Social security recipients will see an increase in 2025 — and an extra check in November

While millions of retired Americans will soon see a 2.5% cost of living increase in their Social Security payments, additional Social Security checks might be in the mail for November, thanks to a calendar quirk.

Typically, Supplemental Security Income recipients receive their checks on the first of each month, but in November, a second check will also come at the end of the month.

That's because of a rule where if the first of the month falls on a holiday or weekend, the checks are delivered the previous weekday.

In December, the first of the month falls on a Sunday, which means checks for the month of December will instead be delivered on Nov. 29, according to the Social Security Administration's calendar.

That doesn't mean there will be no checks in December, however.

A similar calendar quirk will actually affect check delivery for every month through March, with each start of the month falling on either a holiday or a weekend.

For January, checks will actually be delivered on Dec. 31. For February, checks will be delivered on Jan. 31 and for March, checks will be delivered on Feb. 28.

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Social Security 2025 cost of living increase

The Social Security Administration on Oct. 10 announced millions of retired Americans will soon see a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment for benefit payments.

The cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, for retirees translates to an average increase of more than $50 for retirees every month, agency officials said.

About 72.5 million people, including retirees, disabled people and children, get Social Security benefit.

Overall, the increase is smaller than in years past.

Recipients received a 3.2% increase in their benefits in 2024, after a historically large 8.7% benefit increase in 2023, brought on by record 40-year-high inflation.

The AARP estimates that a 2.5 percent COLA would increase the average benefit for a retiree who receives about $1,920 a month by $48 a month starting in January 2025.

The program is financed by payroll taxes collected from workers and their employers. The maximum amount of earnings subject to Social Security payroll taxes was $168,600 for 2024, up from $160,200 in 2023. Analysts estimate that the maximum amount will go up to $174,900 in 2025.