Why there won't be a Supplemental Security Income check to start December

(NEXSTAR) — Those who receive Supplemental Security Income benefits from the Social Security Administration are no strangers to schedule interruptions when it comes to payments being dispersed, but December is shaping up to be a bit of a wonky month.

Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, beneficiaries include those with disabilities and older adults with little to no income. In 2024, the maximum monthly payment is $943 for an individual and $1,415 for a couple. (This will increase to $967 and $1,450 next year.)

According to the Social Security Administration, that amount can decrease based on a person's income, their spouse's income, their living situation, and whether they receive additional support from the state they live in.

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SSI payments are distributed monthly, typically on the first day of the month. There are some caveats influenced by how the calendar falls.

If the first day of the month falls on a weekend or a holiday, the payments are sent out on the previous weekday. Since December 1 is on a Sunday this year, SSI payments were sent out on November 29.

That meant SSI beneficiaries received two payments in November: that month's payment and December's payment. This happens a few times a year but it never reduces the number of payments a SSI beneficiary receives. They will always receive 12 payments a year.

What usually happens after a month in which two payments are dispersed is a month in which no payments are sent out (remember, beneficiaries still received the no-payment month's payment, just in the days before that month began). For example, when two SSI payments were sent out in August, there were no payments in September.

December will be different, however, thanks to the 2025 calendar. Because New Year's Day is considered a holiday, the January SSI payment will be sent out on New Year's Eve, December 31.

That's not all.

There will be an SSI payment on January 31, but it is February’s payment since February 1 falls on a Saturday. The SSI payment on February 28 is technically March’s payment since March 1 also falls on a Saturday. Then, there will be no payments sent in March, followed by a normal April.

Again, regardless of when the payment arrives, SSI beneficiaries will receive all of their intended checks in 2024 and 2025. Receiving two SSI payments in one month and none in another may, however, lead to some slight budget adjustments.

While those who receive regular Social Security benefits are interrupted by the calendar less often, some will see a slight disruption in December. According to the payment schedule, if you typically receive your payment on the fourth Wednesday of the month, you will instead be paid on Tuesday, December 24 because of Christmas Day.

Come January, Social Security beneficiaries will see the cost-of-living adjustment, or COLA, kick in. The latest COLA is 2.5 percent, down from 3.2 percent last year and 8.7 percent in 2022, reflecting easing inflation. COLAs are calculated with a formula based on the Labor Department’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W).

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