Income
Income is money you receive — Social Security, SSDI, a pension, wages, and similar. Before comparing your income to the limit, Social Security subtracts a $20 general income disregard each month. There are additional rules for earned income (wages) that can exclude more, which is why people who are still working sometimes qualify even when their gross pay looks high.
Generally not counted as income for Extra Help:
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments
- Food assistance (SNAP) and most housing assistance
- Home energy assistance
- Most disaster relief and certain scholarships
The full earned-income exclusion and in-kind-support rules are more detailed than a quick estimate can capture. Our eligibility check applies the $20 general disregard and tells you honestly that SSA does the final math — a SHIP counselor can apply the rest to your exact situation.
Resources
Resources are things you own that could be turned into cash. The big exclusions matter most:
- Your home does not count — the house you live in is excluded.
- One vehicle does not count.
- Personal belongings and household goods generally don’t count.
- Burial plots and certain burial funds are excluded.
What does count:
- Money in checking and savings accounts
- Stocks, bonds, and mutual funds
- Real estate other than your home
The burial set-aside
If you tell Social Security you expect to use some savings for burial or funeral expenses, the resource limit is raised by $1,500 per person. That moves the 2026 single limit from $16,590 to $18,090, and the couple limit from $33,100 to $36,100. Most applicants qualify for this set-aside.
Your state may ignore resources entirely
The resource test above is the federal Extra Help rule. For Medicare Savings Programs, many states apply no resource test at all— so even if your savings are over the federal Extra Help line, your state’s MSP may still qualify you (and an MSP gives you full Extra Help automatically). Check your state.