The first 2025 Social Security payment for retirees who qualify will be due on January 3. In case you are wondering, this monthly check on the third will only be for two groups of retirees who meet all the requirements. In the first place, it will be for those retirees who have been on retirement benefits since before May 1997.
Therefore, you must have been collecting Social Security for more than 27 years. Those who have recently qualified for retirement benefits can be eligible too. However, this will only be possible if you are a Supplemental Security Income beneficiary as well.
Social Security payments worth $1,976 in 2025
Keep in mind that the amount you get depends on your work history and many other factors like filing age or wages or paid taxes to SSA. Nevertheless, it is possible to know that the average payment on January 3 will be $1,976.
Thanks to the 2025 COLA Fact Sheet retirees can know that checks are about $1,927 in December, on average, and they will become $1,976 in January 2025. As a reminder, the 2025 COLA increase will be 2.5%.
In fact, this is smaller than in the previous years. Also, it is lower than the average COLA in the last 10 years. The good news is that inflation has cooled down in 2025 and prices may not have soared as much as in the previous years.
Social Security payments for retirees on January 8, 15 or 22, 2025
January 3 will not be the only payday in January for retirees. Of course, you can only qualify for one of them. The upcoming checks and direct deposits will be issued depending on the beneficiaries’s birth dates:
- if the retiree’s birthday falls from 1-10: check on Jan. 8
- if the retiree’s birthday falls from 11-20: check on Jan. 15
- if the retiree’s birthday falls from 21-31: check on Jan. 22
Retirees can also receive average payments on these Wednesday payments in the United States. So, the average amount will also be $1,976 for January, 8, 15 and 22.
What should retirees do if they have questions about their 2025 Social Security payments?
Contact the Social Security Administration (SSA) directly
- The quickest way to get official information and assistance is to reach out to the SSA. You can call the SSA’s toll-free number at 1-800-772-1213 (TTY 1-800-325-0778), Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m.
- You can also locate and visit your nearest Social Security office. To find local office information, use the SSA’s “Office Locator” at SSA Office Locator
The SSA publishes updates about cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs), changes in payment schedules, and other important information. Check the “Retirement” or “Benefits” sections on ssa.gov to stay informed about any changes that may affect your 2025 benefit amount.