Does social security look at your bank account

During the initial SSI claims process, and at any time in continuing eligibility reviews, SSI applicants and beneficiaries are required to report their resources to ensure they are within resource limitations to qualify for SSI. Having money above the resource limit held by SSI recipients is the leading cause of over-payment errors.

In 1999, Congress amended the Social Security Act to grant authority to the Social Security Administration to verify financial accounts to make sure SSI applicant/recipients do not have financial resources above the eligibility limit. In 2003, the Social Security Administration exercised this authority by adopting regulations to make giving permission to contact financial institutions an eligibility requirement for Supplemental Security Income (SSI).

The Access to Financial Institutions (AFI) process is an electronic process that verifies bank account balances directly with financial institutions to determine SSI eligibility in SSI initial claims and re-determinations. In addition, AFI detects undisclosed accounts by searching for accounts geographically near the SSI applicant or beneficiary.

Can Social Security Check My Bank Account?

In short, yes. When you file your SSI claim, you must give the Social Security Administration permission to use its AFI to contact financial institutions and request any financial records that the financial institution may have about you. You must give this permission for your initial application as well as for continuing eligibility reviews after you begin receiving SSI payments. You must also provide permission from anyone whose income and resources the Social Security Administration considers as being available to the SSI recipient.

Financial institution accounts include checking or savings, Christmas club, credit union, certificate of deposit, and money market accounts. They can be individual or joint accounts. The title of the account determines who has access to the money in that account.

For a joint account, the Social Security Administration considers the money in the account to belong to you even if the money is not actually yours. You should not be a joint owner of an account with anyone, unless the money in the account is yours. Then it will be counted as a resource subject to the SSI eligibility limits.

If you combine your SSI payments in an account where you also put money held for someone else, the Social Security Administration considers all of the money in the account to be yours. If you receive benefits for someone else, for example, as a representative payee, or you are holding money for someone else in your account (e.g., a TANF payment), it is important that the account be separate from your own bank account and be titled to show that the money is held for someone else. Your Social Security office can tell you how you should title the account.

During the initial claims process and later reviews of eligibility, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) applicants and recipients are required to report their resources to ensure they are eligible for SSI. Our studies found that money above the resource limit held by SSI recipients is a leading cause of payment errors. As a result, we examined alternatives to the traditional SSI asset verification practices of recipient self-reporting and direct contacts with financial institutions. The Access to Financial Institutions (AFI) process is an effective means of reducing errors with those aspects of SSI.

AFI is an automated process that verifies alleged bank account balances with financial institutions to identify potential excess resources in financial accounts held by SSI applicants, recipients, and deemors. In addition to verifying alleged bank accounts, AFI detects undisclosed accounts using unique search criteria called geographic searches. We conduct up to 10 geographic searches per individual for each review. We use AFI to verify financial accounts during the SSI application process, as well as when we conduct periodic redeterminations of continued eligibility, thereby detecting excess resources and deterring reoccurrence.

(a) To be eligible for SSI payments you must give us permission to contact any financial institution and request any financial records that financial institution may have about you. You must give us this permission when you apply for SSI payments or when we ask for it at a later time. You must also provide us with permission from anyone whose income and resources we consider as being available to you, i.e., deemors ( see §§ 416.1160, 416.1202, 416.1203, and 416.1204).

(b) Financial institution means any:

(1) Bank,

(2) Savings bank,

(3) Credit card issuer,

(4) Industrial loan company,

(5) Trust company,

(6) Savings association,

(7) Building and loan,

(8) Homestead association,

(9) Credit union,

(10) Consumer finance institution, or

(11) Any other financial institution as defined in section 1101(1) of the Right to Financial Privacy Act.

(c) Financial record means an original of, a copy of, or information known to have been derived from any record held by the financial institution pertaining to your relationship with the financial institution.

(d) We may ask any financial institution for information on any financial account concerning you. We may also ask for information on any financial accounts for anyone whose income and resources we consider as being available to you ( see §§ 416.1160, 416.1202, 416.1203, and 416.1204).

(e) We ask financial institutions for this information when we think that it is necessary to determine your SSI eligibility or payment amount.

(f) Your permission to contact financial institutions, and the permission of anyone whose income and resources we consider as being available to you, i.e., a deemor (see §§ 416.1160, 416.1202, 416.1203, and 416.1204), remains in effect until a terminating event occurs. The following terminating events only apply prospectively and do not invalidate the permission for past periods.

(1) You cancel your permission in writing and provide the writing to us.

(2) The deemor cancels their permission in writing and provides the writing to us.

(3) The basis on which we consider a deemor's income and resources available to you ends, e.g. when spouses separate or divorce or a child attains age 18.

(4) Your application for SSI is denied, and the denial is final. A denial is final when made, unless you appeal the denial timely as described in §§ 416.1400 through 416.1499.

(5) You are no longer eligible for SSI as described in §§ 416.1331 through 416.1335.

(g) If you don't give us permission to contact any financial institution and request any financial records about you when we think it is necessary to determine your SSI eligibility or payment amount, or if you cancel the permission, you cannot be eligible for SSI payments. Also, except as noted in paragraph (h), if anyone whose income and resources we consider as being available to you ( see §§ 416.1160, 416.1202, 416.1203, and 416.1204) doesn't give us permission to contact any financial institution and request any financial records about that person when we think it is necessary to determine your eligibility or payment amount, or if that person cancels the permission, you cannot be eligible for SSI payments. This means that if you are applying for SSI payments, you cannot receive them. If you are receiving SSI payments, we will stop your payments.

(h) You may be eligible for SSI payments if there is good cause for your being unable to obtain permission for us to contact any financial institution and request any financial records about someone whose income and resources we consider as being available to you (see §§ 416.1160, 416.1202, 416.1203, and 416.1204).

(1) Good cause exists if permission cannot be obtained from the individual and there is evidence that the individual is harassing you, abusing you, or endangering your life.

(2) Good cause may exist if an individual other than one listed in paragraph (h)(3) of this section refuses to provide permission and: you acted in good faith to obtain permission from the individual but were unable to do so through no fault of your own, or you cooperated with us in our efforts to obtain permission.

(3) Good cause does not apply if the individual is your representative payee and your legal guardian, if you are a minor child and the individual is your representative payee and your custodial parent, or if you are an alien and the individual is your sponsor or the sponsor's living-with spouse.

What affects your Social Security check?

What's a Social Security check for?