Ask Larry

Will My Income Affect My Husband's Disability Benefits?

My husband is disabled and receives social security disability. I'm thinking of starting a business. We fill jointly. Will my income affect his SSD? I know our tax base will obviously change, but could he lose his disability?

Hi,

Your business income won't affect your husband's disability benefits provided that he receives Social Security disability (SSDI) benefits and not Supplemental Security Income (SSI), the latter of which is a needs based benefit administered by Social Security.

It won't matter that you file a joint tax return as long as you show your Social Security number (SSN) on Schedule SE of your tax return. Earnings from a business are credited to the Social Security record of the person whose SSN is shown on Schedule SE.

Best, Jerry

Posted: 
Sep 13 2017 - 8:00am
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