Who Is Considered a Child

§ 416.1851. Effects of being considered a child.

If we consider you to be a child for SSI purposes, the rules in this section apply when we determine your eligibility for SSI and the amount of your SSI benefits.

(a) If we consider you to be a student, we will not count all of your earned income when we determine your SSI eligibility and benefit amount. Section 416.1110 tells what we mean by earned income. Section 416.1112(c)(2) tells how much of your earned income we will not count.

(b) If you have a parent who does not live with you but who pays money to help support you, we will not count one-third of that money when we count your income. Section 416.1124(c)(9) discusses this rule.

(c) If you are under age 18 and live with your parent(s) who is not eligible for SSI benefits, we consider (deem) part of his or her income and resources to be your own. If you are under age 18 and live with both your parent and your parent's spouse (stepparent) and neither is eligible for SSI benefits, we consider (deem) part of their income and resources to be your own. Sections 416.1165 and 416.1166 explain the rules and the exception to the rules on deeming your parent's income to be yours, and § 416.1202 explains the rules and the exception to the rules on deeming your parent's resources to be yours.

[45 FR 71795, Oct. 30, 1980. Redesignated at 46 FR 29211, May 29, 1981; 46 FR 42063, Aug. 19, 1981, and amended at 52 FR 8889, Mar. 20, 1987; 73 FR 28036, May 15, 2008]