What is countable income in relation to a Social Security Disability or a Supplemental Security Income claim? Your countable income is not meant to be every penny that comes into your home. Countable income is what is left after an Earned Income Exclusion, a General Income Exclusion, and one half of your earnings are subtracted from what is left after the exclusions. The General Income Exclusion is $20, and the Earned Income Exclusion is $65. These amounts come out of your Gross Monthly Earnings. If you receive any kind of Impairment-Related Work Expenses, also known as IRWE, they will be deducted from your Gross Monthly Earnings as well. Whatever income remains will be divided in half. That amount is called the Countable Earned Income. There are several Work Incentives that can make a difference in the final amount of Countable Income. These include Blind Work Expenses, Student Earned Income Exclusion, and several others. Countable Income is the one thing that can really affect the final amount of your disability benefit.