These Social Security beneficiaries get paid earlier than the rest, on Tuesday December 3

While many Social Security recipients in the United States will have to wait until at least Wednesday December 11 to receive their latest monthly benefits, some Americans will get their money as early as this week.

What’s more, beneficiaries of the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program will have received their December money before November was even over.

Who gets Social Security benefits in the US?

Social Security beneficiaries in the US include retired workers, disabled workers and surviving relatives of deceased recipients. The checks these groups are eligible for are dependent on how much Social Security tax they, or their deceased family member, have paid.

Meanwhile, the Social Security Administration’s list of major schemes is rounded off by SSI - a separate program that is needs-based rather than contribution-based. It is for people with little or no income who are over 65 or have a disability.

When do Social Security benefits get paid?

In the US in 2024, there are some 68 million recipients of Social Security payments, in addition to seven million SSI beneficiaries. As a result, the SSA staggers the payments it makes throughout each month, so as to be able to process such a large number of checks.

Generally, recipients of retirement, disability or survivors’ benefits are paid on a Wednesday - unless it falls on a holiday, brought forward to the nearest working day.

If a beneficiary’s birthday falls between the first and the 10th of the month, they receive their check on the second Wednesday of each month; if they were born between the 11th and the 20th, they are paid on the third Wednesday; and if their birthday is between the 21st and the 31st, their money arrives on the fourth Wednesday.

However, this system doesn’t apply to Americans who began receiving retirement, disability or survivors’ benefits before May 1997. Regardless of their birthday, they are paid on the third of each month. This month, therefore, their checks will be landing tomorrow, Tuesday December 3.

This timeline also applies to all beneficiaries who receive both Social Security and SSI: they are due to get the former on Tuesday 3rd, having already received the latter.

SSI checks are normally sent out on the first day of each month; as with Social Security payments, they are sent out early if the regularly scheduled date falls on a non-working day. As December 1 was a Sunday, SSI money for this month was issued on Friday November 29.

SSI checks for January will also be paid out early - on Tuesday December 31 - as given that New Year’s Day 2025 is a holiday.

How much do Social Security and SSI recipients get?

Retired workers, who account for around 80% of the 68 million Social Security beneficiaries in the US, were paid an average monthly check of $1,875.82 in October 2024, the SSA says. Disabled workers received $1,404.75 on average, and Americans on survivor benefits got an average of $1,509.29. SSI payments averaged $697.50 per month.

Will payments go up in 2025?

Yes. In 2025, Social Security and SSI checks are set to increase in size by 2.5%, as part of the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) applied by the SSA.

The agency announced the increase in payments in October.

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