A single person whose only income is a Social Security check of $1,014 a month or more gets no federal SSI in 2026, according to Social Security's payment rules. The state programs that pay Medicare's $202.90 monthly Part B premium reach up to $1,816 a month for one person, according to Medicare.gov. In between, a person can be turned down for SSI and still qualify to have the premium paid, if savings are no more than $9,950, the federal limit.
Why $1,136 a month is too much for SSI
A viewer who called Social Security to apply for SSI wrote under a BenefitsUSA video that the answer was no, because $1,136 a month was more than SSI's $994. "I thought it was for low income people," the viewer wrote.
Social Security's math is right. SSI pays up to $994 a month to one person in 2026. Social Security ignores the first $20 of the check and counts the rest, before the Medicare premium comes out. At $1,136, the counted amount is $1,116. That is more than $994, so the SSI payment is zero. Our SSI and Social Security guide shows the math for smaller checks.
The same $1,136 can qualify for help with Medicare
Take a single person in Texas with $1,136 a month and less than $9,950 in savings. Texas also ignores the first $20, so the counted income is $1,116. That is under $1,330, Texas's 2026 limit for the Qualified Medicare Beneficiary program, or QMB, according to the Texas Health and Human Services handbook. The person can qualify for QMB, the most complete of the three premium programs. The other two are SLMB and QI.
QMB pays the $202.90 Part B premium. QMB also pays deductibles, coinsurance and copays for care Medicare covers, such as the 2026 Part B deductible of $283. Medicare.gov says providers are not allowed to bill a QMB member for services and items Medicare covers. Our QMB guide has the details.
The $1,136 might be what lands in the bank after the premium comes out. In that case the full benefit is $1,338.90, and the counted income is $1,318.90, still under Texas's $1,330 QMB line.
Approval for QMB, SLMB or QI brings Extra Help with drug costs automatically, according to Medicare.gov. In 2026, people in those programs pay no more than $12.65 for each drug their Medicare drug plan covers.
The 2026 lines for one person
| Program | Monthly income line | Savings limit | What it pays |
|---|
| SSI | Under $1,014 | $2,000 | Up to $994 a month in cash |
| QMB | $1,350 | $9,950 | Part B premium, plus deductibles, coinsurance and copays |
| SLMB | $1,616 | $9,950 | Part B premium |
| QI | $1,816 | $9,950 | Part B premium. Apply every year. First come, first served |
| Extra Help | $1,995 | $18,090 | Lower drug plan costs. Automatic with QMB, SLMB or QI |
SSI stops at $1,014 a month for a person living on Social Security alone. The premium programs reach $1,816. That leaves an $802 band of monthly income where a person gets no SSI but can still qualify to have the Part B premium paid. The savings limits are far apart too: $2,000 for SSI and $9,950 for the premium programs. Our QI guide explains the top tier.
The table's SSI line assumes Social Security is the only income. The QMB, SLMB and QI lines include the $20 the programs ignore. A home and one car do not count toward the premium programs' savings limit, according to Medicare.gov.
Some states add their own SSI payment, according to Social Security, and some use higher limits for the premium programs. Texas's 2026 limits for the premium programs match the federal ones.
What to do
- Find your full benefit. Use your monthly Social Security amount before the Medicare premium comes out.
- Apply with your state Medicaid office. Medicaid.gov lists every state's office. In Texas, apply with Texas Health and Human Services online at YourTexasBenefits.com or by calling 2-1-1. The short paper form for the premium programs there is Form H1200-EZ.
- Or start at Social Security. Apply for Extra Help online at ssa.gov or by calling 1-800-772-1213. Social Security sends your information to your state to start a premium program application unless you say no on the Extra Help form, according to Medicare.gov.
- Get free help. Texas's free Medicare help line is 1-800-252-9240.
- Check your drug plan for 2027. Medicare Open Enrollment runs October 15 to December 7, 2026. Plan changes take effect January 1, 2027.
Texas starts QMB on the first day of the month after it approves the application, according to the state handbook. Once the state pays the premium, Social Security stops taking it out of the monthly check, and the check goes up, according to CMS's manual for state payment of Medicare premiums. Social Security refunds premiums it took for any month the state's coverage was in effect.
Medicare.gov's advice: "Even if you don't think you qualify, you should still apply."
Check if your state can pay your premium
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