Independent guide · not the SSA
SSI · ABLE accounts
ABLE accounts and SSI
An ABLE account lets a person with a disability save without losing SSI, up to a point. Since January 2026 the disability must have begun before age 46, up from 26.
When the disability began. Since Jan. 1, 2026. Before that, the condition had to begin before age 26.
Not counted for SSI. Up to this much of the balance is left out of the SSI resource test.
Yearly contribution limit, 2026. It was $19,000 in 2025 and $18,000 in 2024. The 2027 limit is n/d in SSA's manual.
What an ABLE account is
An ABLE account is a tax-advantaged savings account for a person who is blind or has a disability that began before age 46. The person owns it and uses it for qualified disability expenses. States run ABLE programs, and a person can open an account in any state's program that allows it.
How SSI treats it
- Only one ABLE account per person. A second account counts as a normal resource unless it is closed within 90 days.
- SSA excludes up to $100,000 of the balance from the resource limit. Any amount above $100,000 counts as a resource.
- A distribution is not income; it turns part of the account into another form of resource.
- Anyone can contribute, in cash, check, money order, card or transfer.
- When the owner dies, money left after qualified expenses may have to repay the state for Medicaid, if the state files a claim.
Free tools
Questions people ask
Does an ABLE account count against the SSI $2,000 limit?
Up to $100,000 of the balance does not count. Only the amount above $100,000 counts as a resource.
Who can open an ABLE account in 2026?
A person who is blind or has a disability that began before their 46th birthday.
Independent guide · not the SSA. Green Tips 1 US is a private guide. We are not the Social Security Administration, we are not part of it, and we do not take applications.
Sources: SSA POMS SI 01130.740, Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Accounts (TN 135, 04-26). Official site, typed by hand: ssa.gov. Read in October 2026; data dates as noted.