The SSI Student Earned Income Exclusion in 2026: How a Working Student Under 22 Can Earn Up to $2,410 a Month and $9,730 a Year Without Touching Their SSI Check Under POMS SI 00820.510

By Anthony Albert, Benefits Research Director · Published June 15, 2026 · 13 min read

The Student Earned Income Exclusion (SEIE) is the most powerful work incentive in the entire SSI rulebook for young people. It lets a recipient who is under age 22 and regularly attending school keep their full SSI check while earning up to $2,410 a month, capped at $9,730 a year for 2026. SSA reduces zero from the SSI payment until the student blows past the cap.

The problem is that almost no one explains it. Field office reps mention it in passing. Schools don't know it exists. Parents find out about it after their kid has already lost a full month of SSI because nobody filed an SSA-1372 (the school attendance verification form). This guide walks through what SEIE is in 2026, who qualifies as a student, how the math stacks against other SSI income exclusions, and how to keep the paperwork clean.

What SEIE actually is

Section 1612(b)(1) of the Social Security Act authorizes the exclusion. The operating instructions live in POMS SI 00820.510 (Student Earned Income Exclusion).

Three things have to be true:

1. The SSI recipient is under age 22 during the calendar month in question.
2. The recipient is "regularly attending school" as defined in POMS SI 00501.020.
3. The recipient has earned income from wages or self-employment.

When all three are true, SSA excludes the first $2,410 of monthly gross earned income from countable income, up to an annual cap of $9,730. The exclusion runs from January 1 through December 31 of each calendar year.

The exclusion sits at the very front of the SSI income calculation. SSA applies SEIE before the $20 general income exclusion, before the $65 earned income exclusion, and before the 50 percent earned income exclusion. This ordering matters and we'll work through why.

The 2026 numbers in plain dollars

SSA published the 2026 SEIE figures in October 2025 alongside the rest of the COLA adjustments. The 2.8 percent COLA bumped the SEIE from the 2025 levels of $2,350/$9,460 to 2026 levels of:

• Monthly SEIE maximum: $2,410
• Annual SEIE maximum: $9,730

The math: 2025 unrounded monthly was $2,347.90. Multiply by 1.028 to get $2,413.64. Round down to the nearest $10 to get $2,410. The annual is computed the same way: 2025 unrounded annual was $9,468.42. Multiply by 1.028 to get $9,733.54. Round down to $9,730.

The 2026 SSI Federal Benefit Rate sits at $994 individual and $1,491 couple. SEIE doesn't change those numbers. It just changes what counts as countable income when SSA computes the monthly check.

Who counts as a "student" under SI 00501.020

The definition is broader than people expect. SSA considers you a student if you attend any of the following on a regular basis:

• A college or university for at least 8 hours per week.
• Grades 7 through 12 for at least 12 hours per week.
• A course of training to prepare for a paying job for at least 12 hours per week (15 hours per week if shop practice is involved).
• Online instruction or home schooling at hours that meet state requirements.
• A combination of any of the above that adds up to the minimum hours.

The key word is "regularly." SSA accepts a verbal report from the student, the school, or the parent that the student is attending, subject to verification using the SSA-1372 (Advance Notice of Termination of Child's Benefits) or the SSA-1372-BK if the school confirms by signed statement.

Special rules cover students who are temporarily out of school. If the student is between semesters or on summer break and intends to return to the next term, SSA continues to treat them as a student for up to four calendar months. That means a college student who works full time over the summer can still apply SEIE to those summer earnings under POMS SI 00820.510C.4.

Students who attend school but who are not "regularly attending" (irregular hours, sporadic attendance, dropped courses without returning) don't qualify even if they're enrolled. SSA looks at actual attendance, not just enrollment status.

How SEIE interacts with the rest of the SSI income rules

Here is the order SSA applies exclusions when computing SSI for a student:

1. Apply SEIE: subtract up to $2,410 (or whatever remains of the annual $9,730 cap) from gross earned income.
2. Apply the $20 general income exclusion: subtract $20 from remaining unearned income first. If there's no unearned income, the $20 applies to earned income instead.
3. Apply the $65 earned income exclusion: subtract $65 from the remaining earned income.
4. Apply the 50 percent earned income exclusion: divide the remaining earned income by 2.
5. Subtract any Impairment-Related Work Expenses (IRWE) per POMS SI 00820.540.
6. Subtract any Blind Work Expenses (BWE) if the recipient meets the statutory blindness definition.
7. The result is countable earned income.

For a student who earns less than $2,410 in a month, SEIE wipes the entire earned income out before any of the other rules kick in. The SSI check stays at the full Federal Benefit Rate.

What the math looks like at different earnings levels

At $2,500 in monthly earnings, the SSI check drops by $2.50. At $3,000, the SSI check drops by $252.50 (so an SSI individual receiving $994 would get $741.50 that month). At $4,000, the SSI check drops by $752.50, leaving $241.50 in SSI for the month.

Without SEIE, that same $2,500 earner would have $1,207.50 in countable income (($2,500 - $20 - $65) / 2 = $1,207.50). That eliminates the SSI check entirely. SEIE turns a $0 SSI month into a $991.50 SSI month for someone earning $2,500.

How the annual cap actually works

The $9,730 annual cap is the ceiling on total SEIE exclusion across the calendar year. SSA tracks this on a running basis. Once cumulative SEIE exclusions in 2026 reach $9,730, the exclusion stops for the rest of the year. Any earnings after that hit the standard $20 / $65 / 50 percent treatment.

Example: A student earns $2,000 a month from January through April (4 months x $2,000 = $8,000 excluded). In May they earn $2,400. SSA can only exclude $1,730 of that $2,400 (because $8,000 + $1,730 = $9,730, hitting the annual cap). The remaining $670 goes through the standard exclusion sequence. From June onward, SEIE is exhausted for the year. Standard rules apply to all earnings the rest of the year.

The cap resets January 1 of the next calendar year. A student who exhausts SEIE in July 2026 gets a fresh $9,730 cap starting January 1, 2027 (subject to the 2027 COLA bump).

Reporting earnings to SSA when SEIE applies

The reporting rules are the same as for any other SSI recipient. The student (or representative payee) has to report:

• Gross monthly earnings by the 10th of the following month.
• Any change in employer, hours, or wage rate.
• Any change in school attendance status (enrolling, dropping out, graduating, transferring).
• Age milestones, especially turning 22.

SSA uses the SSI Wage Reporting telephone system, the SSA Mobile Wage Reporting app, the my Social Security online portal, or in-person reporting at the field office. The reporting requirement does not change based on whether SEIE applies. SSA still wants to see the gross numbers each month.

School attendance is verified annually using the SSA-1372 (Advance Notice of Termination of Child's Benefits) or by signed statement from the school. The field office sends this form automatically as the student approaches the next term, but it's worth checking that it gets returned. A missing SSA-1372 will pause SEIE until SSA gets verification.

When the student turns 22

SEIE ends in the month the recipient turns 22. POMS SI 00820.510C.3 is clear: the exclusion applies through the month before the 22nd birthday, then stops. There is no grace period and no transitional treatment.

If the student was already in an annual cap drawdown when they turn 22, the unused portion of the cap is lost. There's no carry-forward into adulthood. The student moves from the SEIE-friendly math to standard adult SSI math the month they turn 22.

For students who are about to age out of SEIE, the planning move is to maximize the use of SEIE in the months leading up to the 22nd birthday. If you turn 22 in October 2026, take a heavier work schedule from January through September to maximize the $9,730 cap usage. The cap is use-it-or-lose-it for that final year.

How SEIE stacks with PASS and IRWE

SEIE is not the only work incentive available. The full stack for a working student under 22 includes:

1. SEIE: $2,410/month, $9,730/year, applies first.
2. PASS (Plan to Achieve Self-Support): SSA can exclude income and resources set aside for an approved vocational goal. Lives in POMS SI 00870.001.
3. IRWE (Impairment-Related Work Expenses): Subtract reasonable expenses for items or services needed to work that are paid out of pocket. Lives in POMS SI 00820.540.
4. BWE (Blind Work Expenses): For statutorily blind SSI recipients, even broader expense deductions.
5. Section 1619(a): Continued cash SSI when earnings exceed SGA. POMS SI 02302.010.
6. Section 1619(b): Continued Medicaid eligibility when earnings exceed the cash break-even point. POMS SI 02302.040.

For a college student under 22 with a vocational goal, the stack can mean earning $40,000 a year while still receiving full SSI and full Medicaid. Read more in our PASS plan 2026 guide and the IRWE 2026 guide.

State-specific student supports

For state-specific Vocational Rehabilitation programs that coordinate with SEIE, see the California disability benefits page, the Texas disability benefits page, the New York disability benefits page, the Florida disability benefits page, and the Illinois disability benefits page.

Common SEIE mistakes that cost students money

Worked example 1: Sofia, California college student, 19 years old

Worked example 2: Marcus, Texas high school senior, 17 years old

Special rules for parental deeming and SEIE

SSI children under 18 living with parents are subject to parental deeming under POMS SI 01310. Parental income above certain thresholds is "deemed" available to the child, reducing the child's SSI.

SEIE only applies to the child's own earned income, not to deemed parental income. If the parents earn income that pushes the child over the deeming threshold, SEIE doesn't help with that calculation. SEIE only protects the child's wages from a part-time job.

This matters for working high school students in two-parent households. A 17-year-old who works at a grocery store can use SEIE to protect those wages, but if the parents' earned income is high enough to deem the child off SSI entirely, SEIE doesn't change that result. The deeming math runs in parallel.

SEIE and the age-18 redetermination

The biggest cliff in SSI is the age-18 redetermination. Childhood SSI uses the functional equivalence standard under 20 CFR 416.926a. Adult SSI uses the sequential evaluation under 20 CFR 416.920. Many children who qualified as kids don't qualify as adults.

SEIE applies through age 22 regardless of which standard the recipient qualifies under. A 19-year-old who passed the age-18 redetermination and is now on adult SSI still gets SEIE if they're a student. Read our age-18 redetermination deep dive for the full process.

How SEIE plays with the SSI resource limit

SEIE excludes earned income from countable income for SSI eligibility and payment calculations. It does not exclude the earnings from countable resources once they've been deposited and held into the next month.

That distinction is critical. A student who earns $2,000/month and keeps it in their checking account month after month will accumulate countable resources. By month 1, they have $2,000 (right at the cap). By month 2, $4,000 (well over the cap). SSA suspends eligibility for any month the resource cap is exceeded as of the first moment of the month.

The fix is to spend or shelter earnings within the month they're received. Options:

• Spend on rent, food, transportation, and other regular expenses.
• Deposit into an ABLE account (up to $19,000 in 2026, plus an additional $15,650 if the account holder works under the ABLE to Work provision).
• Save in a PASS-approved account toward an approved vocational goal.
• Convert to exempt resources (a primary residence, a single vehicle, certain household goods).

A working student who earns SEIE-protected income but lets it pile up in checking will lose SSI eligibility under the resource cap, even though the income side of the math is clean. Both sides matter.

Related reading

• SSI Age-18 Redetermination 2026
• Age-18 SSI Redetermination Deep Dive 2026
• PASS Plan to Achieve Self-Support 2026
• IRWE Impairment-Related Work Expenses 2026
• Blind Work Expenses (BWE) SSI 2026
• ABLE Account SSI Disability 2026
• Section 1619(b) Medicaid Continuation for Working SSI
• SSI Income Exclusions 2026

Frequently asked questions