Millions of Social Security beneficiaries will be receiving Supplemental Security Income (SSI) checks in the month of December, a time when most Americans spend money on the holidays.
Two payments are scheduled to go out next month, one on Friday, December 1, and another on Friday, December 29. While normally SSI recipients would get one payment a month, usually on the first day of the month, they'll receive two checks this time around because January 1 is a holiday. In this case, the administration sends the check on the nearest business day—in this case, December 29.
This second check in December will be higher than the first because it will include the cost of living adjustment (COLA) for 2024, delivering a pleasant surprise to recipients before the New Year kicks in. The COLA for more than 66 million SSI recipients next year will be 3.2 percent higher than in 2023, as announced by the administration earlier this year.
The increase is calculated every year based on inflation, using the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers from the third quarter of the previous year to the third quarter of the current year.
Those eligible for SSI checks must be at least 65 years old and meet certain financial requirements or be under the age of 65 and have a debilitating physical or mental disability that has lasted for at least one year or is expected to result in the individual's death. The SSI is not the same as Social Security checks for retirees, and the two payments are made separately.
The maximum rate for individual SSI beneficiaries is $914 per month, while those living with and caring for someone receiving SSI get a monthly payment of up to $458. The second payment in December will be slightly higher than that, with the new maximum set at $943 for a single beneficiary and $472 for carers of SSI beneficiaries.
Married couples on SSI will get up to $1,371 on December 1 and up to $1,415 on December 29.
To estimate how much you'd be getting as an SSI recipient, check the SSA's calculator.
Other Social Security recipients will have to wait until January to see the new COLA reflected in their monthly checks.
The Social Security Administration came under fire earlier this year after revelations that it was trying to recoup billions in overpayments from retirees, unemployed and disabled recipients. The federal agency said it paid these beneficiaries money they were not entitled to—and they now want it back, whether they can actually afford it or not.
The move has drawn scrutiny and outrage from Congress, which held a hearing last month calling for action to fix the situation.
Newsweek contacted the SSA for comment by email on Thursday.
Uncommon Knowledge
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Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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Giulia Carbonaro is a Newsweek Reporter based in London, U.K. Her focus is on U.S. and European politics, global affairs ... Read more
