Children with disabilities can also receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and in 2027 the maximum federal amount will be $1,029 a month after the 3.6% COLA confirmed by the Social Security Administration (SSA).
However, not every family with a child with a disability qualifies. The SSA reviews both the child’s medical condition and the income and resources of the parents who live with the child.
Requirements for a child to receive SSI
A child under 18 can qualify for SSI if they meet these conditions:
- Medical condition | a physical or mental condition that causes “marked and severe functional limitations”.
- Duration | the condition must have lasted, or be expected to last, at least 12 months or result in death.
- Work | the child must not be working and earning more than the substantial gainful activity limit.
- Income and resources | the household must be within the program’s limits.
What parental deeming is
Until the child turns 18, the SSA counts part of the parents’ income and resources as if they belonged to the child. This process is known as deeming. The agency first subtracts allowances for the parents and for the other children in the home, and only the remaining amount is considered available to the child.
For this reason, two families with similar children can receive very different amounts, or one of them may not qualify at all. The resource limit for the child is $2,000, but part of the parents’ assets above their own allowance is also counted. The family home and one car are not counted.
What happens when the child turns 18
At 18, the parents’ income is no longer counted, and the SSA reviews the case using the adult disability rules. Many young people who did not qualify as children can begin receiving SSI at that point. We explained the general rules in our guide on who qualifies for SSI and the resource limits.
When the new amount arrives
Like all SSI recipients, children will receive the first payment with the COLA on Thursday, December 31, 2026, which corresponds to January. Before that, the November payment arrives early, on Friday, October 30. The full schedule is in our calendar for the rest of October.
The new amounts for adults are the same: up to $1,029 for an individual, as detailed in our article about SSI payments in 2027.
