The Full 2026 SSI and SSP Benefit Levels Chart
New York's Office of Temporary and Disability Assistance publishes a combined chart each fall once the federal cost-of-living adjustment is announced. The 2026 chart reflects the 2.8 percent COLA effective January 1, 2026.
Community living arrangements
| Living arrangement (state code) | Federal / individual | State / individual | Total / individual |
|---|
| Living Alone (Code A) | $994 | $87 | $1,081 |
| Living with Others (Code B) | $994 | $23 | $1,017 |
| Living in the Household of Another (Code F) | $662.67 | $23 | $685.67 |
Couple rates for the same three rows are $1,491 plus $104 ($1,595), $1,491 plus $46 ($1,537), and $994 plus $46 ($1,040).
Congregate care
| Congregate care level | Federal | State | Total |
|---|
| Level 1, Family Care, NYC and Nassau, Rockland, Suffolk, Westchester | $994 | $266.48 | $1,260.48 |
| Level 1, Family Care, rest of state | $994 | $228.48 | $1,222.48 |
| Level 2, Residential Care, NYC and the four downstate counties | $994 | $435 | $1,429 |
| Level 2, Residential Care, rest of state | $994 | $405 | $1,399 |
| Level 3, Enhanced Residential Care (statewide) | $994 | $694 | $1,688 |
Congregate care payments mostly pass through to the facility for room, board, and care. What you keep is the personal needs allowance: approximately $191 a month at Level 1, approximately $219 at Level 2, and $262 at Level 3 for 2026. An Enhanced Residential Care facility receives the remaining $1,426, which works out to $46.88 a day.
Couple rates in congregate care are substantially higher, running from $953.96 in state money at rural Level 1 up to $1,885 at Level 3.
Institutions
If you spend a full calendar month in a Title XIX (Medicaid-certified) institution, federal law caps SSI at $30 a month and New York adds no supplement. A small number of state-certified residential settings appear on a second page of the OTDA chart with a full $994 federal payment and a $0 state supplement.
Why the State Portion Has Not Increased in Over a Decade
The $87 and $23 figures are not 2026 numbers. They are the same amounts New York paid when the state took over SSP administration from the Social Security Administration on October 1, 2014, and the same couple figures of $104 and $46. The federal benefit rate has risen every year with the COLA. The community state supplement has not moved.
This matters for planning. When the 2.8 percent COLA raised the federal rate from $967 to $994 in January 2026, the total for a New Yorker living alone went from $1,054 to $1,081, a $27 increase. None of that came from Albany. The same pattern held for Congregate Care Level 3, where the COLA applied to the federal portion and the personal needs allowance while the state portion stayed flat.
Treat the state supplement as a fixed add-on, not as something that grows with inflation.
How New York Decides Which Living Arrangement You Get
The living arrangement code is the single biggest factor in your payment, and it is worth understanding the distinctions because the gap between codes is large.
Living Alone (Code A) means you are responsible for your own household costs. You can share a residence and still qualify if you pay your own way, for example if you rent a room at fair market value or pay a proportionate share of rent, utilities, and food.
Living with Others (Code B) applies when you live with other people and share household expenses in a way that does not meet the living alone definition, but you are still not receiving free food and shelter.
Living in the Household of Another (Code F) is the expensive one. This code applies when SSA determines you live in someone else's household throughout a month and receive both free or subsidized food and free or subsidized shelter. The federal benefit rate is cut by one-third under the value of the one-third reduction rule, dropping an individual from $994 to $662.67. There is no partial reduction. It applies fully or not at all. The state supplement also falls to $23.
The difference between Code A and Code F is $395.33 a month, or $4,744 a year. If you live with family and can document that you pay a fair share of household expenses, that documentation is worth more than almost anything else you can do with your SSI claim.
SSP-Only Recipients
Not everyone who receives an SSP payment receives federal SSI. If your countable income is above the federal benefit rate but below the combined federal and state level, you can still qualify for a partial state supplement. For a New Yorker living alone in 2026, that window sits between $994 and $1,081 in countable income.
SSP-only recipients deal directly with New York State. SSA is not involved in your case, so every change of address, living arrangement, or income goes to OTDA, not to Social Security.
How to Get the New York State Supplement
There is no separate SSP application for most people.
- Apply for federal SSI with the Social Security Administration. Start at ssa.gov/apply/ssi, call 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), or make an appointment at a local Social Security office. Your SSI application is also your SSP application.
- Answer the living arrangement questions carefully. SSA asks who you live with, who pays for rent and food, and whether anyone helps you with either. These answers set your living arrangement code, and the code sets your supplement.
- SSA sends your information to New York. OTDA determines SSP eligibility from the SSA record and adds the state payment.
- Watch for two payments, not one. Since the 2014 takeover, the federal SSI benefit and the state supplement are issued separately, using whatever method you already use: direct deposit, Direct Express, or a paper check. Seeing two deposits does not mean you were overpaid.
- Confirm your SSP payment method. Your federal direct deposit arrangement does not automatically carry over to the state payment. If the state supplement is not arriving, call the SSP Customer Support Center at 1-855-488-0541, Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m.
If you are applying only for the state supplement because your income is too high for federal SSI, use form LDSS-5025, the SSP application available at otda.ny.gov/programs/applications/5025.pdf.
Reporting Changes to the Right Agency
This trips people up constantly because two agencies split the work.
| Type of change | Report to |
|---|
| Income, resources, marital status, most everything | Social Security, 1-800-772-1213 |
| Living arrangement change affecting only the state supplement | New York SSP, 1-855-488-0541, using the SSP Living Arrangement form |
| Any change, if you are SSP-only | New York SSP, 1-855-488-0541 |
Report within 10 days of the end of the month in which the change happened. A late report on a living arrangement change is the most common cause of an SSP overpayment notice.
For appeals, the routing follows the same split. Disputes about federal SSI eligibility or amount go through SSA's reconsideration and hearing process. Disputes about the state supplement alone go through OTDA, including a fair hearing request.
How Income Affects Your Total
New York does not have its own income test for SSP. It applies SSI counting rules, then pays the supplement on top of whatever federal payment remains, reducing the state portion only after the federal portion reaches zero.
SSA excludes the first $20 of most income each month, then the first $65 of earnings and half of everything above that. Working through the arithmetic for a New Yorker living alone in 2026:
| Income type | Point where payments stop |
|---|
| Unearned income only (pensions, SSDI, alimony) | Approximately $1,101 a month |
| Earned income only (wages) | Approximately $2,247 a month |
Because of the $87 supplement, a working New Yorker can earn roughly $174 a month more than a resident of a state with no supplement before losing all cash benefits. Resource limits are unchanged: $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple, not counting your home, one vehicle, and household goods.
What SSP Eligibility Unlocks
New York is a 1634 state, meaning SSI approval triggers automatic Medicaid enrollment with no separate application. SSA sends your information to New York Medicaid and coverage follows the SSI decision.
SSI recipients in New York also typically qualify for SNAP, though the state supplement counts as income in the SNAP calculation. Many are eligible for HEAP heating assistance, and the Lifeline program discounts phone or internet service. For a wider look at what else is available, see our New York benefits overview.
What Happens in 2027
The federal portion will change. As of September 2026, forecasters including The Senior Citizens League project a 2027 COLA in the range of 3.6 to 3.8 percent, which would put the individual federal benefit rate somewhere around $1,031 to $1,034 and the couple rate near $1,547 to $1,551. SSA is expected to announce the official figure in mid-October 2026, after September CPI-W data is published.
The state portion is a separate decision made through the New York State budget. Nothing in the 2026 chart suggests a change to the $87 and $23 community amounts, and they have held steady for more than ten years. Assume the federal number moves and the state number does not unless the Legislature acts.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much is the New York SSI state supplement in 2026?
$87 a month for an individual living alone and $23 for an individual living with others. Couples receive $104 living alone and $46 living with others. Congregate care residents receive between $228.48 and $694 depending on care level and county.
Why do I get two separate deposits for SSI in New York?
New York took over administration of the state supplement from SSA on October 1, 2014. Since then the federal benefit and the state supplement are paid separately. Two deposits is the normal, correct arrangement, not an error or an overpayment.
Do I have to apply separately for the New York State Supplement Program?
No, if you are applying for federal SSI. Your SSI application with Social Security also serves as your SSP application, and SSA forwards your information to New York. You apply separately only if your income is too high for federal SSI but low enough for a state-only payment, using form LDSS-5025.
What is the maximum SSI payment in New York for 2026?
For community living, $1,081 a month for an individual living alone and $1,595 for an eligible couple living alone. Congregate Care Level 3 pays a higher combined total of $1,688, but most of that goes to the facility and the resident keeps a $262 personal needs allowance.
Why did my payment drop to $685.67?
That is the Living in the Household of Another rate. It applies when SSA determines you live in someone else's home for a full month and receive both food and shelter at no cost or reduced cost. The federal benefit is cut by one third to $662.67 and the state supplement drops to $23. Paying a documented fair share of rent, utilities, and food can move you back to a higher code.
Who do I call about a missing state supplement payment?
The SSP Customer Support Center at 1-855-488-0541, Monday through Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., or email otda.sm.ssp@otda.ny.gov. Calling Social Security about a missing state payment will not resolve it, because SSA does not issue that payment.
Does the New York state supplement go up with the COLA?
No. The annual cost-of-living adjustment applies to the federal benefit rate. The community state supplement has remained at $87 and $23 since 2014. Your total rises each January, but the increase comes entirely from the federal side.
Does SSI approval give me Medicaid in New York?
Yes. New York is a 1634 state, so Medicaid enrollment happens automatically when SSI is approved. You do not file a separate Medicaid application.
Can I work and still receive the state supplement?
Yes. SSA excludes $20 of most income, then $65 of earnings and half the remainder. An individual living alone with no other income can earn roughly $2,247 a month before the combined federal and state payment reaches zero. If you receive SSDI rather than SSI, the 2026 substantial gainful activity limit is $1,690 a month, or $2,830 if you are blind.
Where do these numbers come from?
The living arrangement rows, dollar amounts, and state codes come from New York's official 2026 SSI and SSP Maximum Monthly Benefit Levels Chart, revised October 27, 2025, published by OTDA and OPWDD. The federal benefit rate, the one-third reduction rule, the $30 institutional limit, and the SGA figures come from the Social Security Administration. Personal needs allowance figures for adult care facilities come from the 2026 OPWDD benefit and personal allowance chart.
