Social Security is one of the most protected sources of income for a debtor. Social Security and SSDI can not be garnished for any reason by a non-governmental entity. Generally, it can only be garnished for things like back taxes, previous Social Security over payments or child support. Social Security also can not be taken by a trustee in a bankruptcy proceeding or a creditor even if you received it already and it is sitting in your bank account.

But if you mix social security money with non-protected income; it can lose its protected status. As Ed Boltz puts it “A barrel full of poop with a shot of whiskey is a barrel of poop. A barrel full of whiskey with a shot of poop is also a barrel of poop.”