By Leada Gore
Some Social Security recipients will see different payment schedules due to changes in the calendar for the remainder of the year.
In November, traditional Social Security payments will be sent on regular dates: people born on 1-10th will receive benefits on the second Wednesday (Nov. 13); born 11-20th on the third Wednesday (Nov. 20); and 21st and 31st on the fourth Wednesday (Nov. 27).
That schedule will change for December due to the Christmas holiday.The second and third Wednesday payments will be delivered on schedule but recipients for the fourth Wednesday will get their benefits a day early on Dec. 24 since Dec. 25 is a federal holiday.
The biggest changes come to people who receive Supplemental Security Income. SSI recipients will receive two payments in November – the first on the regular date of Nov. 1 and the second on Nov. 29 since the 1st of December falls on a Sunday.
In December, SSI recipients will receive their payments a day early – Dec. 31 – because Jan. 1 is the New Year’s Day holiday. These checks will reflect two different amounts because the 2025 Cost of Living Adjustment increase will apply to the payment made on Dec. 31.
The 2024 maximum SSI payment is $943 for single individuals and $1,415 for couples. That increases to $967 for singles and $1,450 for couples in 2025.
2025 COLA
Some 72.5 million beneficiaries – 69 million Social Security and 7.5 million SSI recipients and some who receive both – are getting a 2.5% benefit boost for 2025.
The increase is lower than the 3.2% beneficiaries received in 2024 but is close to the historical norm of 2.6% received in the past 20 years. During that time, COLAS ranged from as low as 0 in 2010, 2011 and 2016 to 8.7% in 2023.
The 2.5% increase means the average beneficiary receiving $1,870 per month will see an increase of about $46.80 next year.
