Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients might soon get bigger monthly payments if the Social Security Administration succeeds in pushing through a proposed change in how benefits are calculated.

The proposed rule, published on the Federal Register earlier this month, would remove food from the calculation of in-kind support and maintenance (ISM), which is unearned income in the form of food and/or shelter. Under the proposal, SSI applicants and recipients would no longer need to provide information about their food expenses for the agency to consider in its ISM calculations.

Currently, SSI payments are reduced by one-third if a person or couple is living in another person’s home and getting food and shelter support from that person, according to the SSA. In this case, “support” is defined as any food, shelter or both that is given to someone or paid for by someone else.

Once a claimant is found eligible for SSI, their monthly payment is determined by subtracting “countable income” from the federal benefit rate (FBR), which is the monthly maximum federal SSI payment. The FBR for 2023 is $914 for an individual and $1,371 for an eligible individual with an eligible spouse, according to the SSA’s Federal Register proposal. Typically, after the first $65 earned each month, a recipient’s SSI benefit will be reduced 50 cents for every $1 of earned income.

When food, shelter or both are provided to an SSI applicant or recipient — such as when someone pays for rent, mortgage, food or utilities — it is considered in-kind support and maintenance. For example, if an applicant or recipient lives with their brother and doesn’t pay rent, the SSA would consider the shelter as ISM.