Deeming is when the income or resources of someone who is not eligible for SSI are considered available to the person applying for SSI. For example, an individual's SSI benefit might be offset by the income of their ineligible spouse. The deeming process is complicated and can lead to errors. When the Social Security Administration denies or reduces a person's SSI benefit due to incorrectly deeming income or resources from others, it is important to understand how deeming works and how to address problems.
