Dealing with your taxes is hardly anyone’s favorite way to pass the time, but understanding how your social security can affect your taxes is essential!
Social security is a program that has long been in effect in the US, and it has a profound impact on your paychecks and your taxes. Several different layers of social security disability come into play when you’re looking at your taxes, with SSI being one of them.
What is Social Security Disability?
The full name of social security disability is social security disability insurance. This disability insurance is what ends up paying benefits out to you and your family members if you’ve met the expectations for the insurance. To qualify, you need to have worked long enough and paid enough to the social security program.
What is the Supplemental Security Income?
Supplemental Security Income differs slightly from Social Security Disability Insurance in several fundamental ways. Rather than simply paying out if you’re “insured,” SSI benefits are portioned out based on financial need. To reap the benefits of this program, you’ll need to go through a rigorous screening process to determine your condition.
The program is funded by general taxes instead of Social Security payments. The overall design for this SSI program is designed to help older people, vision impaired, or who don’t have any ordinary income to deal with regular bills.
One of the crucial things about this Supplemental Security Income is that it takes the place of your regular income. If you’re going back to work, you’ll need to end your SSI and switch back to being full income-based.
Are SSI Benefits Taxable?
There are a lot of benefits that come through with social security, and many of them are treated as income on your taxes. You’ll need to go through the process of forms, figures, and estimates when it comes to dealing with this newfound income.
SSI benefits, however, are not taxable. Since the program is funded by general tax revenue and acts as a cash account for beneficiaries, that income is not taxable. Most people who partake in the program aren’t on it long enough to require taxes to be taken out of the money.
If you’re just using disability for a short time, SSI may be the way to go. If you need disability benefits for the long term, you may want to opt for Social Security Disability insurance!
Takeaway
Dealing with your taxes can be trying at times and adding in social security as disability income can make your task even more difficult! Understanding the difference between Social Security Disability and Supplemental Security Income helps you get started on the right foot.
SSI benefits act as replacement income when you can’t work and since it’s designed for the short-term rather than the long-term, it’s not taxable. The Social Security Disability Insurance requires you to pay in after years of working and paying social security and is a taxable set of income.
No matter how you get your social security benefits, checking whether it’s taxed or not is crucial to getting your taxes done successfully!
Struggling with SSI disability benefits, visit Serenitas Special Needs Planning for a better understanding.
