20 C.F.R. § 416.1102
Income is anything that you receive in cash or in-kind that you can use to meet your needs for food or shelter. For purposes of this definition, income may be received actually or constructively. Income is received constructively, unless there are significant restrictions on your ability to receive it, if it is under your control or you can use it despite not actually receiving it. Sometimes income also includes more or less than you actually receive (see §§ 416.1110 and 416.1123(b) ). In-kind income is not cash but is something else that you can use to meet your needs for food or shelter. Exception: Food is not included in the calculations of in-kind support and maintenance, which is a type of unearned income that we have special rules for valuing (see §§ 416.1130 through 416.1148 ).
20 C.F.R. §416.1102