If you want to know when the money will arrive in April 2025, write down these dates. The Social Security schedule depends on two things: when you started receiving benefits and your birthday. Some payments are scheduled for April 3, and others for the second, third, and fourth Wednesday of the month.
April 3 is for those who started collecting before May 1997. If you are in this group, the deposit falls on Thursday and without complications. If you were born between the 1st and 10th of any month and started receiving payments after April 1997, your date is April 9 (second Wednesday of the month). Those who have birthdays between the 11th and the 20th have an adjustment: originally they would have had their birthday on the 16th, but since it is a holiday in Washington D.C., the payment is brought forward to April 15.
And if your birthday is between the 21st and 31st, you get paid on April 23rd (fourth Wednesday). Consider moving to direct deposit, because the money appears in your account that same day; If you use the Social Security prepaid card, it is loaded automatically.
How much could you receive? Age makes a difference in Social Security benefits
The SSA does not make up numbers. They calculate your benefit using your 35 highest earning years (adjusted for inflation). To get the maximum, you must have earned the Social Security taxable cap each year during those three and a half decades. Difficult, yes, but that’s how the system works.
Now, the fact that matters: the age at which you decide to collect changes everything. If you start at age 62, you receive 30% less than if you wait until your FRA (full retirement age, which for many is 67). There you collect 100% of your calculated profit. But if you last until you’re 70, the SSA rewards you with an extra 24% over 67. In approximate numbers for 2025:
- Maximum of $2,831 to those who retired at 62.
- Maximum of $4,018 to those who retired at 67.
- Maximum of $5,108 to those who retired at 70.
But, take note of this: the aforementioned figures are the maximum limits. What you receive will depend on your actual income history. Not everyone reaches these amounts, but they serve as a reference.
The SSA has tools on its website (ssa.gov) to calculate benefits. But the real life hack is creating a “My Social Security” account. There you see personalized estimates based on your actual income. It shows you scenarios like: “If I work until I am X years old, I will receive Y per month.” It’s free, secure and takes less than 10 minutes. Why use it? Because planning with real data avoids future surprises.
What is FRA, and how does it affect how much you receive from Social Security?
FRA stands for Full Retirement Age. For most born after 1960, it is 67 years. If you were born earlier, it may be a little earlier (66 or 66 and months). This is the point where the SSA gives you 100% of what it calculated based on your contributions. Collecting earlier reduces the amount; waiting longer increases it.
But this is not a fixed rule. If you need the money at 62, you can take it, even if it’s less. If you are healthy and want to maximize income, waiting until you are 70 makes sense. The key is to understand that there is no universal option: it depends on your personal situation.
