440-2        WHEN INCOME IS COUNTED

Income is determined on a monthly basis and, except for net self-employment income and the specified exceptions listed below, is counted in the month it is received.  Income is counted at the earliest of the following points in time:  when it is received, when it is posted to an individual's account, or when it is set aside for an individual's use.

Note:  

Except for retroactive SSA and SSI Supplemental Security Income benefits, retroactive benefit payments, unless otherwise excluded, are counted as income in the month of receipt.  (See section 441-2Q.)

Exception 1.  

SSA and SSI payments always count as income in the month of intended use.  This includes retroactive SSA and SSI payments, regardless of when the retroactive payments are received.

Exception 2.  

Occasionally, a regular periodic payment from a source other than SSA or SSI Supplemental Security Income, such as wages or VA Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, is received in a month other than the month of normal receipt.  As long as there is no intent to interrupt the regular payment schedule, the funds are considered as income for the normal month of receipt.

When income is counted in a month other than the month that evidence shows it was received, the reason why the income was counted for the other month must be documented in the case file.

Example:

A company sends out its retirement pension checks so that they arrive on the first day of each month.  However, because January 1 is a holiday, the checks are delivered on December 30.  The client brings in his pension check on December 31 as evidence of his income, and explains that he also received a pension check on December 1.

The caseworker determines that the amount of the December 30 check is income for the normal month of receipt, which is January.  The check is counted as income for January rather than December because of these unusual circumstances.

Income becomes a resource the month after the calendar month of normal receipt.