<PAGE> PAGE 1
000 A000000 02/29/96
000 C000000 0000353967
000 D000000 N
000 E000000 NF
000 F000000 Y
000 G000000 N
000 H000000 N
000 I000000 3.0.a
000 J000000 U
001 A000000 IDS LIFE SPECIAL INCOME FUND, INC.
001 B000000 811-3219
001 C000000 6126712772
002 A000000 IDS TOWER 10
002 B000000 MINNEAPOLIS
002 C000000 MN
002 D010000 55440
002 D020000 0010
003 000000 N
004 000000 N
005 000000 N
006 000000 N
007 A000000 N
007 B000000 0
014 A000001 AMERICAN EXPRESS SERVICE CORPORATION
014 B000001 8-27456
014 A000002 AMERICAN ENTERPRISE INVESTMENT SERVICES INC.
014 B000002 8-42582
014 A000003 AMERICAN EXPRESS FINANCIAL CORPORATION
014 B000003 8-31250
014 A000004 AMERICAN EXPRESS FINANCIAL ADVISORS INC.
014 B000004 8-16791
014 A000005 IDS LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY
014 B000005 8-14124
014 A000006 IDS SECURITIES CORPORATION
014 B000006 8-12550
014 A000007 DELETE
015 A000001 AMERICAN EXPRESS TRUST COMPANY
015 B000001 C
015 C010001 MINNEAPOLIS
015 C020001 MN
015 C030001 55402
015 E010001 X
015 A000002 MORGAN STANLEY TRUST COMPANY
015 B000002 S
015 C010002 BROOKLYN
015 C020002 NY
015 C030002 11201
015 E040002 X
020 A000001 PRUDENTIAL SECURITIES
020 B000001 22-2347336
020 C000001 3
<PAGE> PAGE 2
020 C000002 0
020 C000003 0
020 C000004 0
020 C000005 0
020 C000006 0
020 C000007 0
020 C000008 0
020 C000009 0
020 C000010 0
021 000000 3
022 A000001 GOLDMAN SACHS & CO.
022 B000001 13-5108880
022 C000001 422306
022 D000001 13602
022 A000002 MORGAN STANLEY & CO., INC.
022 B000002 13-2655998
022 C000002 211075
022 D000002 80362
022 A000003 J.P. MORGAN SECURITIES
022 B000003 13-3224016
022 C000003 211884
022 D000003 45014
022 A000004 LEHMAN COMMERCIAL PAPER INC.
022 B000004 13-2501865
022 C000004 151932
022 D000004 25438
022 A000005 SALOMON BROTHERS INC.
022 B000005 13-3082694
022 C000005 97238
022 D000005 21320
022 A000006 MERRILL LYNCH & CO., INC.
022 B000006 13-5674085
022 C000006 86449
022 D000006 27141
022 A000007 DAIWA SECURITIES CO. LTD.
022 B000007 13-5680329
022 C000007 70400
022 D000007 0
022 A000008 CHASE MANHATTAN BANK
022 B000008 13-5225436
022 C000008 23352
022 D000008 38756
022 A000009 BANK OF AMERICA
022 B000009 94-1687655
022 C000009 32715
022 D000009 14135
022 A000010 UBS SECURITIES INC.
022 B000010 13-2932996
022 C000010 10643
022 D000010 24690
023 C000000 1525103
<PAGE> PAGE 3
023 D000000 384153
025 A000001 BANKAMERICA
025 B000001 94-1687655
025 C000001 D
025 D000001 7897
025 A000002 SALOMON BROTHERS
025 B000002 13-3082694
025 C000002 D
025 D000002 5040
025 A000003 DELETE
025 D000003 0
025 D000004 0
025 D000005 0
025 D000006 0
025 D000007 0
025 D000008 0
028 A010000 17635
028 A020000 9091
028 A030000 0
028 A040000 387
028 B010000 25858
028 B020000 10367
028 B030000 0
028 B040000 201
028 C010000 22525
028 C020000 9720
028 C030000 0
028 C040000 206
028 D010000 25584
028 D020000 9360
028 D030000 0
028 D040000 196
028 E010000 22885
028 E020000 9894
028 E030000 0
028 E040000 752
028 F010000 20270
028 F020000 10802
028 F030000 0
028 F040000 1512
028 G010000 134757
028 G020000 59234
028 G030000 0
028 G040000 3254
028 H000000 0
045 000000 Y
046 000000 N
047 000000 Y
048 000000 0.000
048 A010000 1000000
048 A020000 0.610
<PAGE> PAGE 4
048 B010000 1000000
048 B020000 0.595
048 C010000 1000000
048 C020000 0.580
048 D010000 3000000
048 D020000 0.565
048 E010000 3000000
048 E020000 0.550
048 F010000 0
048 F020000 0.000
048 G010000 0
048 G020000 0.000
048 H010000 0
048 H020000 0.000
048 I010000 0
048 I020000 0.000
048 J010000 0
048 J020000 0.000
048 K010000 9000000
048 K020000 0.535
049 000000 N
050 000000 N
051 000000 N
052 000000 N
053 A000000 N
062 A000000 Y
062 B000000 0.0
062 C000000 0.2
062 D000000 0.0
062 E000000 0.0
062 F000000 0.0
062 G000000 0.0
062 H000000 0.0
062 I000000 4.8
062 J000000 0.0
062 K000000 0.0
062 L000000 0.3
062 M000000 15.1
062 N000000 17.8
062 O000000 0.0
062 P000000 37.5
062 Q000000 23.7
062 R000000 0.6
063 A000000 0
063 B000000 14.5
064 A000000 N
064 B000000 N
070 A010000 Y
070 A020000 N
070 B010000 N
070 B020000 N
<PAGE> PAGE 5
070 C010000 Y
070 C020000 N
070 D010000 N
070 D020000 N
070 E010000 Y
070 E020000 Y
070 F010000 N
070 F020000 N
070 G010000 Y
070 G020000 N
070 H010000 N
070 H020000 N
070 I010000 N
070 I020000 N
070 J010000 Y
070 J020000 Y
070 K010000 Y
070 K020000 Y
070 L010000 Y
070 L020000 Y
070 M010000 Y
070 M020000 Y
070 N010000 Y
070 N020000 Y
070 O010000 Y
070 O020000 N
070 P010000 Y
070 P020000 N
070 Q010000 N
070 Q020000 N
070 R010000 N
070 R020000 N
071 A000000 556515
071 B000000 341029
071 C000000 1750047
071 D000000 19
072 A000000 6
072 B000000 73539
072 C000000 281
072 D000000 0
072 E000000 0
072 F000000 5783
072 G000000 155
072 H000000 0
072 I000000 0
072 J000000 96
072 K000000 0
072 L000000 70
072 M000000 21
072 N000000 50
072 O000000 0
<PAGE> PAGE 6
072 P000000 0
072 Q000000 0
072 R000000 14
072 S000000 0
072 T000000 0
072 U000000 0
072 V000000 0
072 W000000 7
072 X000000 6196
072 Y000000 0
072 Z000000 67624
072AA000000 13733
072BB000000 0
072CC010000 17273
072CC020000 0
072DD010000 67181
072DD020000 0
072EE000000 1252
073 A010000 0.4300
073 A020000 0.0000
073 B000000 0.0100
073 C000000 0.0000
074 A000000 1450
074 B000000 0
074 C000000 103446
074 D000000 1829422
074 E000000 10835
074 F000000 3057
074 G000000 0
074 H000000 0
074 I000000 0
074 J000000 1171
074 K000000 11983
074 L000000 33031
074 M000000 0
074 N000000 1994395
074 O000000 5706
074 P000000 0
074 Q000000 0
074 R010000 0
074 R020000 0
074 R030000 0
074 R040000 64555
074 S000000 0
074 T000000 1924134
074 U010000 163186
074 U020000 0
074 V010000 11.79
074 V020000 0.00
074 W000000 0.0000
074 X000000 0
<PAGE> PAGE 7
074 Y000000 0
075 A000000 0
075 B000000 1844700
076 000000 0.00
077 A000000 Y
077 B000000 N
077 C000000 N
077 D000000 Y
077 E000000 N
077 F000000 N
077 G000000 N
077 H000000 N
077 I000000 N
077 J000000 N
077 K000000 N
077 L000000 N
077 M000000 N
077 N000000 N
077 O000000 N
077 P000000 N
080 C000000 0
081 B000000 0
082 B000000 0
083 B000000 0
084 B000000 0
086 A010000 0
086 A020000 0
086 B010000 0
086 B020000 0
086 C010000 0
086 C020000 0
086 D010000 0
086 D020000 0
086 E010000 0
086 E020000 0
086 F010000 0
086 F020000 0
SIGNATURE LESLIE L. OGG
TITLE SECRETARY
<TABLE> <S> <C>
<ARTICLE> 6
<S> <C>
<PERIOD-TYPE> 6-MOS
<FISCAL-YEAR-END> AUG-31-1996
<PERIOD-END> FEB-29-1996
<INVESTMENTS-AT-COST> 1872061440
<INVESTMENTS-AT-VALUE> 1946759875
<RECEIVABLES> 46185187
<ASSETS-OTHER> 1449992
<OTHER-ITEMS-ASSETS> 0
<TOTAL-ASSETS> 1994395054
<PAYABLE-FOR-SECURITIES> 5706651
<SENIOR-LONG-TERM-DEBT> 0
<OTHER-ITEMS-LIABILITIES> 64554789
<TOTAL-LIABILITIES> 70261440
<SENIOR-EQUITY> 0
<PAID-IN-CAPITAL-COMMON> 1861358405
<SHARES-COMMON-STOCK> 163185830
<SHARES-COMMON-PRIOR> 147091617
<ACCUMULATED-NII-CURRENT> 859236
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-NII> 0
<ACCUMULATED-NET-GAINS> (12652956)
<OVERDISTRIBUTION-GAINS> 0
<ACCUM-APPREC-OR-DEPREC> 74568929
<NET-ASSETS> 1924133614
<DIVIDEND-INCOME> 281109
<INTEREST-INCOME> 73538696
<OTHER-INCOME> 0
<EXPENSES-NET> (6195647)
<NET-INVESTMENT-INCOME> 67624158
<REALIZED-GAINS-CURRENT> 13732963
<APPREC-INCREASE-CURRENT> 17273078
<NET-CHANGE-FROM-OPS> 98630199
<EQUALIZATION> 0
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-INCOME> (67180920)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OF-GAINS> (1251539)
<DISTRIBUTIONS-OTHER> 0
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-SOLD> 11372035
<NUMBER-OF-SHARES-REDEEMED> (1047008)
<SHARES-REINVESTED> 5769186
<NET-CHANGE-IN-ASSETS> 220934330
<ACCUMULATED-NII-PRIOR> 123083727
<ACCUMULATED-GAINS-PRIOR> (19987914)
<OVERDISTRIB-NII-PRIOR> 0
<OVERDIST-NET-GAINS-PRIOR> 0
<GROSS-ADVISORY-FEES> 5782836
<INTEREST-EXPENSE> 0
<GROSS-EXPENSE> 6195647
<AVERAGE-NET-ASSETS> 1844699804
<PER-SHARE-NAV-BEGIN> 11.58
<PER-SHARE-NII> .44
<PER-SHARE-GAIN-APPREC> .21
<PER-SHARE-DIVIDEND> (.43)
<PER-SHARE-DISTRIBUTIONS> (.01)
<RETURNS-OF-CAPITAL> 0
<PER-SHARE-NAV-END> 11.79
<EXPENSE-RATIO> .68
<AVG-DEBT-OUTSTANDING> 0
<AVG-DEBT-PER-SHARE> 0
</TABLE>
