SSI maximum benefits for adult son with Down Syndrome - what housing expense ratio qualifies?

This is definitely one of the more confusing aspects of SSI. Your son is likely receiving a reduced amount because of what's called the "one-third reduction rule." Basically, if SSA determines he's living in your household and not paying his fair share of expenses, they reduce his benefit by about 1/3. To get the full Federal Benefit Rate (FBR), he needs to pay what SSA considers his "pro-rata share" of household expenses. That means if there are 3 people in the household, he should be paying 1/3 of the rent/mortgage, food, and utilities. You need to document these payments carefully - preferably with canceled checks or electronic transfers rather than cash. Keep in mind he also needs to be using his own money for these expenses - not just redistributing the SSI funds you receive on his behalf.

We went thru this with my daughter!!!! Its SO FRUSTRATING. We had to do a "rental agreement" even tho she lives with us and they STILL didn't give her the full amount for like 8 months!!!! You need to get something in writing and keep EVERY receipt. They told us she needed to pay "fair market value" but never explained what that meant exactly????

I work as a benefits counselor for people with developmental disabilities. Here's what you need to know: 1. The "one-third reduction rule" applies when someone lives in another person's household and receives both food and shelter from them without paying fair market value. 2. To avoid this reduction, your son needs to pay his fair share of household expenses. This doesn't necessarily mean exactly 1/3 if you have 3 people - it means his proportional share based on the number of people in the household. 3. You have two potential approaches: - Have him pay his pro-rata share of actual household expenses (divide total household costs by number of household members) - Create a formal rental agreement at fair market value for a room in your area 4. Document everything with a paper trail - checks, electronic transfers, receipts. 5. Request a "PMV determination" (Presumed Maximum Value) from SSA where they'll calculate exactly what he should pay. The maximum SSI federal benefit in 2025 is $944, and some states add supplements to this amount.

To answer your follow-up question, you can request a PMV determination any time - you don't need to wait for the annual review. Just contact your local SSA office and specifically ask for this calculation. Regarding the rental agreement approach versus pro-rata share of expenses, there are pros and cons to both: Rental Agreement approach: - Pros: Cleaner documentation, less ongoing calculation needed - Cons: Must be at fair market value (which might be higher than his benefit amount), and SSA might scrutinize if it seems artificially created just to maximize benefits Pro-rata share approach: - Pros: Often results in a lower total amount he needs to pay, more clearly follows SSA guidelines - Cons: Requires more detailed recordkeeping as expenses change month to month For most families, the pro-rata approach works better because the total amount is typically lower than market rent for a room.

my brother has disabilities and gets SSI to, we just have him pay a flat $600 for everything and he gets full benefits. i think its more about showing that hes paying something consistent rather than the exact amount tbh

I've been helping folks navigate SSI for years, and this question comes up constantly. Here's a simplified explanation: The SSA has two rules that might be reducing your son's SSI: 1. The "one-third reduction rule" - applies when someone lives in another person's household and receives food and shelter for free 2. The "presumed maximum value rule" (PMV) - applies when someone gets food and shelter from others but pays something (just not their full share) If you want to maximize his SSI, you need to ensure he's paying his full pro-rata share of household expenses. For a household of 3, that's generally 1/3 of: - Rent/mortgage - Property taxes/insurance (if not in mortgage) - Utilities (electricity, gas, water, garbage) - Food Creating a simple spreadsheet showing these calculations and keeping proof of payment (bank transfers work best) will help tremendously during reviews. The most common mistake I see is families not including ALL household expenses in their calculations, which makes the pro-rata share lower than it should be.

Yes, you can generally include internet as a utility since it's considered an essential service nowadays. Phone bills are trickier - if it's a shared family plan, you can include his portion. For property taxes, absolutely include those if you pay them separately from your mortgage. Additional household expenses you might be overlooking: - Home maintenance costs - Household supplies (cleaning products, toilet paper, etc.) - Home insurance Keep in mind that even with perfect documentation, dealing with SSA can be incredibly frustrating. They're chronically understaffed and caseworkers can be inconsistent in how they apply the rules.

Everyone here is overthinking this... just have ur son pay "rent" by writing a check each month and depositing it back in his account later if u don't actually need the $. That's what my cousin does with her disabled daughter. SSA doesn't track where the money goes after he pays u.

Thank you everyone for all this helpful information! I'm going to create a spreadsheet tracking ALL household expenses and calculate his 1/3 share. I'll make sure to include property taxes, home insurance, and internet that I wasn't counting before. I'll also set up bank transfers instead of the cash payments we've been doing. I think I need to contact our local office to request that PMV determination so we can get an official calculation. If I have trouble getting through to them, I might try that Claimyr service since it sounds like it could save a lot of time. It's frustrating that SSA makes this so complicated, but I'm determined to make sure my son gets his full benefit. He deserves it, and every dollar makes a difference in his quality of life.

As someone who went through this exact situation with my adult daughter who has autism, I completely understand your frustration! The SSI system seems designed to be confusing. One thing that really helped us was creating a formal "household expense sharing agreement" that we both signed. It clearly outlined exactly what expenses she was responsible for and how much. This made it much easier when the SSA reviewer asked for documentation. Also, don't forget about seasonal expenses that might affect your calculations - things like higher heating bills in winter or air conditioning in summer. We found it was better to average these out over the year rather than having her payment fluctuate month to month. The key is consistency and documentation. Once you get the system set up properly, it becomes much more manageable. Your son is lucky to have such an advocate looking out for his benefits!

I went through a similar situation with my son who has intellectual disabilities. One thing I learned the hard way is that you should also keep records of any other income sources your son might have - even small amounts from things like birthday gifts or occasional odd jobs can affect his SSI calculation. Also, when you're documenting the household expenses, make sure you're only including the expenses that actually benefit him directly. For example, if you have a home office that he doesn't use, don't include that portion of utilities or space in the calculation. SSA can be pretty strict about this. I'd recommend calling ahead before going to the SSA office to make sure you bring exactly what they need for the PMV determination. Different offices sometimes ask for different documentation, and it's so frustrating to make the trip only to be told you need additional paperwork. The good news is once you get it straightened out, the increased monthly payment really does make a meaningful difference. Hang in there - you're doing great advocating for your son!

I've been helping families with SSI issues for over 15 years, and your situation is extremely common. The reduced benefit amount you're seeing is almost certainly due to the "in-kind support and maintenance" (ISM) rules that reduce SSI when someone receives food and shelter assistance. Here's what you need to do to get the full $943 Federal Benefit Rate for 2025: 1. Calculate your son's EXACT pro-rata share of ALL household operating expenses. This includes mortgage/rent, utilities, food, property taxes, homeowner's insurance, basic maintenance, and household supplies. 2. Set up documented monthly payments from his account to yours - preferably electronic transfers with clear descriptions like "household expenses" or "pro-rata share." 3. Keep a monthly ledger showing total household expenses divided by number of household members. The math needs to be precise. If your total monthly household operating expenses are $2,920 (your numbers), his share would be approximately $973. This might seem like more than his current benefit, but remember - once he starts paying the proper amount, his SSI will increase to the full rate, giving him enough to cover these expenses. I'd strongly recommend requesting a formal PMV determination from SSA to get their official calculation. This protects you from future disputes about the arrangement.

I'm new to navigating SSI benefits and this thread has been incredibly helpful! My 23-year-old brother has autism and we've been struggling with similar issues. He's currently getting about $620/month instead of the full amount, and after reading all these responses, I realize we've probably been doing the household expense calculations all wrong. A couple of questions for those who've been through this process: 1. When calculating food expenses, do you include things like eating out occasionally or just groceries? 2. For utilities, what about subscription services like streaming that the whole family uses - can those be included? 3. How often does SSA typically review these arrangements once you get them set up properly? I'm going to start putting together a spreadsheet like several of you suggested, but want to make sure I'm including the right categories from the beginning. It's so overwhelming trying to figure out all these rules, but seeing that other families have successfully navigated this gives me hope we can get my brother the full benefits he's entitled to receive. Thanks to everyone who's shared their experiences - this community is amazing!

Just wanted to add something that helped us tremendously - when documenting your son's payments for household expenses, make sure the bank transfer descriptions are very specific. Instead of just "rent" or "household," we use descriptions like "1/3 household expenses per SSA guidelines" or "pro-rata share mortgage/utilities/food." Our caseworker mentioned this level of detail in the transaction descriptions made their review much smoother because it was immediately clear what the payments were for and that we understood the SSA requirements. It's a small thing, but every bit helps when dealing with their reviews! Also, if your son has a representative payee account, double-check with your bank about any restrictions on transfers between accounts. Some banks flag frequent transfers between payee accounts and personal accounts, so it's worth discussing the arrangement with them upfront to avoid any holds or questions later.