Because of a mistake with the calendar, some elderly Americans did not get their December Social Security payment. However, most beneficiaries get one cheque every month.
It is also possible that some recipients will start getting their yearly cost-of-living adjustment this month instead of January, which is always the case.
Some seniors may not have been prepared for this month’s payment dates, whether they are good or bad. This is because the Social Security Administration plans its yearly payment schedule well ahead of time.
All the changes Social Security has made to December payments this year
In the first case, people who get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) benefits will get an extra payment in November because December 1 is a weekend.
People who get SSI, a program for low-income elderly and disabled adults, usually get their payments on the first of the month. For these people, the SSA moved their December checks to Friday, November 29, because the first day of December fell on a Sunday.
In other words, people who get SSI got two checks in November: one for their November benefits and one for their December benefits. SSI recipients will still get a payment in December, though, because of how the calendar works this year.
The Social Security Administration says that claimants will get their January 2025 SSI payment on December 31, since January 1 is a federal holiday. B
ecause of this, people who get both Social Security and Supplemental Security Income will get their January 2025 payment on January 3, as planned by the government.
When will beneficiaries receive the new 2.5% COLA rise in their bank accounts?
In October, Social Security said that the cost-of-living adjustment would go up by 2.5% in 2025. This is the smallest increase since 2021. The COLA is based on recent inflation rates, and price increases have slowed down since their all-time high.
This means that seniors will get less of a benefit boost next year. The new 2.5% COLA increase means that the average monthly cheque will go up by an average of $50. This means that by 2025, the average monthly benefit will be almost $1,980.
The new COLA starts with the January payment for most people who get Social Security. Still, beneficiaries should know that, according to the Social Security Administration, people who get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will be the first Americans to get a bigger pay cheque on December 31st.
Some beneficiaries will get their new 2025 COLA when they get their January payments. This depends on the benefits they get or when their birthday is. The following is the new schedule for Social Security payments for people who are eligible:
- December 31: SSI beneficiaries will receive their new cost-of-living adjustment with this payment, which represents the January 2025 benefit.
- January 3: People who claimed Social Security before May 1997 or who receive both Social Security and SSI will see their new 2025 COLA reflected when they receive their checks on this day.
- January 8: Recipients who were born between the 1st and 10th of the month will receive their increased paycheck
- January 15: Recipients who were born between the 11th and 20th of the month will receive their increased paycheck
- January 22: Recipients who were born between the 21st and 31st of the month will receive their increased paycheck
How can beneficiaries check what their cost of living adjustment (COLA) increase will be?
Your Social Security Administration should send you a letter in the mail explaining how your benefits will change because of the cost-of-living increase. These letters are being sent out all through December.
From early December on, seniors and other Social Security recipients can see their COLA notice by logging into their own “my Social Security account,” as long as the account was made before November 20.
