Social Security payments, which cover retirement, disability and survivor benefits, are distributed monthly following a staggered schedule based on the beneficiary’s date of birth or certain special conditions.
Since June 1997, the Social Security Administration (SSA) has implemented this system to avoid congestion, assigning payments on specific dates: the third day of the month for some cases and on the second, third, and fourth Wednesdays for others, depending on the date of birth.
In 2025, a 2.5% cost of living adjustment (COLA) was applied, raising the average benefit to $1,976 per month for individual retirees and $3,089 for couples, while the average disability benefit reached $1,580 per month.
Detailed Social Security schedule in March 2025
The payment schedule for March 2025 follows this scheme, and the amounts already reflect the COLA increase implemented since January. Additionally, the Social Security Fairness Act, signed in 2023 and effective since early 2025, has generated retroactive payments for more than 3.2 million beneficiaries affected by the benefit elimination provision (WEP) and the government pension offset (GPO), primarily impacting public employees such as teachers, firefighters, and police officers.
The payment schedule for March 2025 is detailed below, based on official information (Payments are made electronically and are scheduled according to specific criteria):
- February 28 for advance SSI payments due to falling on a Saturday on March 1.
- March 3 for beneficiaries who began receiving benefits before May 1997, reside abroad, receive both SSI and Social Security, or have state-paid Medicare premiums.
- March 12 for those born between the 1st and the 10th.
- March 19 for those born between the 11th and the 20th.
- March 26 for those born between the 21st and the 31st.
Cost of living adjustment and updated benefits
In 2025, the 2.5% cost of living adjustment (COLA) increased Social Security benefits to reflect the increase in the cost of living. This adjustment raised the average benefit to $1,976 per month for individual retirees and $3,089 for couples, while disability beneficiaries now receive an average of $1,580 per month. This increase seeks to maintain the purchasing power of the beneficiaries in the face of inflation.
Retroactive payments and the Social Security Fairness Act
As of February 2025, SSA began processing retroactive payments for more than 3.2 million beneficiaries affected by the WEP and GPO provisions, eliminated by the Social Security Fairness Act signed in 2023. These payments, which cover retroactive increases from January 2024, are deposited directly into bank accounts on file, with the majority scheduled to be completed before the end of March 2025.
As of March 4, 2025, SSA has disbursed payments to more than 1.1 million people, with an average increase of $360 per month for more than 2.5 million beneficiaries. This process especially benefits public employees whose benefits were previously reduced by the eliminated rules.