What Cash Benefits Do I Receive?
What are cash benefits?
Social Security administers two programs that provide cash benefits to people who have a disability: Title XVI (SSI) and Title II.
Comparing SSI and Title II
Title XVI: SSI
Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is a cash benefit available to people who are aged, blind, or disabled, have limited income and resources, and have little or no work history. This cash benefit is meant to help people pay for their food and shelter costs.
Title II:
Title II includes three different disability-related benefits. All are based on a person working and earning enough work credits to be “insured” under Social Security.
- Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) is a cash benefit for people who experience a disability and who have a work history. The monthly amount paid is based on the person’s own work record.
- Social Security Childhood Disability Beneficiary (SSCDB), also called Social Security Disabled Adult Child (DAC) is a cash benefit for people over age 18 who have a disability which started prior to age 22 and whose parent or parents are disabled, retired, or deceased. The monthly amount paid is based on the parents’ work record.
- Social Security Disabled Widow’s/Widower’s Beneficiary (SSDWB) is a cash benefit awarded due to the death of a spouse or former spouse. This benefit is only available for individuals between ages 50 and 60 who experience a disability.
Note: You might receive a combination of benefits. For example, a person might receive SSI and SSDI or be eligible for SSDI and SSCDB at the same time.
What benefit do you receive?
A great way to identify what benefit you receive is to sign up for a mySSA account. There, you can log in and see what benefit(s) you are eligible for, learn if you are fully insured, and access other useful information.
If you do not have a mySSA account, you can follow certain clues to identify what benefit you receive. You may need to read through a few of these clues to understand what you are eligible for.
Using MySSA to get a Benefit Verification Letter
Once you have created your MySSA account, you may be able to identify what cash benefits you receive through a benefit verification letter.
The video to the right provides a walk through of how to access your verification letter from your account. This can be a helpful for both yourself, as well as if you are working with a benefit planner for support.
Requesting a Benefit Verification Letter by Phone
Benefit verification letters can also be requested by phone if you do not have access to the internet or a MySSA account. For step-by-step instructions, click here.
1. When do you receive your cash benefit check?
- SSI arrives on or near the 1st of each month. (If the 1st falls on a weekend or holiday, the payment will arrive on the business day before the 1st.)
- Title II checks arrive on the 3rd day or later in the month.
Carrie
Carrie gets one cash benefit that arrives on the 15th of the month. Which does she probably receive?
- SSI
or
- Title II
Title II. Because Carrie receives her check in the middle of the month, not on the first day, she probably receives a Title II benefit check.
2. How large is your cash benefit check?
SSI
In 2026, the maximum SSI amount you can receive, if you are not married to another SSI recipient, is $994 per month. (Some states including Washington may add extra money to the SSI cash benefit.)
You may receive SSI but get less than the maximum SSI amount.
- Any income you receive, such as wages or another benefit check, may cause your SSI to be lower.
- If you are not paying for your fair share of food and shelter (also called “room and board”), you may get a reduced SSI check. (Does this sound like you? Check out this page on living arrangements for more information.)
Title II
The size of a Title II benefit depends on a person’s work history. A Title II benefit amount can be anywhere between a few hundred dollars to a few thousand dollars. If a person receives more than the full SSI amount by at least $20, they probably receive a Title II benefit.
Note: Some people can receive both SSI and Title II. The combination of both will not be more than the full SSI check ($994) plus $20.
Juan
Juan receives a cash benefit of $994 per month. What does he likely receive?
- SSI
or
- Title II
SSI. Juan receives an amount equal to the full SSI benefit amount, so he likely receives SSI.
Krista
Krista receives a cash benefit of $1,600 each month. Do they receive SSI?
- Yes
or
- No
No. Because Krista receives a cash benefit which is much more than the full SSI benefit amount, they do not receive SSI. Krista probably receives a Title II benefit.
Tomas
Tomas received a cash benefit of $700 in March, and he is working. What cash benefit does he receive?
- SSI
- Title II
or
- We don't know
We don’t know. SSI and Title II cash benefits can be less than the full SSI amount. Since Tomas’ benefit is less than $$994, we do not know what benefit he receives. We will revisit Tomas in the next clue.
3. Does your benefit check amount change each month when you report your monthly income?
- An SSI amount can change month to month, depending on how much income you receive and report to Social Security each month.
- A Title II benefit is an all-or-nothing cash benefit. Either you get the full cash benefit, or you get no benefit check.
Tomas
Tomas received a cash benefit of $700 in March, and he is working. In April, Tomas’ cash benefit changed to $825. In May, Tomas’ cash benefit changed to $750. What cash benefit does he probably receive?
- SSI
or
- Title II
SSI. Tomas’ benefit is changing month to month. This change is probably due to Tom’s wages changing each month. As Tom reports his monthly wages, Social Security adjusts his SSI amount, based on his income.
I think I receive a Title II benefit.
Which type do I get?
SSDI and SSCDB are common Title II benefits.
SSDI is based on your work history. If you have worked for at least 1½ years or longer, you may be eligible for a monthly SSDI cash benefit, based on your own work record.
SSCDB is based on a parent’s work history. If you are over age 18 and have a disability which began prior to age 22, and your parent has either died; is retired and collecting Social Security benefits; or is disabled and collecting Social Security benefits, you may be eligible for SSCDB benefits.
What benefit does each person receive?
Hanan
Hanan experiences a disability. She has been working part time for many years. She receives a cash benefit of $1,375 per month. Her parents are not retired nor disabled, and both are still living. Which benefit does she probably receive?
- SSCDB
or
- SSDI
SSDI.
- Because Hanan’s parents are alive and not collecting Social Security benefits, Hanan would not qualify for SSCDB.
- Hanan has a work history. This means she has paid into Social Security and may have “insured status.” Hanan probably receives SSDI.
Esther
Esther has had a disability since childhood. Esther is now 24 years old and receives a cash benefit of $1,630 per month. She has never worked. Her mother retired last year and is collecting Social Security benefits. Do you think Esther receives SSDI or SSCDB?
- SSDI
or
- SSCDB
SSCDB.
- Esther has never worked, so she would not qualify for SSDI.
- Esther is over age 18, she has a disability that started prior to age 22, and her mother is collecting a Social Security cash benefit. All signs point to Esther being eligible for SSCDB benefits.
Kai
Kai has had a disability since childhood. Kai is now 30 years old and receives two cash benefits totaling $1,490 per month. She has worked for four years. Her father retired last year and is collecting Social Security benefits. What do you think Kai receives?
- SSDI
- SSCDB
or
- Possibly both SSDI and SSCDB
Possibly both SSDI and SSCDB.
- Kai has a work history, so she might qualify for SSDI.
- She has a disability that started prior to age 22, and her father retired and is collecting a Social Security cash benefit, so she might qualify for SSCDB.
- Kai also receives two benefit checks. There is a good chance she receives SSDI, based on her own work record, and SSCDB, based on her father’s work record.