Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will get two payments in November due to the usual payment date for December’s benefits falling on a weekend.
SSI benefits are paid to those that are 65 years old with low or no income, or those younger than 65 with a physical or mental disability, and are usually paid on the first of the month if they do not also claim retirement benefits. Around 7.5 million people get SSI each month, and the maximum individual benefit is set at $943.
SSI beneficiaries will receive their November payment on Friday, November 1, as normal, and then a payment for December on Friday, November 29, which would normally be administered on the first of the corresponding month. This is because December 1 falls on a Sunday, and Social Security payments are not made on weekends or federal holidays.
“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 Social Security Administration (SSA) explained 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.”
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All other Social Security payments for retirees under the regular Old-Age, Survivors, and Disability Insurance (OASDI) program will be paid throughout December. If you don’t receive your payment on the scheduled date, the SSA suggests waiting an additional three mailing days before contacting them.
There will also be a number of changes to the payments schedule in December due to the Christmas and New Year holidays. Those who claim retirement benefits and have a birthday that falls between the 21st and 31st of any given month in the year will get their payment a day earlier than usual on Tuesday, December 24, as the usual payment date would be Christmas Day.
SSI recipients will again be paid slightly earlier in December on the 31st, due to January 1 being a federal holiday.
All benefit recipients will be receiving a boost to their benefits in December or January due to the recently announced Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA), which boosts benefits annually to keep up with inflation.
On October 10, the SSA announced an increase of 2.5 percent across all benefits administered by the government agency. “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.
The first adjusted payments will be made in January 2025 for retirement benefits, and December 2024 for SSI recipients.
