Why Your Paycheck Counts Against Your Child (Until They Turn 18)

In short: Until the month a child turns 18, Social Security counts part of the parents' income and resources toward the child's SSI. Some income and resources are not counted, and there is an exception for a child covered by a state home care plan.

Here is the quiet rule that makes a lot of families say "we make too much for SSI." It has a name: deeming. And once you understand how it works, you know where it stops. It stops at 18. Roy's Ages 14 to 26 page explains why that matters.

What Deeming Is

SSI is based on need. For a child under 18, Social Security counts part of the parents' income and resources as if the child had access to it, even if the parents never give the child a dime. The system for figuring out how much to count is called deeming.

When It Applies

Deeming applies when parents have income and resources, and the child:

is under age 18, and
lives at home with a parent or adoptive parent, or lives away at school but comes home on some weekends, holidays or vacation time and is still subject to parental control.

A stepparent's income and resources count too, as long as the child's parent lives in the home.

What Does Not Get Counted

Not everything counts. Social Security does not count Temporary Assistance for Needy Families, certain Department of Veterans Affairs pensions, foster care payments for a child who does not qualify, and income used to pay court-ordered support. Resources it does not count include the home the family lives in, one vehicle used for transportation, and money in certain retirement or pension funds.

For the income and resources that do count, Social Security does not count all of it. The agency allows for the parents' own living costs and for other children in the household before it decides how much to attribute to your child.

The Resource Math

For resources, Social Security says the amount of countable resources above a certain threshold is attributed to the child. These dollar figures are in the handbook today. Always check the current numbers at ssa.gov before you make a decision, because these figures change.

When It Stops

Deeming stops the month after a child turns 18. Social Security is clear about it: a child who could not get SSI because of deeming may be able to get SSI at 18. If your child was denied because of your income, that is the month to apply again.

The Exception Almost Nobody Hears About

The handbook describes a narrow exception. Parental income and resources are not counted for a child under 18 who is disabled, received one or more months of SSI at a reduced rate because of living in a medical treatment facility, is eligible for Medicaid under a state home care plan, and would be ineligible for SSI because of the parental income or resources. That "state home care plan" is the opening described on the TEFRA / Katie Beckett page.

What To Do With This

Do not assume the answer is no. Apply anyway, as the Do You Qualify? page explains. If the answer is no, ask for it in writing and read the reason. Then use the disagree-in-writing guide if something looks off.

Sources: www.ssa.gov, www.ssa.gov.

Last checked: October 2026. The deeming rules were checked against Social Security's 2026 Spotlight on Deeming Parental Income and Resources and section 2169 of the Social Security Handbook. This is not legal advice; see the full disclaimer.