The Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) protects Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits for people who are under the age of 22 and attending school so that they can have some earnings which are not counted for the SSI technical rules that limit income and assets under eligibility rules. These rules are in place to try to encourage people to attempt to work, but at the same time protect some benefits if employment is not successful. A description of the program from Social Security is below.
Are you working or planning to work? The SEIE allows youth under age 22 who are regularly attending school to have some of their earnings excluded from their countable income when determining SSI eligibility and payment. The amount that we can exclude generally increases each year. The current amount we can exclude can be found in The Red Book – A Guide to Work Incentives. You can find it at www.socialsecurity.gov/redbook online. This means that earnings up to these limits will not change SSI payment amounts. The SEIE is available to you if you are participating in any of the following:
- Grades 7-12 for at least 12 hours a week;
- A college or university for at least 8 hours a week under a semester or quarter system;
- A training course to prepare for employment for at least 12 hours a week (or 15 hours a week if the course involves shop practice);
- Any of the above for less time for reasons beyond the student’s control, such as illness; or
- A transition program preparing you for employment while you receive special education services.
The SEIE is available during school vacations if you attend classes regularly just before and after the school vacation and tell Social Security. If you are home schooled, we may consider you regularly attending school.
