Social Security payments are made to millions of Americans, and generally it is once per calendar month for all recipients, regardless of what type of benefit they receive.
Those who receive only Supplemental Security Income (SSI), which provides financial support to the elderly, blind, and disabled who have limited income and assets, are usually paid on the first day of every month—but sometimes the schedule is subject to change and payment dates are brought forward.
SSI payments are usually paid on the 1st of every calendar month. However, SSI recipients will receive their December 2024 payment from the SSA on November 29, instead of at the beginning of the corresponding month, according to the 2024 payment schedule issued by the SSA.
The change is because the SSA does not make payments on federal holidays or weekends, and any owed amounts are always paid prior to the usual date in such cases. As December 1 falls on a Sunday, the payment date has been brought forward by two days.
A stock image of a person holding a purse and U.S. dollar bills. Payments are made monthly to all Social Security recipients, but sometimes the regular schedule changes.
GETTY
“We do this to avoid putting you at a financial disadvantage and make sure that you don’t have to wait beyond the first of the month to get your payment,” the SSA said in a 2022 blog post. “It does not mean that you are receiving a duplicate payment in the previous month, so you do not need to contact us to report the second payment.”
SSI recipients can also expect an earlier-than-usual check at the end of December. The payment of January 2025 benefits will be made at the end of the month on December 31, a day earlier than usual, as January 1 is a federal holiday.
Both of these November and December changes to the usual payment dates do not apply to those who collect only retirement benefits. All other Social Security recipients should have received their November payments according to the regular schedule, which issues benefits on the second, third or fourth Wednesday of the month, depending on when the recipient was born.
There is one retiree check payment left this month, due on Wednesday, November 27 for all retirees who do not collect SSI and were born between the 21st and 31st of any given month in the year.
If your payment is not in your bank account by the scheduled date, the SSA advises waiting three working days before contacting them. Federal holidays and weekends are not considered working days.
Beginning in the New Year, all SSA administered payments will be boosted by 2.5 percent due to the annual Cost of Living Adjustment, also known as COLA. This is in place to ensure the purchasing power of benefits is not eroded over time by inflation.
“Social Security benefits and SSI payments will increase in 2025, helping tens of millions of people keep up with expenses even as inflation has started to cool,” Martin O’Malley, commissioner of Social Security, said as part of the announcement made in October.