2024 Annual Report of the SSI Program

E. The SSI Program’s Share of SSA’S Administrative Costs
and Beneficiary Services Costs

When the SSI program began in 1972, the agency's existing field office network and its automated data processing capabilities made it uniquely qualified to administer the program. Because the administration of the SSI and OASDI programs is integrated, it is more practical to fund the administrative expenses for both programs from a single source. The trust funds and the general fund pay their appropriate share of administrative expenses into SSA's Limitation on Administrative Expenses account, which funds the total operating expenses of the agency.¹ A Government Accountability Office approved method of cost analysis is used to determine the appropriate share of administrative expenses borne by each funding source, and a final settlement of costs is made by the end of the subsequent fiscal year.

The SSI program also provides beneficiary services to recipients through State VR agencies and ENs for VR services and payments under the Ticket to Work program. VR strives to help individuals with disabilities achieve and sustain productive, self-supporting work activity.

 

Table IV.E1.—Selected SSI Costs, Fiscal Years 1980‑2024
[Outlays in millions]  

Fiscal year	SSI administrative expenses a		Beneficiary services b
	Amount	As a percentage of total costc d	Amount
1980	$668	-	$33.1
1985	956	-	3.0
1990	1,075	-	28.3
1991	1,230	-	33.1
1992	1,426	-	36.0
1993	1,468	-	32.3
1994	1,780	-	33.8
1995	1,978	-	48.2
1996	1,953	-	71.8
1997	2,055	-	77.3
1998	2,304	-	46.0
1999	2,493	7.4	52.0
2000	2,321	6.8	53.7
2001	2,397	6.7	43.9
2002	2,522	6.7	54.0
2003	2,656	6.8	37.0
2004	2,806	6.9	38.6
2005	2,795	6.6	30.4
2006	2,916	6.6	38.9
2007	2,857	6.2	36.1
2008	2,820	5.8	45.1
2009	3,316	6.3	48.6
2010	3,629	6.7	46.1
2011	3,931	7.0	33.0
2012	3,881	6.7	35.5
2013	3,789	6.3	55.6
2014	3,990	6.5	63.0
2015	4,242	6.9	88.6
2016	4,212	6.8	95.7
2017	4,123	6.7	83.5
2018	4,330	7.0	113.2
2019	4,392	7.0	99.6
2020	4,363	6.9	121.4
2021	4,501	7.2	103.1
2022	4,661	7.3	135.2
2023	4,468	6.6	136.5
2024(projected)	4,796	6.9	163.0

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a

Includes user fees charged to participating States to reimburse SSA for the costs of administering their SSI State supplementation program.

b

Includes payments for referral and monitoring services for drug addicts and alcoholics through December 1996; these payments were terminated effective January 1997.

c

Total cost includes administrative and program costs associated with Federally administered SSI payments.

d

Unavailable prior to fiscal year 1999.

 

Note: A complete table of historical values is available at www.ssa.gov/OACT/ssir/SSI24.

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1

If necessary, section 201(g)(1) of the Act provides that the Social Security trust funds may temporarily finance SSI administrative expenses, including Federal administration of State supplementation payments. General revenues subsequently reimburse the trust funds, including any interest lost.