In the United States, the number of people receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) is over 8 million.

This program targets low-income individuals such as seniors over 65, the blind, and the disabled, and the number of beneficiaries may vary by age group and type of disability.

SSI (Supplemental Security Income) is a financial assistance program provided by the U.S. government for low-income seniors, disabled individuals, and the blind, funded primarily through general taxes. Specifically, the funding for SSI is obtained in the following ways:

General Revenue

• Unlike Social Security benefits funded by Social Security taxes (FICA), SSI is funded from the federal government's general taxes.
• General taxes come from various taxes paid by all taxpayers in the U.S., including income tax, corporate tax, and sales tax.

Federal Tax Revenue

• The federal government uses general revenue obtained from various taxes such as income tax, corporate tax, inheritance tax, and value-added tax (VAT) to finance SSI. In particular, income tax is a major source of revenue, with individuals and households paying taxes based on their income.

Difference from the Social Security Trust Fund

• The Social Security Trust Fund is primarily used to support benefits related to Social Security, specifically Social Security pensions (SSA). The trust fund is funded by workers' Social Security taxes (FICA taxes) and supports pensions, disability benefits, and survivor benefits.
• However, SSI is funded not by the Social Security Trust Fund but by general revenue. Therefore, SSI is funded by the federal government's general taxes, separate from the funds derived from Social Security taxes.

State Government Contributions

• While SSI is federally administered, some states provide additional grants. For example, states like California offer additional grants on top of the SSI amount to increase the total benefits for recipients.
• These additional grants come from the state government's budget and are funded by state taxes.

Other Financial Support

• SSI is a program designed to support low-income individuals, many of whom have limited employment opportunities. Therefore, the government covers welfare costs from the national budget as part of a nationwide welfare program.

The funding for SSI comes from the general revenue of the U.S. government.

This is a fund obtained from various types of taxes, such as income tax and corporate tax, separate from Social Security pensions (SSA).

Additionally, some states may provide additional grants.