Hordes of Social Security recipients get their monthly supplemental payments punctually. December would be an exception for some of these recipients with its calendar quirk and upcoming 2025 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). Many recipients will note their very strange timing for receiving December checks. Other recipients can expect to receive their COLA increase even sooner than they originally anticipated. Here’s what you need to know.
December SSI payments
Eligible for supplemental security income and brilliant from the impairment payment to poor older people, the recipients of the other turn-in payment lines this year due to the calendar.
Normally, SSI recipients are paid every first of every month. Because December 1st falls on a Sunday, the Social Security Administration paid the benefit in December early, which was on the Friday before Thanksgiving, November 29. This meant that SSI recipients would get two checks in November for November time and another for December.
But there is more to come. Because January 1, 2025, is a federal holiday, SSI beneficiaries will receive their January payment on December 31, 2024.
Read more: Social Security Calculator: How much Social Security will I get if I make $95,000 a year?
Key Dates for SSI Payments:
- November 29, 2024: December SSI payment issued early.
- December 31, 2024: January 2025 SSI payment was issued due to the holiday.
For individuals receiving both Social Security and SSI, the January 2025 payment will arrive on January 3, 2025, as per the SSA’s schedule.
The 2025 COLA adjustment
In October, the Social Security Administration proclaimed an adjustment of 2.5% for 2025’s cost-of-living increase, marking it the smallest increment since the year 2021. This increase corresponds to last year’s easing of inflation rates. In general, this adjustment should put about $50 betterment on monthly payments, resulting in an average Social Security check amounting to $1,976.
This increase will usually be seen by most beneficiaries from January payments, but the SSI beneficiaries will get the benefit of the adjustment a little earlier because their January 2025 payment is paid on December 31, 2024.
Key COLA Payment Dates:
- December 31, 2024: SSI beneficiaries receive their January 2025 payment with the COLA adjustment.
- January 3, 2025: Beneficiaries who claimed Social Security before May 1997 or who received both Social Security and SSI will see their COLA reflected in this payment.
- January 8, 2025: Recipients born from the 1st to the 10th of the month will receive their COLA adjustment.
- January 15, 2025: Recipients born from the 11th to the 20th of the month will receive their COLA adjustment.
- January 22, 2025: Recipients born from the 21st to the 31st of the month will receive their COLA adjustment.
How to check your new COLA
If you are not clear as to whether the 2025 COLA will impact your benefits, the SSA offers different means to get that information.
COLA Notices by Mail
The Social Security Administration is issuing COLA notices all through December. These letters state the level of increase in benefits that the letters specify as being as a result of the COLA. Make sure that you are not cut off from this significant correspondence.
Online Access
COLA notices will be available for access online in early December for beneficiaries who established a my Social Security account prior to November 20, 2024. All alterations made to your benefits can be viewed by logging into your account.
SSA Contact Guidelines
They advised that you ought to hold back until January to contact their office concerning any questions you may have on your COLA notice. This practice is to prevent long delays due to the high volume of calls made during the holiday season.
What to expect in 2025
With these modifications, recipients of Social Security can have a clearer way of planning for the coming year as far as their benefits are concerned. It can help in managing changes in SSI payment dates or budgeting according to the reduced COLA increase, and there is staying updated about changes.
Checking your notices and knowing the new payment schedule would keep you from surprises and allow you to enjoy the future benefits of Social Security.
