If someone worked while in prison, is it considered earned income? Should it be listed on the SSI/SSDI application as prior employment? Do you get work credits from it?
Question:
If someone worked while in prison, is it considered earned income? Should it be listed on the SSI/SSDI application as prior employment? Do you get work credits from it?
Answer:
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Employment while incarcerated (with no access to the community) will not appear in an individual's work history with SSA. These earnings are not taxed and will not be counted as earned income when applying for SSI/SSDI. We encourage you to include these jobs as "specialized job training" on question #5c on the SSA-3368/Adult Disability Report.
Employment while participating in a work release program in the community (while still under the supervision of a department of corrections) will be considered part of one's work history. Taxes are paid on this income and it is considered as earned income.