Christmas is almost here, and while we are all excited for some cheer, we must remember that some of our financial commitments will not be suspended owing to the arrival of Santa Claus. In fact, the Social Security Administration’s continuation of payments throughout December can be considered a gift.
The payment schedule will be slightly skewed this month due to the holidays, but the Administration will continue to ensure that all payments arrive on time, just like Santa, even if they make some adjustments and close offices to allow employees to recharge with their families.
Social Security Payments remaining in 2025
Most of us are familiar with the Social Security payment schedule, but just in case, they are divided into three categories:
- Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments: paid for all beneficiaries on the first of every month. This is the only payment that is compatible with other Social Security benefits which is why it is in a separate category.
- Retirement, family, survivor or disability payments for beneficiaries that started receiving benefits before May 1997. These are distributed on the third of every month.
- Retirement, family, survivor or disability payments for beneficiaries that started receiving benefits before May 1997. Those are distributed on different dates through the month based on a birth date schedule. As a general rule, recipients whose birthdays fall on 1st-10th of the month will receive their benefits on the second Wednesday of any given month, those born on 11th-20th will receive payouts on the third Wednesday, and those with birthdays on 21st-31st will see their payments on the fourth Wednesday.
Weekends and national holidays, such as those in December, can sometimes cause these payments to be delayed, thus payments are changed to guarantee that they arrive on time.
The change indicates that they will be relocated to the previous day when banks are open and the US Postal Service operates, allowing beneficiaries to still receive them on time. Taking this into consideration, there is still one 2024 payment due in December, which will be distributed early.
The remaining payment will be made on December 24, which is not a holiday, and will be awarded to all Retirement, family, survivor, or disability recipients born between the 21st and 31st of any month beginning after May 1997.
The cash should be distributed on the 25th, however that is Christmas Day, which is a national holiday. This means that the payment is given ahead of schedule to guarantee that any potential delays do not have a detrimental impact on beneficiaries.
However, if we look at the general timetable, we can see that there will be an unexpected payment at the end of the month: the SSI payment for January, which will be distributed on December 31st but with all of the modifications made for the new year. This is, of course, because the first of the month is New Year’s Day, which is a national holiday.
Other things to take into account
The SSA offices will be closed on critical Christmas dates such as December 25 and January 1, so customers who require service on those days will be unable to receive in-person or specialized phone support. Any tasks will need to be transferred to the website, which will remain functioning during these days.
Those who require additional assistance will have to wait until the new year, and remember that the SSA has created an appointment system that will begin on January 6, 2025, which means you should contact your local office before it is too late to plan an in-person visit with them. Walk-ins will still be accepted, but wait times will be longer because everyone with an appointment will have priority.