students under 22, who attended school and met the criteria, to exclude up to \$1,320 of earned income per month. Hence, students could earn up to \$5,340 per year and not have their SSI benefits reduced. The exclusion is applied only to earned income until it reaches the monthly and annual limits. Necessary documentation regarding educational attendance and monthly earnings must be provided.

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Students with disabilities may have concerns about financing secondary education because SSI won’t provide them with enough livable support after education. Employment during schooling may also seem discouraging due to the risk of reducing their SSI benefits. However, there are ways that people with disabilities can finance postsecondary education and retain all or some of their benefits.

SSI and Post-Secondary Education

Golden, T. P., & Jones, M. A. (n.d.). SSI and Postsecondary Education Support for Students with Disabilities.

SSI and Postsecondary Education Support for Students with Disabilities

Because SSI is a means tested program, individuals receiving SSI can qualify for incentives offered by certain state and federal programs, such as tuition waivers and financial aid packages. Though, working a part-time job or participating in a work study program my impact the amount of students’ SSI benefits received and thus their qualification for the tuition assistance. Despite this, it is possible for an individual enrolled in further education to exclude some earnings from their part-time jobs or work study programs as to not affect their benefits, as detailed under incentives offered by the SSA.

Tuition and Financial Assistance for SSI Student Recipients with Disabilities

SSA Student Earned Income Exclusion as of 2002

- Impairment-Related Work Expense: Allows SSI recipient to exclude from their earnings, any expenses related to their disability. This must be paid for by the recipient.
- Blind Work Expense: For those legally blind, such expenses are deducted from earnings after the SSA divides earned income by half.
- Plan for Achieving Self-Support Program: Allows recipients to set aside income and resources needed to achieve a vocational goal.

Additional Work Incentives through the SSA

There is a need for educating students about resources and providing reassurance in light of possible concerns about the complexity of the process. This can be done by educating school guidance councelors, employment personnel, and disability service personnel about the benefits of SSI incentives. Furthermore, schools can offer assistance in applying for such benefits, career counseling catered to post-secondary students with disabilities, and promote employment of students with disabilities to local employers through outreach.

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