Social Security recipients typically receive one payment each month, but some older Americans could get an extra check in November due to the way the calendar falls in the last two months of the year.
While the problem isn’t new — the Social Security Administration sets its annual payment schedule long before the year — it could catch some seniors off guard next month if they weren’t aware of the unusual schedule.
The people who could get an extra check in November are those who receive Social Security’s Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, a program for low-income disabled adults and seniors. Some SSI recipients also receive monthly Social Security benefits, which is the traditional retirement income available to people once they reach age 62.
SSI recipients will get an additional payment next month — and some may receive up to three payments in November.
Here’s how that will work:
SSI recipients will receive their November payments on Friday, November 1. People who claimed Social Security before May 1997 or who get both Social Security and SSI payments will also get their Social Security payment on November 1 (people who get both usually get their Social Security payment) on the third day of the month , but since November 3 falls on a Sunday, this batch will also arrive on November 1). SSI recipients will also receive a second payment on Friday, November 29. This reflects their December payment, but because December falls on a Sunday, their payments for the last month of 2024 will arrive on November 29.
In other words, people who get SSI will get two payments in November — on November 1 and November 29. If they also receive Social Security, they will also get that check on November 1, instead of November 3.
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Meanwhile, all other Social Security beneficiaries will receive their payments according to the regular schedule, which provides benefits on the second, third or fourth Wednesday of the month, depending on the recipient’s date of birth.
The dates for disbursing Social Security pensions for the month of November are as follows:
People born between the 1st and 10th of the month will receive their Social Security check on November 13th. People born between the 11th and 20th of the month will receive their benefits check on November 20th. People born between the 21st and 31st of the month will receive their payments on November 27th. When will the Social Security Law go into effect?
Meanwhile, Social Security beneficiaries will receive a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment with their 2025 payments, the agency announced last week.
The typical beneficiary will see their monthly check increase by about $50, to $1,976 per month.
This higher payment will start with January’s interest:
People born between the 1st and 10th of their birth month will get their first COLA increase on January 8. As for those born between the 11th and 20th of their birth month, they will receive a COLA increase on January 15. Recipients born between the 21st and 31st of their birth month will receive the new COLA on January 22nd.
Meanwhile, people who started collecting Social Security before May 1997 or who receive both Social Security and SSI will receive Social Security’s new COLA on January 3.
People who receive SSI will receive the new 2025 COLA with their payment on December 31, 2024.
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Amy Beachy
