Social Security claimed that the average payment for 65-year-olds was $1,583 as of June 2024. Therefore, after the 2025 COLA increase, this monthly payment will have become about $1,622 on average in 2025.
Of course, this is just an average payment. Thus, some retirees aged 65 may get a lower or higher payment. What is more, not all retirees aged 65 will receive the Social Security payment on January 15.
Eligibility for Social Security on January 15
The January 15 will be for those Social Security recipients who were born from the 11th to the 20th. This cannot be your monthly payment if:
- you are also receiving SSI (Supplemental Security Income) benefits
- you started receiving Social Security retirement benefits before May 1997
- you broke SSA rules
It does not matter if you are aged 65 or not to get the January 15 payment. So, other age groups could also qualify if they meet all the conditions. Remember that those born from the 21st to the 31st will be eligible for the January 22 payment.
Are average Social Security checks higher for all workers?
As a matter of fact, 65-year-olds get less money than the average for all retired workers. This is because all of them have filed before reaching the Full Retirement Age.
Early filing at 62 can reduce your monthly payment by 30%. Thus, your Social Security payment amount depends on the age you file. The number of years you worked, the wage you had, and if you had jobs covered by the Agency are key too.
A worker who waits until Full Retirement Age to get Social Security payments can receive a check or direct deposit of up to $4,018 in 2025. As of December 2024, the average amount for all workers is $1,927.
After the 2025 Cost-of-Living Adjustment, the new average payment for retirees is $1,976. This is what SSA’s COLA Fact Sheet claimed on October 10, 2024. Those with a lower payment amount can apply for SSI at the same time.
Source:
- https://www.ssa.gov/OACT/ProgData/benefits/ra_age202412.html
- https://www.ssa.gov/pubs/EN-05-10031-2025.pdf
- https://www.ssa.gov/news/press/factsheets/colafacts2025.pdf
