A PASS allows you to set aside other income besides your SSI and/or resources for a specified period of time so that you may pursue a work goal. For example, if you receive SSDI, wages, or other income, you could set aside some of that money to pay expenses for education, vocational training, or starting a business as long as the expenses are related to achieving your work goal.

We do not count the income that you set aside under your PASS when we figure your SSI payment amount. We do not count the resources that you set aside under your PASS when we determine your initial and continuing eligibility for SSI.

A PASS can help you establish or maintain SSI eligibility and may increase your SSI payment amount. For example, if you receive $800 per month in SSDI, you have too much income for SSI. But if you otherwise qualify for SSI and have a work goal, you could use some of your SSDI to pay for PASS expenses. Because we would not count the portion of your SSDI you are using toward your PASS, this could reduce your countable income enough so you could be eligible for SSI.

If you receive SSI or could qualify for SSI, you could benefit from a PASS. You may not need a plan now, but you may need one sometime in the future to remain eligible or to increase your SSI payment amount while fulfilling your work goal.

• Be designed especially for you;


• Be in writing. We prefer that you use our form, the SSA-545-BK. You can get copies of the PASS form, SSA-545-BK, at your local office, from any PASS Expert, or from our website at: www.ssa.gov/online/ssa-545.html;


• Have a specific work goal that you are capable of performing;


• Have a specific timeframe for reaching your goal;


• Show what money (other than your SSI payments) and other resources you have or receive that you will use to reach your goal;


• Show how your money and resources will be used to reach your work goal;


• Show how the money you set aside will be kept separate from other funds;


• Be approved by us; and


• Be reviewed periodically by us to assure your plan is actually helping you achieve progress.

When we figure your SSI payment amount, we do not count income set aside under a PASS. We apply this exclusion to your countable income after we use all other appropriate exclusions.

We do not count resources set aside under a PASS towards the resource limit.

You can ask for a pamphlet entitled Working While Disabled — A Plan for Achieving Self-Support(SSA Publication No. 05-11017). It is also available online at: www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/11017.html.

You can also get a copy from your local office or by calling our toll-free number 1-800-772-1213 between 7a.m. and 7p.m. Monday through Friday.

We do not count some resources that are essential to your means of self-support when we decide your continuing eligibility for SSI.

We do not count your property if you use it in a trade or business (for example, inventory of goods) or personal property you use for work as an employee (for example, tools or equipment). Other use of the item(s) does not matter.

We do not count up to $6,000 of equity value of non-business property that you use to produce goods or services essential to daily activities. An example is land used to produce vegetables or livestock solely for consumption by your household.

We do not count up to $6,000 of the equity value of non-business income-producing property if the property yields an annual rate of return of at least 6 percent. An example is a rental property.

You must be using the property we are excluding under the PESS provision for your self-support activities. If you are not currently using this property because of circumstances beyond your control, you must expect to start using it again within a reasonable period of time, usually 12 months.

We do not consider liquid resources, for example, stocks, bonds, or notes as PESS, unless you use them as part of a trade or business.