Get The Plan

Getting ready for the Social Security interview

Answer truthfully, in your own words. If you do not know, say that you do not know, or that you will send it later. Write down the actual hours and the actual gross pay. Do not change those answers, and do not shape them to fit a limit.

Download the printable prep sheet (PDF)

Optional appointment reminder

The download above does not need an email. This reminder is optional.

Enter it straight from your SSA appointment letter.

Write down your interview date, time, and whether it is in person or by phone.

What they will ask

Work and pay

  • Who your loved one works for, and the date the job started.
  • The gross pay on the stubs, and the hours worked each week. Know the real number before you go.
  • What the work is, and what is hard about a normal shift. Use real examples.
  • Any other job, including older W-2 work: the years, the employer, and about how many hours.

Where your loved one lives

  • Who owns the home, and who else lives there.
  • Whether your loved one pays toward rent, the mortgage, or utilities, and how much.
  • Who buys food. Since September 30, 2024, food by itself does not lower SSI. Shelter still can.
  • Free shelter can lower SSI by up to the presumed maximum value, $351.33 a month in 2026. A written lease that your loved one actually pays can keep the full federal rate.

Resources

  • Bank accounts in your loved one's name, and the balances you know.
  • Cash, vehicles, and anything else your loved one owns that Social Security would ask about.
  • Say what is actually there. If you do not know a balance, say so.

Health, in general terms

  • When the struggles started.
  • Who has treated your loved one, and when. Names, places, and dates you know.
  • How a normal day goes: sleep, routine, leaving home, and follow-through.

School

  • The last grade finished.
  • The schools your loved one attended.
  • Whether there was any special help in school.

Bring

  • Photo ID, and a Social Security card or the number.
  • The last 3 pay stubs, plus W-2s from each job.
  • The lease, or a note of what your loved one pays toward housing.
  • Get Covered Illinois or marketplace letters, and HFS or ABE Medicaid letters.
  • A list of providers, with addresses and the dates your loved one was seen.
  • School names, and a note of any special education help.

Leave the provider list and the school list blank until you fill in the real names, addresses, and dates. Do not guess a clinic or a school.

Questions to ask Social Security

  1. Is this an application for SSI, SSDI, or both? Can you check the work record for SSDI?
  2. Can your loved one get benefits on a parent's record, called Childhood Disability Benefits?
  3. How do wages affect the claim, and how do we report pay each month?
  4. Does a lease with the parents change the SSI amount?
  5. If your loved one gets SSI, does Medicaid come with it in this state?
  6. What forms do we sign so you can get records?
  7. When will we hear back, and who is the contact?

The family member's role

  • A family member can go to the interview.
  • You can help find papers and remember dates.
  • Your loved one answers about their own work, health, and home.
  • You do not replace those answers with a different hour count or a different wage.

Good to know

The 2026 work limit Social Security calls substantial gainful activity is $1,690 a month for a person who is not blind. Compare the real gross pay with that figure. Being under it does not decide the claim.

SSI starts at up to $994 a month in 2026 and usually drops about $1 for every $2 of counted earnings. Free shelter can lower it by up to $351.33.

Open the earnings estimator if you want to see the math with the real numbers. The result is an estimate, not a decision.

Inaya Health does not provide crisis support, legal advice, or a benefits determination. This is general information for families.

Sources

Last reviewed October 12, 2026