Every time there is a story about how much Social Security pays out in benefits there are going to be comments from readers who complain that undocumented workers are recipients of a lot of benefits they do not deserve, or that they have not contributed, but rather just collected money from Social Security. Sometimes the truth is hard to find, but other times it is easy to find, but people don’t want to listen. It is a fact that not only do undocumented workers pay into Social Security for the benefit of the retirement and disability trust funds, but that they are also unable to collect any money in retirement or Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) funds. They pay into these programs, but take nothing out, so their contributions actually benefit American workers. People who claim undocumented workers collect retirement and or disability insurance funds are not informed and these claims are false.
Many times SSDI gets confused with Supplemental Security Income (SSI). Although SSI is a program administered by the Social Security Administration, benefits do not come from Social Security’s trust funds, but rather the general fund. The SSI program provides funds to low-income disabled and retired people. The maximum monthly payout for SSI recipients is $735. It is correct that some undocumented non-citizens can collect SSI benefits, but only under extremely rare circumstances. Social Security will pay SSI benefits to non-citizens if they can provide proof of refugee status or proof they are lawfully admitted for permanent residence in the United States. People who fall under this category are mainly refugees and asylum seekers who may be undocumented, but who are also in the country legally. The myth about Social Security paying people who are in the country illegally just are not true, and, the opposite is probably true, that many undocumented workers have increased funds for Social Security without taking anything out.
