Starting in the month January 2025, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients will see significant changes to their monthly payments. Federal maximum amounts for 2025 will be set at $967 for an eligible individual, $1,450 for an eligible individual with an eligible spouse, and $484 for an essential individual.
These adjustments are implemented to help offset the increased cost of living faced by beneficiaries who rely on SSI payments. Inflation has been very strong since the coronavirus pandemic, but has cooled as the effects of that global crisis end and Joe Biden’s government begins to transition to that of Donald Trump.
The next SSI payment comes with an increase already applied
SSI recipients will receive an additional payment on February 28, 2025, related to the increased Cost of Living Adjustment (COLA) that will be applied to their benefits.
For the next SSI payment, the average amount beneficiaries will see increased will be approximately $17. This varies depending on the total amount of benefits. For example, those receiving the maximum amount of $967 will see a $24 increase in their monthly payments.
Now, eligible couples with current payments of $1,415 will receive $1,450, which is an increase of $35. Essential individuals currently receiving $472 will see their benefit increase to $484, an increase of approximately $12.
Other SSI payments that will be advanced in 2025 for holidays or weekends
SSI payment dates for 2025 will be scheduled as follows: the January payment will be made on January 1, but if it falls on a holiday, it will be moved forward to the nearest business day. For example, February payment will be issued on February 28, since March 1 is a Saturday.
This continues throughout the year, with dates adjusted depending on whether they fall on weekends or holidays. Following the same logic, the SSA will advance some payment dates, which will happen in the months of March (advanced to February 28), May (advanced to May 30), and November (advanced to October 31). The rest of the months will have payment dates for the first day of each month.
Note that the 2025 COLA will be in effect until December 31, but the 2026 COLA will be announced much earlier, probably in mid-October of this year, to apply to Social Security benefits starting January 1, 2026.
The eligibility for SSI benefits is set to be expanded
The SSA has implemented changes to the SSI eligibility criteria to improve its accessibility and fairness. As of September 2024, food assistance is no longer considered as income, which means that it will not affect eligibility or the amount of payments for beneficiaries.
This adjustment benefits those who receive other types of support, as food provided by family members will not reduce the amount of their SSI check, aligning better with the economic conditions of low-income households.
Additionally, the rental subsidies have been updated, allowing beneficiaries, especially those in programs such as Section 8, to keep most of their SSI benefits when receiving a housing subsidy. In addition, the SSA has modified the definition of a household to include all members who receive public assistance, which simplifies eligibility rules and potentially allows more families and multigenerational households to access these benefits.
For example, if a parent qualifies for SNAP, their child may also qualify for SSI, reflecting the need for an integrated approach to social assistance.
