418.3325—What earned income do we not count?
(a)
While we must know the source and amount of all of your earned income, we do not count all of it to determine your subsidy eligibility and whether you should receive a full or partial subsidy. We apply these income exclusions in the order listed in paragraph (b) of this section to your income. We never reduce your earned income below zero or apply any unused earned income exclusion to unearned income.
(b)
For the year or partial year that we are determining your eligibility for the subsidy, we do not count as earned income:
(1)
Any refund of Federal income taxes you or your living-with spouse receive under section 32 of the Internal Revenue Code (relating to the earned income tax credit) and payment you receive from an employer under section 3507 of the Internal Revenue Code (relating to advance payments of earned income tax credit);
(2)
Earned income which is received infrequently or irregularly as explained in § 416.1112(c)(2) of this chapter ;
(3)
Any portion of the $20 per month exclusion described in § 416.1124(c)(12) of this chapter which has not been excluded from your combined unearned income (or the combined unearned income of you and your living-with spouse);
(4)
$65 per month of your earned income (or the combined earned income you and your living-with spouse receive in that same year);
(5)
Earned income you use to pay impairment-related work expenses described in § 416.976 of this chapter, if you are receiving a social security disability insurance benefit, your disabling condition(s) does not include blindness and you are under age 65. We consider that you attain age 65 on the day before your 65th birthday. In lieu of determining the actual amount of these expenses, we will assume that the value of these work expenses is equal to a standard percentage of your total earned income per month if you tell us that you have impairment-related work expenses. The amount we exclude will be equal to the average percentage of gross earnings excluded for SSI recipients who have such expenses. Initially, the exclusion for impairment-related work expenses will be 16.3 percent of the gross earnings. We may adjust the percentages if the average percentage of gross earnings excluded for supplemental security income (SSI) recipients changes. If we make such a change we will publish a notice in the Federal Register. If excluding impairment-related work expenses greater than the standard percentage of your earned income would affect your eligibility or subsidy amount, you may establish that your actual expenses are greater than the standard percentage of your total earned income. You may do so by contacting us and providing evidence of your actual expenses. The exclusion of impairment-related work expenses also applies to the earnings of your living-with spouse if he or she is receiving a social security disability insurance benefit, the disabling condition(s) does not include blindness and he or she is under age 65;
(6)
One-half of your remaining earned income (or combined earned income of you and your living-with spouse); and
(7)
Earned income as described in § 416.1112(c)(8) of this chapter that you use to meet any expenses reasonably attributable to the earning of the income if you receive a social security disability insurance benefit based on blindness and you are under age 65. We consider that you attain age 65 on the day before your 65th birthday. In lieu of determining the actual amount of these expenses, we will assume that the value of these expenses is equal to a standard percentage of your total earned income per month. The amount we exclude will be equal to the average percentage of gross earnings excluded for SSI recipients who have such expenses. Initially, the exclusion for blind work expenses will be 25 percent of the gross earnings. We may adjust the percentages if the average percentage of gross earnings excluded for SSI recipients changes. If we make such a change we will publish a notice in the Federal Register. If excluding work expenses greater than the standard percentage of your earned income would affect your eligibility or subsidy amount, you may establish that your actual expenses are greater than the standard percentage of your earned income. You may do so by contacting us and providing evidence of your actual expenses. The exclusion of work expenses also applies to the earnings of your living-with spouse if he or she receives a social security disability insurance benefit based on blindness and is under age 65.