Here's what to know about Social Security's December payments, from SSI checks to the COLA increase
Most Social Security recipients receive one check each month, but a quirk of the calendar means some older Americans didn't get a check at the start of December. On top of that, some beneficiaries may see their annual cost-of-living adjustment kick in this month, earlier than the typical starting month of January.
While the Social Security Administration sets its annual payment schedule well in advance of the year, the payment dates could take some seniors by surprise this month, for both better and worse.
December SSI payments
In the first case, people who receive Social Security's Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, got an extra payment in November because of the way the calendar falls in December.
Recipients of SSI, a program for disabled adults and low-income seniors, typically get their checks on the first of the month. But because December 1 fell on a Sunday this year, this group of beneficiaries received their December check on Friday, November 29.
In other words, SSI recipients received two checks in November, one for their November payment and the second for their December benefit.
But SSI recipients will still receive a payment in December, again because of how the calendar falls this year.
Since January 1 is a federal holiday, the January 2025 SSI payment will be sent to recipients on December 31, according to the Social Security Administration.
However, people who receive both Social Security and SSI will get their January 2025 payment on January 3, according to the agency's schedule.
When will I get the 2025 COLA increase in my Social Security check?
In October, the Social Security Administration set its 2025 cost-of-living adjustment at 2.5%, the smallest annual COLA hike since 2021. The COLA is based on recent inflation rates, and because price hikes have cooled from their pandemic high, seniors are getting a smaller benefit increase for the next year.
The 2025 COLA on average will add about $50 to each monthly benefit check, with the average payment in 2025 rising to $1,976 per month.
For most Social Security recipients, the new COLA goes into effect with their January payment.
However, there is one exception: People getting their January SSI checks on December 31 will see the new COLA reflected in that payment, according to the Social Security Administration.
Other recipients will get their new 2025 COLA when they receive their January payments, which depends on either which benefits they receive or when their birthday falls.
Here's the schedule for when Social Security recipients will get their new 2025 COLA payments:
- Dec. 31: SSI beneficiaries will receive their new cost-of-living adjustment with this payment that reflects their January 2025 benefit.
- Jan. 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.
- Jan. 8: Recipients born between the 1st to 10th of the month will get their new COLA with this payment.
- Jan. 15: Recipients born between the 11th to 20th of the month will receive their new COLA on this day.
- Jan. 22: Those born between the 21st to 31st of the month will get their cost-of-living increase with this payment.
How can I check what my new COLA will be?
The Social Security Administration is mailing COLA notices throughout December, so you should receive a letter in the mail from the agency that will outline how your benefits will change with the cost-of-living increase.
Seniors and other Social Security recipients can also log into their personal my Social Security account — if those accounts were created before November 20 — to see their COLA notice starting in early December.
The Social Security Administration asks that people wait until January to contact them about their notices.
Another change to Social Security in 2025
Another change is coming to Social Security in 2025, although it's one that impacts current workers.
The program's income cap — the threshold above which earnings aren't taxed for Social Security — will rise to $176,100 next year, up from $168,600 in the current calendar year.
In other words, any income above $176,100 won't incur the payroll tax for Social Security, which is 6.2% for workers and an additional 6.2% for employers.
Some lawmakers have sought to remove the income cap, arguing it places a greater tax burden on middle- and lower-income workers than the 6% of Americans who earn above the threshold. Removing the threshold would also help relieve the program's funding crunch, they argue.
So far, those efforts haven't gained traction in Congress.
