The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced the distribution schedule for retirement benefit payments, corresponding to January 2025. This process includes three distribution dates for beneficiaries, segmented according to their date of birth.
In addition, we have to inform you that important changes will be implemented that will increase Social Security benefits for millions of users throughout the United States, but those reached by this extraordinary increase must meet certain requirements that we will expand on later in this article.
First, let’s look at the Social Security payment dates for January
According to the established calendar, payments will be made on January 8, 15 and 22, depending on the date of birth of each beneficiary:
- January 8: Beneficiaries born between the 1st and 10th of each month.
- January 15: Beneficiaries born between the 11th and the 20th.
- January 22: Beneficiaries born between 21 and 31.
Other SSA benefits have different payment dates. For example, those receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) received their January payment on December 31, 2024. This payment should have been sent on the 1st, but that day was a holiday, so the agency moved it up to the business day nearest.
Then January 3 was the magic date for beneficiaries who began receiving Social Security before May 1997, or who receive both Social Security and SSI: for this last group, the SSI money was sent on January 31. December and Social Security on Friday the 3rd.
Maximum amounts for this month
The amount of monthly payments varies depending on factors such as retirement age and reported earnings during working life. The amounts established for January 2025 are the following:
- $4,018 for those who claimed benefits at full retirement age (FRA).
- $2,831 for those who retired at age 62, the minimum eligible age.
- $5,108 for those who waited until age 70 to start receiving benefits.
The 2.5% cost of living adjustment (COLA) will be applied to these amounts starting in January 2025, slightly increasing payments based on those received in 2024.
At what age it is best to claim retirement: this is what the SSA indicates about it
The FRA depends on each individual’s year of birth and represents the point at which a person can receive full benefits without reductions. Those who choose to retire before this age, such as age 62, face a proportional reduction known as an “early adjustment.” This cut can reach up to 30% if benefits are chosen at the minimum age.
In contrast, delaying retirement until age 70 allows beneficiaries to accumulate many more “delayed retirement credits,” which significantly increase the monthly amount received.
Biden administration changes to Social Security that could increase your benefits
In December 2024, President Joe Biden signed the Social Security Fairness Act, a reform aimed at increasing benefits for certain groups, such as teachers, firefighters and police officers. This legislation introduces significant changes, including: the elimination of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), and the abolition of Government Pension Offset (GPO).
These reforms seek to correct historical inequalities that affected retirement benefits for certain public sector workers. According to data from the Congressional Research Service, as of December 2023, about 745,000 beneficiaries (1% of the total) were impacted by the GPO, while 2.1 million (3%) faced reductions due to the WEP.
An analysis by the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) estimates that beneficiaries affected by the WEP will receive an average increase of $360 per month by the end of 2025. For their part, those affected by the GPO could see monthly increases of between $700 and $1,190, depending on your individual circumstances.
