Getting a mortgage when your only income is Social Security benefits is no different than applying for a home loan when you have a job. You'll need a down payment, proof of income, a qualifying debt-to-income ratio and a viable credit score.
If your Social Security income, plus any other regular income streams, are enough to comfortably cover your estimated monthly mortgage payments and your other regular bills, lenders might be willing to approve you for a mortgage.
Yes, people on Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) or Supplemental Security Insurance (SSI) can use their benefits to help qualify for a home loan. Keep in mind that additional properties that aren't your place of residence are considered assets that could affect your SSI eligibility.
Plenty of lenders are happy to offer standard lending terms and competitive rates for borrowers up to age 60. Many lenders impose an age cap at 65 - 70, but will allow the mortgage to continue into retirement if affordability is sufficient.
A home owned by a person with disabilities or their special needs trust does not disqualify the individual from SSI benefits. Furthermore, purchases of some household goods are not considered shelter.
WHAT IS THE RESOURCE LIMIT? The limit for countable resources is $2,000 for an individual and $3,000 for a couple.
A special note about SSI payments
We don't count all resources. However, some items you buy could cause the recipient to lose their SSI payments. Any money you don't spend could also count as a resource.
A standard rule of thumb applies, regardless of age: So long as your mortgage payments are no more than 45 percent of your gross income, you should be able to get the mortgage.
As long as you are 18 or older, your age won't lower your chances of qualifying for a mortgage loan. Mortgage lenders are not allowed to use age as a reason to deny your request for a mortgage loan, whether you are 60, 70, 80 or 90. This doesn't mean, though, that lenders have to provide mortgage financing to you.
There's no age that's considered too old to buy a house. However, there are different considerations to make when buying a house near or in retirement.
If you collect benefits from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and can verify your payments, you're typically eligible for a payday loan. Payday lenders welcome Social Security beneficiaries because, unlike part-time workers, their payments are stable and reliable.
If you qualify for SSD benefits, the amount of money you have in the bank is not important. That is because this is a system you have paid into while working – it is not a system based on need. Your assets are not part of the consideration when the SSA is determining whether you can receive SSDI benefits.
Some people who get Social Security must pay federal income taxes on their benefits. However, no one pays taxes on more than 85% percent of their Social Security benefits. You must pay taxes on your benefits if you file a federal tax return as an “individual” and your “combined income” exceeds $25,000.
Social Security doesn't prohibit individuals who receive disability benefits—under either the SSDI or SSI program—from purchasing a home or using their monthly disability payments to fund the purchase of a house. But SSI recipients could run into trouble if they try to save up money for a down payment.
It can be difficult to get approved for an auto loan if your income is Social Security because subprime lenders require your income to be taxable, which SSI isn't. In order to get approved, you either have to have an additional source of income that can be taxed, or a cosigner or co-borrower that earns taxable income.
The SSA is not concerned with the value of the vehicle. Owning one $20,000 car won't count hurt you. However, owning two cars that are valued at just over $1,000 will count against you. While that may seem odd, keep in mind that they are looking at this as if you could sell excess assets in order to pay bills, etc.
Mortgage lenders are not allowed to use age as a factor for denying borrowers a mortgage loan. Thank the Equal Credit Opportunity Act for this; the federal law prohibits discrimination based on everything from a borrower's age to that person's race, color, or national origin.
Applying for a mortgage during retirement is the same as applying for a mortgage while employed. You need to meet the same basic credit and down payment requirements and document your income based on the type of retirement income(s) you receive.
First, if you have the means, no age is too old to buy or refinance a house. The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits lenders from blocking or discouraging anyone from a mortgage based on age.
A retirement interest only mortgage is a home loan aimed at older borrowers who may struggle to get a mainstream mortgage due to age limits. With a retirement interest only mortgage you repay the interest on your loan monthly. You don't have to repay the capital until you die or go into long-term care.
If you receive benefits through the federal Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program, the Social Security Administration (SSA) can check your bank account. They do this to verify that you still meet the program requirements.
Money in a savings account, however, is a countable resource. That means you could be ineligible for SSI if your account contains more than $2,000 ($3,000 for a couple), or if it contains less but your total countable assets, including the savings, exceed those figures.
As we explain in this blog post, SSI can check your bank accounts anywhere from every one year to six years, or when you experience certain life-changing experiences. The 2022 maximum amount of available financial resources for SSI eligibility remains at $2,000 for individuals and $3,000 for couples.
Although to some degree it might seem as if billionaires and millionaires in the U.S. shouldn't be collecting Social Security, the truth is there is no law against it, and mathematically it makes sense. Social Security isn't simply a welfare program, with money handed out to anyone who asks.
(1) The proceeds from the sale of a home which is excluded from the individual's resources will also be excluded from resources to the extent they are intended to be used and are, in fact, used to purchase another home, which is similarly excluded, within 3 months of the date of receipt of the proceeds.