Six states add nothing to the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) check: Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia. Social Security’s own list also names the Northern Mariana Islands, a territory, in the same group. For SSI recipients in those places, the federal payment is the whole check, and it rises to $1,029 a month for one person in January.
What the six states leave out
Social Security says SSI provides monthly payments to people with disabilities and older adults who have little or no income or resources. The federal rate in 2026 is $994 a month for an individual and $1,491 for a couple. Some states top that up with money of their own, and the agency’s guide sorts every state by whether it does.
In Arizona, Arkansas, Mississippi, North Dakota, Tennessee and West Virginia, the Social Security guide to 2026 SSI benefits lists no supplement at all. A recipient there gets the federal amount, adjusted for income and living arrangements. There is no state add-on to ask about, because none is paid.
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The other 44 states and the District of Columbia do pay something. The guide says Social Security administers the supplement in California, Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Michigan, Montana, Nevada, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont, and in the District. In Delaware, Iowa, Michigan, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and the District, the state runs some categories itself.
Thirty-three more states pay and administer their own supplements: Alabama, Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin and Wyoming. Recipients there are told to contact the state for payment information.
What a state add-on is worth
Social Security’s August 2026 payment tables show how much the add-on can matter. Where the agency administers the supplement, the average across all areas was $211.91 a month. The table covers only those federally administered programs, so the 33 states that run their own are not in it.
Hawaii paid the most, averaging $616.40 a month, with $576.85 for aged recipients and $633.20 for blind and disabled ones. Pennsylvania averaged $543.28 and the District of Columbia $469.17. Each of those sits on top of the $994 federal rate, and recipients in the six states never see anything like it.
The add-on can also be small. New Jersey averaged $36.32, Nevada $41.62 and Vermont $57.78, while California averaged $241.51, Iowa $262.57 and Rhode Island $294.25. The spread means the state where an SSI recipient lives can change the monthly deposit by hundreds of dollars.
The December 31 raise is federal only
Social Security announced a 3.6 percent cost-of-living increase for 2027 on October 14. Commissioner Frank Bisignano said the agency “will implement this cost-of-living adjustment for 76 million Americans, giving them greater financial stability.” Increased payments to about 7.3 million people receiving SSI begin on December 31, 2026.
The 2027 fact sheet puts the federal SSI rate at $1,029 a month for an individual, up from $994, and $1,544 for a couple, up from $1,491. That is $35 more for one person and $53 more for two. In the six states without an add-on, those federal figures are the full SSI rate.
The resource limits do not move. The fact sheet keeps them at $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple in 2027, the same as in 2026. Those limits still decide whether a check is paid at all, and with no state supplement there is no second payment behind the federal one.
Other 2027 figures on the same fact sheet move with the cost-of-living adjustment. The SSI student earnings exclusion rises to $2,500 a month and $10,080 a year, from $2,410 and $9,730. In the six states, a student on SSI keeps that federal exclusion and nothing more, since no state formula sits beside it.
Confirming what the deposit should be
Amounts vary with income, living arrangements and other factors, the guide says, so two recipients in the same state can see different deposits. Social Security’s SSI overview says recipients must report wages, other income and changes to resources or living arrangements each month. Those reports feed the amount, so $1,029 is the most a one-person federal payment can be.
Where Social Security administers a supplement, the guide says recipients can contact the agency about their total benefit. Where the state runs it, the state handles payment questions. In the six states with no supplement, Social Security is the only office involved, and its question is the federal payment.
A recipient who moves changes the math at once. Someone who leaves Pennsylvania, where the August average add-on was $543.28, would find no supplement listed for Tennessee. The same is true in the other five states, and the guide does not carry any exception for new arrivals.
The open question for households in the six states is what protects the federal check itself. With no state money behind it, the $1,029 depends on income, resources and monthly reports staying inside the federal rules, and Social Security is the only place to settle a dispute over them.
Is the federal SSI check in Arizona or Mississippi protected against mistakes?
In a state with no add-on, the federal payment is the only SSI money there is. A missed monthly report or a balance above the $2,000 individual limit lands on the whole check, and a recipient in Tennessee or West Virginia has no state supplement to soften it.
The story’s question is how big the check is, and the related job is keeping it. The SSI & Disability Action Kit sets out the 2026 SSI income and resource limits and the review and reporting steps, with an income and resource organizer. Part 2, The Limits That Decide It, is the part that matters most for a federal-only check.
See the SSI income limits and reporting steps in one kit →
More Financial Reading
- 21 Ways to Stretch a $2,087 Social Security Check
- 15 Places to Find Your Share of the $4.25 Billion States Give Back
- 15 Steps to Stop the Scams That Took $7.7 Billion From Seniors
This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
