The Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program has different monthly benefit rates for different living arrangements. In New York State, SSI payments are usually based on three rates. For 2008, those rates are:

• Living alone - $724
• Living with others and paying fair share of household expenses - $660
• Living in the household of another - $447.67

A person is considered living alone when they have set expenses and are independent of anyone else. A person is living with others when they share expenses, such as food, utilities, rent or mortgage, etc. There is an assumption that people living together share certain costs related to food and shelter.

If a person cannot pay the fair share of household expenses (1/2 of expenses in a household of two, 1/3 of expenses in a household of three, etc.), they cannot be considered "living with others." (For example, if an SSI recipient’s fair share in a parent’s home would be $1,000 per month, he or she could not possibly pay the appropriate share of expenses out of an SSI check. Unless the SSI recipient can establish a separate living unit, he or she would be considered "living in the household of another.")

An SSI recipient can change living arrangements at any time. If he or she wishes to establish a roomer-lodger status, he or she should submit a statement from the homeowner/lessee to the Social Security Administration indicating how much the SSI recipient is charged as a flat fee per month for room and lodging. The SSI program should accept the agreement and adjust the individual’s SSI benefit accordingly. The SSI recipient is then entitled to New York’s "living alone" status.