Mr. Sweepy's Forums

WILL WINNING A SWEEPSTAKE EFFECT MY SSD AS BEING CALLED INCOME,BECAUSE INCOME IS CONSIDERED WORK ACCORDING TO SOCIAL SECURITY DISABILITY.HAS ANYBODY OUT THERE THAT IS ON SSD EVER WON A SWEEPSTAKE AND DID IT EFFECT THERE SSD?

Yes, it will be considered income. I have a son who is disabled, and he gets a check each month and has TennCare insurance, which is the same as Medicaid. I will never enter him in a sweepstakes because it wouldn't be worth losing benefits. I enter, my husband enters, and our older son does, but we do not enter my younger son's name in anything.

 icu, I would call SS and ask them.  Actually, I will probably call them, myself.  I am also on SSD, and I also work.  This is how I see it.  Your SSD goes by your monthly earned income.  IF a win is considered income, it would only be for the month that you received the money.  Now how this would work is that you are allowed to work and earn so much a month, and anything over that puts you into a new catagory.  I'm trying to remember how this goes as I type along.  First of all, when you go back to work you have a trial period.  I have never made enough money, even working full-time, to reach the monthly ceiling.  So I never lost my SSD.  In June each year I get a large paycheck that is from money I have held for me throughout the rest of the year to get me through the summer (I work in the school system).  I just get a letter from our payroll dept. stating that and take it to SS and it's never been a problem.  This is because it is money that I earned in previous months, not just in June.  If you win, as I said, it would only be for that one month, and they won't take away your SSD because of that one month.  No matter how much it is - even a million dollars.  I don't remember exactly how this goes, but I think that your trial period is for 36 months and it seems like it was ok to have some months that were higher than the monthly allowed amount.  Anyway, I still don't think they will count it because it isn't EARNED money.  You didn't perform a service to earn the money, and your benefits go by earned income.  To count it would be like saying someone died and left you an inheritance and you earned that.  Not so.  Now where it would figure in would be on your income taxes.  Since a big win has to be claimed on your taxes, you  would have to use that amount in addition to any other income to figure out what percentage of your SSD is taxable.  Likely, you will owe more taxes on your SSD.  I hope this is helpful.  I am going to definitely call SS tomorrow and find out for sure.  If it is any different, I will let you know. 

Sue 

I am also on SSD and I think that you have a trial period of 9 months and I think I read that it is 5000K max for each month that you can make.I'm also going to ask my lawyer, accountant and then call SS to make sure that I am correct.  Please Sue let us know what you find out and I will see my lawyer in a couple of weeks and I will post what they told me.

 In 2007 the max I could make per month was $840.

 Kali, I had dr.'s appts. all day today and didn't get a chance to call. Colonoscopy tomorrow, so looks like Fri. at the best for me to call.  But as for the $840. month limit, yes, that is what they told me when I called last year.  This is another reason why I have money taken out each paycheck to save for the summer; it makes my monthly income stay within the guidelines. (I am really fortunate to be able to do this!) I don't know what the income limit is for 2008, but I doubt it is much more than that.

 There is a difference between income and EARNED income. You can earn $1000.00 a month in interest (income) with no effect on SSD.

If you get $1000.00 a month bagging at the Market (earned income). That would be different.

Both will effect Medicaid. But not Medicare.

Each of us need to call and find out about what will effect our SSD

I noticed this statement in the Pepcid official rules.

Enrollees of federally subsidized health care programs, such as Medicare and Medicaid, are not eligible for the sweepstakes.

SSD is NOT effect....SSI IS effected  Sweepstakes is not ewarned income.  It only effects those on SSI who did not pay in enough while working

You are geeting alot of mixed information.  If you are on SSD winning a sweepstakes is NOT considered earned income, and will NOT effect your monthly income..  However, if your total income goes beyond $25,000 for the year, you do have to file tax returns and claim the income.  But it will not effect your social security income as it is not earned income.

Now, if you are receiving SSI  Disability (those who do not have enough credits with SS to receive SSD) then if WILL effect your Social Security monthly benefits.

Which ever you receive, if you have an income of $25,000 or more for the year, you must file a tax return.  It your total income is NOT over $25,000, you do not have to file a return.  But you may have to pay taxes on the winning amount.  This you should speak to your tax person.  I do know that if your Social Security Disability is less than $25,000, a year you do not have to file a tax return.

I won $18,000 in Las Vegas and they sent me a 1099 for the winnings.  I only had to pay tax on the winnings and not my Social Security Disability income that is less than $25,000 for the year.. If you just call the Social Security Office, they will tell you if you collect SSD there is no effect on your monthly payments because it is NOT earned income.  But if you collect SSI Disability your monthly payents Will be effected.

When you are on SSD you can only earn the extra income for 9 months without them investigating you.  If you work over 9 months at any time, even spaced a part, you risk losing your SSD.  I thought about working the program that permitted me to work without losing my SSD.  Then I learned if I worked over 9 months, that they begin to question your disability and your beneifits are threatened. 

Medicaid is actually a welfare.  Therefore any asset you gain will effect Medicaid.  But Medicare you are entitled if disabled or retired.  Winning a sweeps will NOT effect Medicare.

mimireco so you mean that people on SSD(is when you are on ss disability but have earned enough credits to be on it?)  you are not effected

but if you are on SSI disability(meaning you did not pay enough in  and did not have enough credits to begin with) you will be affected?

 am i understanding that correctly?