Many inmates come into jail content to know that their Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will continue being deposited into their account in their absence, but this is not true in most cases. The good news is if you are going to be in jail for less than a full calendar month, you can breathe easier. Your SSI payments will not be impacted. You don’t have to do anything and the payments will just keep being deposited. Remember, it is a calendar month. This means if you come into jail on October, 10 and are released before midnight on November 30, your payments won’t stop. If you are in jail for an entire calendar month, your payments will be suspended and stop. This isn’t a termination of payments.

Bill to Prevent Unemployment Payments The jail notifies SSI offices of every inmate that comes into the jail. The SSI office then suspends the payments of anyone incarcerated for a full calendar month. If you remain in jail for more than 12 calendar months, your payment status changes from suspended to terminated and you will have to start the entire application and qualification process again if you wish to restart your payments once you are released. What happens to a prisoner’s benefits? Final thoughts: Understanding how the process works is important when you are deciding whether to accept a plea deal, bond out, or stay in jail to flatten your time.