Disability & Long-Term Care · Surprise rank #24
Set Aside SSI Income for a Career Goal Without Having It Count Against You!
A Social Security-approved Plan to Achieve Self-Support can let eligible people set aside income or resources for a specific work goal without counting them normally for SSI.
Who
SSI recipients, and some people who could become SSI-eligible after setting aside qualifying income or resources, who have a specific work goal.
What to do
Start here: Prepare a written PASS describing the work goal, expenses, funding, and timeline and submit it to Social Security for approval.
Eligibility: A written plan must identify a feasible work goal, allowable expenses, funding, and a timeline, and Social Security must approve it.
What you get
An approved PASS excludes designated income or resources from the normal SSI calculation while they are used for an approved employment goal.
Benefit: Money can be reserved for approved work-goal expenses such as education, equipment, transportation, or business-related needs while protecting SSI eligibility.
Possible value: Varies with the approved plan and the amount of income/resources set aside.
Good to know
Important: PASS is not a general savings shelter. Social Security must approve a written plan tied to a specific work goal, and the excluded money/resources must be used for approved expenses in that plan.
Availability: Active
Why people miss it: The program is technical and requires a written plan, so many beneficiaries never learn that work-goal expenses can be excluded from SSI counting.
Sources reviewed: Aug 10, 2026