Effective Dates: 09/10/2026 - Present Previous | Next

TN 89 (09-26)

SI 01140.200 Checking and Savings Accounts

A. Introduction to checking and savings accounts verification

The Access to Financial Institutions (AFI) initiative is a semi-automated process technicians use to detect undisclosed financial institution (FI) accounts and obtain historical FI account balances. Technicians use AFI information to calculate countable resources when making monthly SSI eligibility determinations or to determine whether an SSI overpayment may be waived. The two main components used in the AFI process are the:

  1. 1. 

    eAFI subsystem in the SSI Claims system, and

  2. 2. 

    e4641 website.

We use AFI to automatically request and view bank account balance data. Electronic verification using AFI is the preferred method to verify checking and savings accounts. Verification of bank account balances is required when processing initial SSI claim allowances, initial claim reopenings, and appeal reversals that establish initial eligibility without regard to the liquid resource verification tolerance.

For specific instructions for AFI, see SI 01140.206.

For more information on FI verification requirements in initial claims, see SI 01140.010B.2.a.

B. Policy for developing checking and savings accounts

1. Assumptions related to checking and savings accounts

Use the following assumptions when evaluating whether checking or savings accounts meet the general definition of a resource found in SI 01110.100.

NOTE: Consider whether evidence exists that shows the account does not meet the definition of a resource as provided in SI 01140.200B.2 in this section.

a. Account ownership

Assume that the person designated as owner in the account title owns all the funds in the account. For information about joint accounts, see Joint Checking and Savings Accounts SI 01140.205.

b. Right to withdraw funds

Assume that the person shown as owner in the account title has the legal right to withdraw funds from the account.

c. Right to use for support and maintenance

Assume that individuals who own and have the legal right to withdraw funds from a bank account also have the legal right to use them for their own support and maintenance.

d. Conservatorship accounts

If State law specifically requires that funds are available for the care and maintenance of an individual, assume, absent evidence to the contrary, that they are that individual's resource. This is true despite the fact that the individual or agent may have to petition the court to withdraw funds for the individual's care. Refer to any regional instructions regarding State law on “blocked or conservatorship accounts,” per SI 01140.215.

e. Fiduciaries

Assume a fiduciary's right to withdraw funds is the same as the owner's right to withdraw them. See SI 01120.020 for information on transactions involving agents.

f. Direct Deposit

A direct deposit indicator on the Supplemental Security Record or Master Beneficiary Record indicates a need to develop for financial account(s). After development, if appropriate, record the financial account used for direct deposit (including Direct Express or similar accounts) as a resource on the Financial Institution Account page in the Consolidated Claims Experience (CCE).

2. Factors that may preclude a checking or savings account from meeting the definition of a resource

A checking or savings account does not meet the definition of a resource if the account owner does not have the legal right to withdraw funds from the account or is otherwise restricted from using the funds. For more information on the definition of a resource, see SI 01110.100.

The following are examples of limitations that may preclude a checking or savings account from meeting the definition of a resource.

a. Example of the right to withdraw funds restricted to a specified account holder

A bank account might not be a resource if the account restricts the right to withdraw funds from the account to a specific account holder. For example, the account titled “In trust for John Doe and Jane Doe, subject to sole order of John Doe, balance at death of either to belong to survivor” is a restricted account. The title indicates that John alone has unrestricted access. Assuming that no other separate agreement establishes John as Jane's fiduciary and that John is not a deemor, none of the funds in this account are Jane's resources.

b. Example of withdrawals requiring authorization of third party

A bank account might not be a resource if withdrawals from the account require authorization from a third party.

For example, the title on the account is, “John Doe restricted Individual Indian Money Account.” John Doe’s account is a restricted and supervised Individual Indian Money Account (IIM). The funds in the account are not countable as a resource because John Doe cannot withdraw the funds without the authorization of the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA). For more information on Individual Indian Money Accounts, see SI 00830.820.

c. Example of use restricted by court order

Even with ownership interest and the legal ability to access property, a legal restriction against the property's use for the owner's own support and maintenance means the property is not the owner's resource. For more information on the distinction between assets and resources, see SI 01110.100.

For example, the title of the account is, “John Smith by Jane Doe, Representative Payee,” where Jane Doe is an officer of the institution in which John Smith lives. A statewide court order prohibits such officers from using the funds of an institutionalized person for support and maintenance that the State provided. Therefore, the funds in the account are not a resource to John Smith while they are in the institution.

d. Example of special purpose accounts

The title of the account is, “Johnny Johnson, Kiwanis Club Fund for Heart Surgery.” While Johnny Johnson has unrestricted access to the funds, the title on the account should prompt further development. In this example, that development shows that the account restricts the use of funds to the expenses of their surgery. Therefore, the funds are not a resource.

e. Example of payable on death accounts

A Payable on Death (POD) account is a financial instrument in which an account owner establishes a beneficiary to whom the bank will transfer remaining account funds upon the account owner's death. While the account owner is alive, the POD beneficiary has no legal right to the funds and the account is not the beneficiary's resource.

For example, the title of the account is, “John Doe, POD Jane Doe.” Assuming that John is not a deemor, the funds in this account are not a resource for Jane while John is alive.

3. What values apply to FI accounts

The value of an FI account for a given month is the first of the month (FOM) balance of the account in that month. When evidence does not show a FOM balance, the account value is the closing balance on the last day of the prior month.

When FI account balances contribute to an excess resources determination and a deduction or exclusion applied to the account would bring countable resources below the resource limit, the value of an account is the FOM balance less any applicable deductions or exclusions.

Develop for potential exclusions or deductions that may lower the countable account balance when the claimant alleges, or you have reason to believe an exclusion or deduction applies. Common examples include:

  • •

    early deposits of benefit payments or recurring income (SI 01140.200D.6);

  • •

    pending transactions not already reflected in the FOM balance (e.g., checks that have yet to clear); and

  • •

    retained funds that are excluded under a resource exclusion (e.g., SI 01130.050).

See SI 01140.200F in this section for examples of applying exclusions and determining the FOM balances using bank statements.

See SI 01130.700 for determining countable resources when commingled accounts are involved.

C. Procedure for verifying financial institutions (FI) accounts

1. Request account balances from the FI

Electronic verification using AFI is the preferred method to verify checking and savings account ownership and balance information. How we verify financial account balances depends on whether the FI is participating or nonparticipating with the AFI initiative. For more information on participating and non-participating FIs, see SI 01140.206B.7.

a. Send an electronic request

Use AFI to send an electronic request to verify financial account balances held in participating FI accounts.

To prepare and send an electronic request for SSI Claims system cases, follow procedure in SI 01140.206E. For non-SSI Claims system or systems limitation cases, see SI 01140.206F.

b. Mail or fax a paper SSA-4641

Mail or fax a paper SSA-4641 (Authorization for the Social Security Administration to Obtain Account Records from Financial Institutions and Request for Records) to non-participating FIs to verify alleged financial accounts held in these FIs. Use the standard version of the SSA-4641 for these verification requests.

To prepare an SSA-4641 and, when applicable, to respond to an FI's request for reimbursement for providing records, follow procedure in SI 01140.206E.1.b.

c. FI responses for waiver requests

Financial information is also used to make determinations on whether, under both title II and title XVI, denying a waiver would “defeat the purpose” of the Social Security Act. Information obtained in making that determination can be used in making determinations on SSI eligibility.

Use account balance information associated with a waiver request to verify accounts balances for any applicable unverified months on the Financial Institution Account resource page where financial permission is present. If any geographic search requests associated with a waiver request produce undisclosed accounts, develop the accounts per SI 01140.206H.3.

For waivers related to the defeat the purpose of the title II or title XVI programs, see GN 02250.100.

For information on financial permission, see SI 00515.001.

2. Use the individual’s bank statements, FI records, or a signed statement to verify FI accounts

Electronic verification is the preferred method to verify FI accounts. However, in certain situations, you may request or accept bank statements or other FI records from the individual. As a last resort when bank records are unavailable, an individual may provide a signed statement as evidence. To request evidence, follow procedure in SI 00601.100.

The order of preference for accepting alternative evidence when AFI verification or the SSA-e4641 is not used is:

  1. 1. 

    bank statements,

  2. 2. 

    other FI evidence (including evidence from telephone contact),

  3. 3. 

    a signed statement.

NOTE: In situations discussed in SI 04410.206H, alternative evidence may be developed and accepted while AFI requests are pending. When alternative evidence is used to adjudicate an event, process as a stand-alone post-eligibility event any electronic responses received post-adjudicatively.

a. When to accept the individual’s bank statements or FI records

Accept the individual’s bank statements or FI records as evidence and adjudicate the event when the evidence meets the requirements in SI 01140.200C.2.b, AND one or more of the following conditions apply:

  • •

    The individual provides bank statements for all alleged accounts covering the entire period subject to verification because;

    • –

      complete records are readily available at the time of contact; or

    • –

      the technician requests alternative evidence due to:

      • •

        the FI not responding within 15 days of sending a verification request using eAFI or e4641;

      • •

        the FI did not provide a complete response to a verification request. For example, the verification request included 20 months of balance data, but the FI responded with only 5 months of balance data;

      • •

        the verification request pertains to an initial claim designated as a terminal illness (TERI) case;

      • •

        the only alleged FI account is a collective account. To document collective accounts on the Financial Institution Account page, follow instructions in SI 01140.206C.7; or

      • •

        the only alleged FI account is a foreign FI account located outside the country and the individual does not conduct banking business with a domestic sister branch. For more on the treatment of foreign accounts, see SI 01140.206C.8.

NOTE: When AFI verification is required, technicians are permitted to request and accept alternative evidence from the individual at any point during development. However, we still request negative AFI searches and verify balances for up to 25 past months even if alternative evidence is received for all alleged accounts. This is necessary to ensure we have developed for undisclosed accounts and documented potential resource transfers. Follow instructions in SI 01140.206D to request verification for the appropriate months. Process any AFI responses post-adjudicatively.

To determine the FOM balances using bank statements, see SI 01140.200D.6.a and SI 01140.200F in this section.

b. Criteria for bank statements and FI records to be accepted as evidence

Accept bank statements according to the following:

  • •

    Bank statements are acceptable as long as they are complete and unaltered records, whether they are:

    • –

      original records mailed to the account holder,

    • –

      electronic records that the individual prints or downloads from a FI website, or

    • –

      downloaded files and images of bank statements submitted electronically (e.g., using Upload Documents),

  • •

    If the statements do not provide FOM balances, they must provide sufficient transaction level details to calculate the FOM balance.

  • •

    When used in lieu of AFI verification, the statements must cover the entire verification period in question.

When bank statements are unavailable, the following are acceptable forms of FI records:

  • •

    FI original records that appear to be complete and unaltered.

  • •

    FI records other than bank statements issued by the FI, and where:

    • –

      the individual alleges that no transactions have occurred that the records do not show; or

    • –

      the individual alleges that such transactions have occurred and provides appropriate evidence of them; and

    • –

      the FI records, the allegation regarding additional transactions, and the alleged current account balance (on the application or redetermination form) reflect a complete and consistent picture of the account.

  • •

    Alternatively, FI records that were verified using an automated telephone service (see SI 01140.200C.3 in this section) and documented on a Report of Contact.

c. Examples of FI records other than bank statements

Examples of other acceptable FI records may include:

  • •

    passbooks;

  • •

    the individual’s check register;

  • •

    transaction details and account activity information printed from the FI’s website and submitted by the individual;

  • •

    account ledgers;

  • •

    ATM transaction receipts; and

  • •

    deposit or withdrawal slips.

3. Verify account balances with an FI using an automated telephone service

Follow these instructions to verify account balances when using an automated telephone service:

  • •

    Ensure financial permission has been documented according to SI 00515.001.

  • •

    Use an automated telephone customer service line to obtain account balances only if it provides complete transaction information, i.e., deposits, withdrawals, cleared checks, and transfers to and from the account along with transaction dates.

  • •

    To be certain that you access the correct account, dial the bank's customer service line provided by the individual or on the FIs official website and enter the proper account numbers. However, if required to respond to security prompts, for privacy purposes have individuals enter their own security information (i.e. login ID, PINs or pass codes, etc.). Never ask the person to provide you with this information.

  • •

    If telephone verification would cause the individual's security information to be compromised (i.e. you are verifying via a three-way conference call and the automated line requires you to key in security information), stop and verify account information another way.

  • •

    Examine all account activity to determine the account balance as of the FOM. The records do not have to specify a FOM balance; they need only to make it possible to extrapolate the FOM balance using balances before and after that date. For more information, see the examples in SI 01140.205G.

    Be alert for payments for both direct deposit and payment by check situations that have an advance date. For example, we treat any payment made early because a payday falls on a holiday or weekend as income for the month of normal receipt. For more information, see SI 00810.030B.

  • •

    If contact with an FI representative is necessary to resolve an issue or question not resolved using the automated customer service line, privacy concerns may prevent the FI from disclosing information without the account holder's presence or expressed consent. FIs may also require consent in writing. Technicians should not contact an FI representative directly when the FI is a participating FI for AFI purposes and electronic verification has been requested. In these cases, the AFI vendor is responsible for liaising with the FI to resolve any issues. See SI 01140.206I for more information.

    NOTE: 

    If attempts to reach an FI representative are unsuccessful, do not leave a voicemail disclosing PII nor recommend claimant do so.

Record the results of the telephone verification on a Report of Contact and lock it. Include the telephone number, date and time of the contact, automated service or person contacted, account information, and the transaction and balance information verified.

4. Accept the individual’s allegation on a signed statement

If no other evidence is available, accept the individual’s allegation as evidence of bank account balances and adjudicate the event. Accept the allegation according to the following:

  • •

    Document the individual’s signed statement on an SSA-795 (Statement of Claimant or Other Person) or on the Person Statement screen in the SSI Claims system. Include all information relevant to the resource determination, such as:

    • –

      name of FI;

    • –

      names of any co-owners;

    • –

      type of account and account number;

    • –

      FOM account balances covering all months in the review period; and

    • –

      other information material to the resource determination (e.g., exclusions, access restrictions, etc.).

  • •

    Document attempts to obtain evidence and why they were unsuccessful on a Report of Contact.

  • •

    Process any evidence received post-adjudicatively as a stand-alone post eligibility event.

D. Procedures for initial claims and post-eligibility

1. Informing individuals of reporting responsibilities

Advise individuals of their reporting responsibilities as follows:

  • •

    Individuals must report any bank account on which their name appears, regardless of any special purpose of the account or whose money is in it; and

  • •

    We may use electronic account verification or other forms to obtain information from any bank or FI to verify the allegations when needed to determine their eligibility.

2. Obtain the financial permission before verifying financial account balances

Determine whether the recipient or deemor has granted SSA permission to request financial account balance information per SI 00515.001. Financial permission may be collected:

  • •

    electronically during claim events and redeterminations;

  • •

    within application forms (e.g., SSA-8000, SSA-8203); and

  • •

    on the SSA-4641 (standard form).

Once given, financial permission is recorded in the SSI claims system on the Financial Institutions Permission page (see MS 08108.020). For instructions on electronic financial institution verification, see SI 01140.206C.

3. Account balance information

The FI may show the opening balance for the first day of a given month or the closing balance for the last business day of the previous month. Accept either; the amount will be the same.

4. Curtailing development of account balances

Do not verify account balances under any of the following circumstances:

  • •

    The tolerance for verifying liquid resources applies and the individual is not rebutting ownership of funds in a joint account. For the liquid resource tolerance, see SI 01140.010C. For joint accounts, see SI 01140.205C;

    NOTE: 

    The tolerance does not apply when processing initial claim allowances.

  • •

    Advance filing applies (e.g., pre-release cases, claims for youth transitioning out of foster care). Develop FI account balances when processing these allowances to payment (i.e., during the pre-effectuation review); or

  • •

    The individual alleges countable resources in excess of the resource limit, and is ineligible for or declines conditional benefits.

5. Documentation of FI accounts

In addition to the account balances, document all of the following on the Financial Institution Accounts page:

  • •

    The name and address of the FI;

  • •

    The account number(s); and

  • •

    The exact account designation.

6. When we do not count early payment deposits or excludable funds in first of month balances

When deductions and exclusions from an FI account balance are material to eligibility, the value of an FI account is the first of the month (FOM) balance less applicable exclusions or deductions. Development is "material to eligibility" when applying deductions and exclusions means the difference between eligibility and ineligibility. For example, applying the resource exclusion for Federal tax refunds (SI 01130.676) to an FI account is material to eligibility when the recipient’s resources exceed the resource limit by an amount equal to or less than the retained tax refund and applying the exclusion would result in the person's eligibility.

In any month where account balances contribute to an excess resources determination, screen for potential deductions and exclusions. Apply them when material to eligibility. Review the case according to the following procedures to determine the appropriate FI account value.

a. Early deposits and recurring deposits of SSI payments and Federally-administered state supplements

When material to eligibility, determine whether the FOM account balance includes an SSI payment and any applicable federally administered State supplement. SSI payments may be included in the account balance due to an early deposit of a benefit payment (EDB) or when a normal SSI payment paid on the first of the month is made available early by the FI. You can find information about SSI EDBs by reviewing the list of EDB months found at SM 01315.005.

NOTE: 

Even when SSA makes benefit payments on the first of the month when due, some financial institutions regularly make recurring benefit deposits available to the account holder in advance of the payment date. We count the payments as received in the month the payment is due, even if it is available a day or two early.

Other evidence of EDBs or regular SSI payments being included in the FOM balance includes:

  • •

    bank statement showing an early deposit; or

  • •

    other FI records or evidence showing the FI's history or policy of making recurring deposits available early.

For each month where FI account values contribute to an excess resource determination and SSI is received as an EDB or regular payment via direct deposit:

  • •

    Deduct the value of the SSI payment and any Federally-administered State supplement from the FOM account balance using the "Excluded Amount" column on the Financial Institution Account page.

  • •

    Select the exclusion reason “Early RSDI or SSI payment”. For more information on the Financial Institution Account page, see MS 08113.017.

  • •

    Document the file with the allegation of the early deposit and actions taken to exclude the early payment from the FOM resource balance using the file documentation notes section on the Financial Institution Account page in the SSI Claims system or a Report of Contact.

NOTE: 

While direct deposit situations are the most common application of the EDB exclusion, direct deposit is not a requirement to exclude early payments. For example, early delivery of a payment check that is held as cash or subsequently deposited into an account is subject to the same exclusion if the early payment amount is included in the FOM resource balance.

b. Early deposit of State-administered state supplements

Many States administer their own State supplement programs and issue recurring payments. In contrast to Federally-administered supplements issued by SSA, payments under State-administered plans are not included in monthly SSI payments. If you become aware of an early-deposited State-administered supplementary payment amount that is included in the FOM balance and is material to eligibility, take the following actions:

  • •

    Ensure the State supplementary payment amount is documented on the Other State, Local, or Tribal Assistance page in the SSI Claims system and that any early-deposited benefit is shown as received in the month of normal receipt. For more information on the Other State, Local, or Tribal Assistance page, see MS 08114.019.

  • •

    Use the 'Excluded Amount' column on the Financial Institution Account resource page to exclude the State-administered supplement amount from the reported FOM resource balance in the month of normal receipt. For exclusion reason, select "Other" from the drop-down list and type in "early deposit of State Supplement payment."

  • •

    Document the file with the allegation of the early deposit and actions taken to exclude the early payment from the FOM resource balance using the file documentation notes section on the Financial Institution Account page in the SSI Claims system or a Report of Contact.

c. Early deposit of other recurring income

Be alert to situations in which other regular benefits or payments (e.g. Title II benefits, regular wages, etc.) are received outside of the month of normal receipt (i.e. normal receipt date falls on a weekend or holiday or an FI makes a recurring deposit available early). If you become aware of an early-deposited payment that is included in the FOM balance and is material to eligibility, take the following actions:

  • •

    Develop and document the income by following the applicable policy for the income type.

  • •

    Take action to count the income as received in the month of normal receipt.

  • •

    Use the 'Excluded Amount' column on the Financial Institution Account resource page to deduct the payment from the FOM resource balance in the month of normal receipt. For Title II benefits, select the exclusion reason “Early RSDI or SSI Payment.” For all other income types, select "Other" from the drop-down list and type in "early deposit of recurring payment."

  • •

    Document the file with the reason the payment was received outside the normal payment schedule and the actions taken to apply the exclusion using the file documentation notes section on the Financial Institution Account page in the SSI claim system or on a Report of Contact.

For general information on when income is counted and how income and resource counting policies interact in early deposit situations, refer to SI 00810.030B and SI 01110.600B.3, respectively.

d. Discovering a previously undeveloped FI account after eligibility has been established

If you discover a previously undeveloped checking or savings account after you establish eligibility, develop account balances and interest for the period that a determination can cover under the rules of administrative finality. For more information on administrative finality, see SI 04070.000.

If you suspect fraud or similar fault, see SI 04070.020.

e. Interest payments

When interest verification is required per SI 00830.500, develop according to the following:

  • •

    For AFI verifications, select the "Interest" check box when submitting the verification request using the eAFI subsystem and e4641 website.

  • •

    For paper SSA-4641 requests, check the box in Part Four of the SSA-4641 that reads, "Unless this box is checked, do not provide interest paid or credited during each month."

  • •

    For bank statements or other FI evidence, you may need to add up the interest received in a given month, as many FI statement periods cover multiple months.

E. Procedure for income-related issues

1. Interest for income purposes

For information on the treatment of interest for income purposes, see Dividends and Interest SI 00830.500.

2. Unusual deposits

When a claimant or recipient provides bank statements or passbooks for documentation, review the supplied evidence for deposits that you cannot account for from their stated income. If deposits indicate potential undisclosed income sources, contact the individual to develop the income and follow the appropriate policy in SI 00810.000 to document the record.

For the definition of income, and when to count it, refer to SI 00810.005 and SI 00810.030, respectively.

F. Examples of verifying account balances

1. Extrapolating first of the month (FOM) balances

A bank sends out checking account statements that cover the 10th of April through the 9th of May. The last transaction shown for April is a cash deposit that creates a $100 balance. The first transaction in May is a $50 purchase that leaves a $50 balance. Based on the transaction details from the statement, the technician records the FOM balance in May as $100.

Consider using other available evidence to confirm the account balance information. In the example above, the receipt from the first transaction in May can corroborate the remaining account balance, and confirm extrapolated FOM balance.

2. More evidence is needed to determine correct FI account balances due to excludable funds

The claims specialist (CS) initiates a redetermination for a recipient on 6/2/2026. The recipient alleges having the following resources:

  • •

    Checking account balance $1,250;

  • •

    Savings account balance $650; and

  • •

    A single vehicle used for transportation.

During the interview, the recipient provides bank statements covering the review period up to 4/15/2026, but the CS still runs AFI, given that the liquid resource allegation is over the tolerance and AFI is the preferred verification method. AFI returns account balances over the resource limit in 4/2026 and 5/2026.

The CS screens for potential deductions and exclusions in these months and determines that neither 04/2026 nor 05/2026 were an early deposit month per SM 01315.005. When reviewing the bank statements the recipient provided at the interview, the CS notices a Federal tax return was deposited into the checking account in 3/2026, which would reduce the countable balance below the resource limit for April. Having no bank records for May but suspecting a continuing tax return exclusion, the CS contacts the recipient to obtain more information. The recipient alleges still having some of the tax return funds in May and sends the CS the full transaction history for the checking account covering the period from 4/15/2026 to 5/4/2026 using Upload Documents. The CS calculates the excludable funds in May based on the transaction records.

The following table depicts the balance information returned by AFI for the savings account for 3/2026 through 5/2026:

Savings Balances Verified through AFI

Date

Activity

Debits

Credits

Balance

3/1/2026

balance

N/A

N/A

$650.00

4/1/2026

balance

N/A

N/A

$650.00

5/1/2026

balance

N/A

N/A

$650.00

The following tables depict the account activity and balance information for the checking account from AFI, bank statements, and financial records:

Checking Balances Verified through AFI

Date

Debits

Credits

Balance

3/1/2026

N/A

N/A

$1,180

4/1/2026

N/A

N/A

$1,741.50

5/1/2026

N/A

N/A

$1,372.00

Checking Balances and Transactions Using Other Evidence

Transaction Date Information from Other Evidence*

Activity

Debits

Credit

Balance

3/1/2026

 

Balance

 

 

$1,180.00

3/2/2026

Check #1165 cleared

-$850.00

 

$330.00

3/9/2026

Payment-Personal Loan

-$50.00

 

$280.00

3/23/2026

Deposit "IRS TREAS TAX REF"

 

$2,210.00

$2,490.00

3/24/2026

Frank's Hardware

-$650.00

 

$1,840.00

3/25/2026

Municipal Utility

-$98.50

 

$1,741.50

3/31/2026

Balance

 

 

$1,741.50

4/1/2026

Deposit (SSI)

 

$943.00

$2,684.50

4/4/2026

Check #1166 cleared

-$850.00

 

$1,834.50

4/9/2026

Final Payoff - Personal Loan

-$368.50

 

$1,466.00

4/25/2026

Municipal Utility

-$94.00

 

$1,372.00

5/1/2026

Deposit (SSI)

 

$943.00

$2,315.00

5/2/2026

Bob's Auto Repair

-$795.50

 

$1,519.50

5/4/2026

Check #1167 Cleared

-$850.00

 

$669.50

*Information is from bank statements through 4/15; information is from transaction log through 5/4 in bold.

Using the bank statements and transaction logs provided by the claimant and applying the commingling assumptions in SI 01130.700, the CS is able to exclude the retained tax return from the checking account balance for 4/2026 and 05/2026 resulting in eligibility for those months.

3. Allegation of check that has not cleared the bank

AFI returns checking account balance information that contributes to an excess resource determination for 05/2026. While the CS screens for potential resource exclusions, the claimant alleges the checking account balance of $1,350 as of 5/1/2026 includes a rent check of $500 written and given to their landlord on April 25th, but that the landlord has not cashed the check yet. The CS requests other financial records corroborating the claimant's statement and receives a bank statement covering 4/15/2026 through 5/15/2026 and copy of the claimant's check register covering the last 6 months.

The CS examines the claimant’s bank statement and check register and finds an annotation for check number 1345 for $500 written on April 25th. The CS also notes that check 1346 has already cleared the bank and the amount has been deducted from the claimant's account on the bank statement. Next, the CS notes that the claimant has written a $500 check to their landlord for rent on the 25th of each month for the last six months since the claimant moved into the apartment.

Since there is evidence that the claimant has written the check and legally obligated those funds in the account, and the records provide a complete and consistent picture of the account, the CS deducts the amount of the uncashed check from the 5/1/2026 balance. The CS can deduct the uncashed check because SSI equity value rules state that in determining equity value, we deduct encumbrances from the current market value (CMV). The new checking account balance of $850, which reflects the deduction of the encumbered funds, now permits resource eligibility.

4. Early SSI deposit

While verifying bank account balances using AFI during a redetermination, a CS discovers several months over the period of review in which the recipient’s account balances were higher than usual. Because the balances in many of these months caused an excess resources determination, the CS screens for potential exclusions or deductions.

Using the chart in SM 01315.005, the CS notes the early deposit months during the period of review were: 6/2019, 9/2019, 12/2019, 1/2020, 2/2020, and 3/2020.

In reviewing the SSR, the CS finds that the recipient received the full benefit rate in every month during the period of review.

The CS applies early deposit exclusions as follows:

Checking Account Balances

Date

Bank Account Balance

Total Resource Balance

Amount of SSI Deposit

Exclusion Applied

New Total Resource Balance

5/1/2019

$1,255.76

$1,255.76

$771.00

 

$1,255.76

6/1/2019

$2,035.30

$2,035.30

$771.00

$771.00

$1,264.30

7/1/2019

$1,280.54

$1,280.54

$771.00

 

$1,280.54

8/1/2019

$1,300.01

$1,300.01

$771.00

 

$1,300.01

9/1/2019

$1,961.86

$1,961.86

$771.00

$0*

$1,961.86

10/1/2019

$1,350.29

$1,350.29

$771.00

 

$1,350.29

11/1/2019

$1,402.50

$1,402.50

$771.00

 

$1,402.50

12/1/2019

$2,221.72

$2,221.72

$771.00

$771.00

$1,450.72

1/1/2020

 $2,059.10

$2,059.10

$783.00

$783.00

$1,276.10

2/1/2020

$2,087.11

$2,087.11

$783.00

$783.00

$1,304.11

3/1/2020

$1,993.69

$1,993.69

$783.00

$0*

$1,993.69

4/1/2020

$1,308.83

$1,308.83

$783.00

 

$1,308.83

*Even though early deposit occurred in 9/2019 and 3/2020, the total resource value was under the $2,000 resource limit. In these months, deducting the early deposit is not necessary. We only develop for exclusions or deductions when the early deposit amount affects eligibility. You do not need to record an amount in the "Excluded Amount" field on the Financial Institution Account page for these months.

G. References

  • •

    SI 00810.030—When Income is Counted

  • •

    SI 01110.600—First-of-the-Month (FOM) Rule for Making Resource Determinations

  • •

    SI 01140.206—Electronic Financial Institution Verification

  • •

    SM 01315.005—SSI Early Payment Date Information and Schedule

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0501140200
SI 01140.200 - Checking and Savings Accounts - 09/10/2026
Batch run: 09/10/2026
Rev:09/10/2026