Quote:
Originally Posted by Sarah Mae
I wanted to add that I just was accepted today. I was told that someone would be calling me and ask what bills I have and if I pay rent. My mom doesn't charge me rent... because I have no income and don't have any to give her.. but we were told to say that my mom would like to charge $200 a month for rent, and that will increase the amount of SSI that I get.
She said, whether the rent is $200 or $500, they only give about $200... so that is a good amount to give them when they ask about rent. They wouldn't give $500 extra just because someone claimed that they paid that much rent. So stick around the $200 mark and hopefully he will get that to give to you. At least that is what I was told this afternoon by the lady who works for them.
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I personally think you should give an honest answer, not one designed to fit what you think fits a regulation. I think you should come to an agreement with your mother who provides the food and shelter and your mother should determine what she thinks is a fair amount to pay, regardless of how it affects SSI benefits.
SSI does consider free food or free shelter to be a form of in-kind income but places a maximum dollar value on that which is 1/3 of the federal benefit rate, currently $244 and some cents. So if the value of your free food or free shelter exceeds the maximum value, then the only countable portion is the maximum value.
One way to determine your fair share of your mother's household expenses is to pay your pro-rata share of the household rent, food, and utility bills.
https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0500835001
https://secure.ssa.gov/apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0500835160