Resources & 2026 eligibility limits

Reference figures for 2026 (federal and Pennsylvania). These are informational ceilings only — SSA, PA DHS, and your county assistance office make the actual eligibility determinations. Always confirm with a benefits counselor before acting.

10-day reporting rule. Report changes in income, assets, work, household, or marital status within 10 days — by the 10th of the month after the month the change happened (e.g. a change in April is reported by May 10). This applies to SSDI/DAC, Medicaid & Waiver, QMB, Medicare Extra Help, and SNAP.

Social Security (SSDI / DAC)

SSDI — Substantial Gainful Activity (SGA), non-blind	$1,690 / mo	Gross earned income only. Earning above this (after the Trial Work Period / EPE) can end SSDI cash benefits.
DAC (Disabled Adult Child)	No earned-income cap	Disability must have begun before age 22; recipient generally unmarried; parent on SS/SSDI or deceased. SGA still governs whether the disability is considered ongoing.

Medicare Part D Extra Help (LIS) — single, 2026

Monthly income	$2,015 / mo	$24,180 / year. SSDI, DAC, and wages all count.
Resource (asset) limit	$18,090	Excludes home, car, and personal items.

Pennsylvania Medicaid & Waiver — 2026

HCBS / CHC Waiver — income	$2,982 / mo	300% of SSI FBR. SSDI + wages count; DAC excluded. Approval confers full Medicaid (deemed eligible).
HCBS / CHC Waiver — assets	$8,000	Higher for married applicants (spousal impoverishment).
Full Medicaid (ABD / Healthy Horizons) — income	$1,330 / mo	Single. SSDI counts; DAC excluded.
Full Medicaid (ABD) — assets	$2,000	$8,000 if Medicaid was entered through a waiver.
MAWD (Workers with Disabilities) — assets	$8,000 / $2,400	Keeps Medicaid/Waiver above SSDI's SGA limit; premium ~5% of countable income.
QMB (Medicare Savings) — income	$1,350 / mo	100% FPL + $20. Pays Medicare premiums & cost-sharing.
QMB — resources	~$9,660	Single.

Pennsylvania SNAP — gross monthly income (200% FPL), 2025–2026

Household of 1	$2,610 / mo
Household of 2	$3,534 / mo
Household of 3	$4,458 / mo
Household of 4	$5,360 / mo
Household of 5	$6,284 / mo
Household of 6	$7,208 / mo	Add ~$924 per additional person.
Resource limit	$4,250	Only if the household has an elderly/disabled member and fails the gross-income test; otherwise no asset limit.

SSI & Special Needs Trust distributions — 2026

SSI Federal Benefit Rate (FBR)	$994 / mo	Individual ($1,491 for an eligible couple). SSI pays the FBR minus countable income.
Cash paid to the beneficiary	$1-for-$1	Counts as unearned income — reduces SSI dollar-for-dollar after the $20 general exclusion. An SNT should never distribute cash.
Shelter paid to a vendor (ISM)	Capped ~$331 / mo	Rent, mortgage, property tax, gas, electric, water. Counted at the Presumed Maximum Value (PMV = ⅓ FBR + $20 ≈ $351.33), so a $1,500 rent payment lowers the check by only ~$331.33 — leaving ~$662.67 plus fully-paid housing.
Food / non-shelter paid to a vendor	$0 impact	Groceries, internet, phone, cable, tuition, clothing. Fully excluded — SSA removed food from In-Kind Support & Maintenance effective Sept 30, 2024 (89 FR 21246).

Effect of payments coming from an SNT — 2026

Estimate how a single trust distribution affects the monthly SSI check. Informational only — real cases also turn on living arrangement, deeming, and any state supplement.

How is the payment made?

Cash to the beneficiaryCounts dollar-for-dollarShelter paid to a vendorRent, mortgage, taxes, utilitiesFood / other paid to a vendorGroceries, internet, phone, cable, tuition…

Payment amount

Other unearned income

Use the eligible-couple FBR ($1,491.00/mo)

Estimated SSI check this month

$662.67

Federal Benefit Rate: $994.00
Counted as income: $351.33
Reduction from this payment: − $331.33
Presumed Maximum Value (cap): $351.33

Shelter paid directly to a vendor (rent, mortgage, property tax, gas, electric, water) is In-Kind Support & Maintenance, counted at no more than the Presumed Maximum Value — so the reduction is capped, not dollar-for-dollar.

Remember the formula, not the figure: PMV = (⅓ × FBR) + $20. Only the FBR changes each January with the COLA, and the cap follows from it. The rule of thumb: an SNT should pay vendors directly (never the beneficiary in cash), which limits any hit to the capped shelter reduction and makes food and non-shelter payments cost nothing in benefits.

Note: SNT (Special Needs Trust) and ABLE account balances are excluded from countable assets across these programs — separate from the income rules above, which govern how trust payments affect the monthly SSI check.

Medicaid work requirements — Pennsylvania expansion (2027)

Effective January 1, 2027 for ages 19–64 in Medicaid expansion. Most enrollees must document 80 hours/month of qualifying activity (paid work ≈ $580/mo, volunteering, training, half-time education, or a combination) — or qualify for an exemption. Informational only; COMPASS / your county assistance office make the determination.

Monthly hours tracker

Paid workhrsVolunteering / community servicehrsJob training / workforce programhrsHalf-time (or more) educationhrs

0.0 / 80 hours — 80.0 still needed.

Reviewing a medical-frailty exemption? Diagnosis alone is insufficient — keep records that show the condition limits the ability to complete 80 hours.

Common exemptions

Pregnant
Primary caregiver of a dependent child or incapacitated person
Receiving unemployment compensation
Participating in a substance-use disorder treatment program
Medically frail — diagnosis alone is not enough; documentation must show the condition limits the ability to meet 80 hours/month
American Indian / Alaska Native (where the state adopts that exemption)

2027 → 2028 documentation cliff

2027 may allow self-attestation of hours or exemptions. Expect a documentation cliff in 2028 — save pay stubs, timesheets, school enrollment, and medical letters in the Vault under Work & activity and Proof of disability.

Reporting

Report through COMPASS or your County Assistance Office (CAO).

Appeals

File within 30 days. If you appeal before the effective date of the action, ask for aid continuing. Path: Bureau of Hearings and Appeals (BHA) → Administrative Law Judge → 15-day reconsideration → Commonwealth Court. Help: Pennsylvania Health Law Project 1-800-274-3258.

Salary increase + SNT disbursement — reporting scenarios

Wage changes and trust payouts interact. Pick a scenario to see SSI vs SSDI impact and the reporting steps for SSA and COMPASS/CAO. Informational only.

1. Salary increase only (no SNT payout this month)

Gross wages go up. No Special Needs Trust distribution in the same month.

SSI impact

Countable earned income = (gross − $85) ÷ 2. Higher wages lower the SSI check on the sliding scale; they do not create ISM.

SSDI / DAC impact

Watch SGA ($1,690/mo non-blind, 2026) and TWP service months ($1,210/mo). After 9 TWP months, SGA can zero the SSDI check.

Reporting steps

Report the wage change to SSA (SSI and/or SSDI/DAC) by the 10th of the month after the change month.
Report to COMPASS / County Assistance Office for Medicaid, Waiver, SNAP, and QMB if enrolled.
File gross pay stubs (not just deposit dates) — bank deposits alone understate overtime and miss pre-tax deductions timing.

File in Vault

Job & income — pay stubs
Work & activity — hours if MAGI work rules may apply

Eligibility-loss warning scenarios (30)

Warning types beyond basic limit bars — cliffs, reporting clocks, SNT payment effects, and ABLE suspension risk. 14 auto-detect from linked activity; the rest are reference warnings you can opt into under Settings → alert types.

Auto-detected from account activity

Scenario	Type	Programs	Risk
SSDI cash cliff after Trial Work Period	Cliff	SSDI	Gross earnings at or above SGA ($1,690/mo non-blind, 2026) after the 9-month TWP can drop the SSDI check to $0.
Trial Work Period service month	Cliff	SSDI	Gross earnings ≥ $1,210/mo (2026) count as a TWP service month — 9 months in a rolling 60-month window.
DAC — earnings threaten disability status	Cliff	DAC	DAC has no separate wage cap, but earnings above SGA can end the disability finding and stop DAC.
SSI cash reduced to $0 near FBR	Cliff	SSI	When countable income reaches the Federal Benefit Rate ($994 individual, 2026), the SSI check falls to $0.
SSI resource limit ($2,000)	Cliff	SSI	Countable resources over $2,000 can suspend SSI. Home, one car, properly structured SNT, and ABLE are usually excluded.
ABD / Healthy Horizons income limit	Cliff	Medicaid	Full ABD Medicaid income ceiling is about $1,350/mo (100% FPL + $20) for a single adult — SSI-related counting applies.
ABD Medicaid resource limit	Cliff	Medicaid	Standard ABD countable resources are capped near $2,000 ($8,000 if Medicaid entered through a waiver).
HCBS / CHC Waiver income ceiling	Cliff	Medicaid	2026 waiver income limit is $2,982/mo (300% FBR). Only the applicant’s income counts; DAC is often excluded in PA (1634).
SSDI lost, Waiver still safe (twilight zone)	Cliff	SSDI, Medicaid	Earnings can end SSDI cash (SGA) while still leaving room under the $2,982 waiver income limit.
MAWD safety net when working	Cliff	Medicaid	MAWD allows higher income (250% FPL ≈ $3,325; up to 600% FPL after 12 months on Job Success) but requires paid work and a premium.
QMB income or resource limit	Cliff	QMB	QMB (≈ $1,350 income / ~$9,660–$9,950 resources, single) pays Medicare premiums and cost-sharing — separate from full Medicaid.
Medicare Extra Help (LIS) income/resources	Cliff	ExtraHelp	2026 Extra Help single limits ≈ $2,015/mo income and $18,090 resources (SSDI, DAC, and wages all count).
SNAP gross income over 200% FPL	Cliff	SNAP	PA SNAP uses a 200% FPL gross test (≈ $2,610 HH1). Crossing it is a 10-day reportable change.
Wage change — 10-day reporting clock	Reporting	SSI, SSDI, DAC, Medicaid, SNAP, QMB	Most PA/SSA income and work changes must be reported by the 10th of the month after the change month.

Reference / manual awareness

Scenario	Type	Programs	Risk
DAC ended by marriage	Reporting	DAC	Marrying someone who is not a Title II beneficiary generally ends DAC.
Medical improvement / stopping treatment	Reporting	SSDI, DAC	Medical improvement or stopping prescribed treatment can trigger a continuing-disability review.
SNT cash paid to the beneficiary	SNT	SSI	Cash from an SNT is unearned income — dollar-for-dollar after the $20 general exclusion.
SNT shelter → ISM (PMV cap)	SNT	SSI	Rent/mortgage/property tax/gas/electric/water paid by an SNT to a vendor is ISM, capped at PMV (⅓ FBR + $20 ≈ $351.33 in 2026; ~$331 net reduction).
ABLE balance over $100,000	ABLE	SSI, ABLE	SSI cash suspends while ABLE countable cash exceeds $100,000; Medicaid can continue.
Age-18 SSI adult redetermination	Cliff	SSI	At 18, SSA applies the adult disability standard. Losing SSI can also end J-category Medicaid.
Student earned-income exclusion ends	Cliff	SSI	Student Earned Income Exclusion (up to $2,410/mo / $9,730/yr in 2026) ends when the student turns 22 or leaves school.
MAGI Medicaid 80-hour work rule (2027)	Reporting	Medicaid	Starting Jan 1, 2027, expansion adults 19–64 must report 80 hrs/mo (or qualify for an exemption) or risk disenrollment and marketplace subsidy lockout.
MAGI semi-annual renewal (2027)	Reporting	Medicaid	MAGI expansion adults shift to 6-month renewals in 2027. Missing a renewal ends coverage.
SNAP work exemption lost	Reporting	SNAP	Losing disability status, dropping below required hours, or leaving school/training can end a work exemption.
Lump-sum / inheritance / settlement	Reporting	SSI, Medicaid	Lump sums can push resources over $2,000 for SSI/ABD in the month received.
Household composition change	Reporting	SNAP, Medicaid, SSI	Someone moving in/out, a child turning 22, or a spouse joining can change SNAP/Medicaid household size and deeming.
SNT shelter while on SSDI (not SSI)	SNT	SSDI	SSDI has no ISM reduction — vendor-paid shelter/food from a third-party SNT generally does not count as personal income if the trust stays titled owner.
Overpayment from late reporting	Reporting	SSI, SSDI, Medicaid, SNAP	Late or missing reports commonly create overpayment demands even when the person remains eligible after recalculation.
1619(b) — Medicaid while SSI cash is $0	Cliff	SSI, Medicaid	When earned income zeros the SSI check, 1619(b) can keep Medicaid if other 1619(b) tests are met — losing SSI cash is not automatically losing medical coverage.
Medicaid renewal packet due	Reporting	Medicaid	PA DHS mails a reminder ~90 days before renewal; a pink packet arrives closer to the due date. Missing it ends coverage until re-approved.