People who get Supplemental Security Income (SSI) will notice that their payments aren’t going as planned in November. This time, instead of getting one check every month, they will get two. Do not worry if this has caused you any misunderstanding; there is a simple reason for this: the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) payment calendar has changed.
Some people might not notice this change, but it will have an impact on about 7.5 million people who depend on SSI in 2024. Even though these kinds of changes don’t happen very often, they do tend to make people unsure.
In fact, there won’t be a check in December for the same reason that there were two payments in November. In August, two payments were made, but there was no SSI check in September. This happened before.
Why are there two SSI payments in November?
The reason there were two payments in November is a simple change in the schedule. Every month, SSI funds are sent out on the first business day. In this case, though, December 1 is a Sunday. To keep things from going wrong, the SSA has moved up the December payment to November 29.
This means that people who get SSI will get their money on two important dates in November:
- Friday, November 1
- Friday, November 29
So, recipients will get their November payment on time, and then at the end of November, they will get their December payment. Because of this, there will be no more payments in December.
What is SSI and how does it work?
SSI, or Supplemental Security Income, is a program that helps people who are old, disabled, or have very low incomes stay financially stable. Social Security retirement payments are paid for by payroll taxes. SSI, on the other hand, is paid for by the U.S. Treasury, and some states may offer extra supplements.
The goal of SSI is to make sure that people who meet certain health and financial requirements have a minimum income. The following groups of people can get SSI:
- Individuals aged 65 and older
- People with disabilities or blindness
- Those with little or no income and limited resources
In 2024, the maximum monthly amount an individual can receive is $943, while qualifying couples can receive up to $1,415.
Differences between SSI and disability insurance
It’s important to know the difference between SSDI and SSI. For SSDI, you need to show proof of work and pay taxes on your wages over the course of your job. For SSI, you don’t need to show proof of work. For people with disabilities, both programs are meant to help, but SSI is especially for people with low incomes, whether they have worked or not.
Social Security payment schedule for November
In addition to the double payment for SSI recipients, other Social Security beneficiaries will continue to receive their payments as usual in November. The SSA’s payment schedule for retirees is as follows:
- Wednesday, November 13: for those born between the 1st and 10th of any month
- Wednesday, November 20: for those born between the 11th and 20th of any month
- Wednesday, November 27: for those born between the 21st and 31st of any month
This schedule helps beneficiaries plan their finances in advance since the payment dates are published well ahead of time.
New features for SSI applications
The Social Security Administration recently said that they are going to add a new online system that will make it easier for people to apply for SSI payments. The brand-new system, iClaim, should be up and running by the end of the year. It should make it easier for people to apply for benefits.
It will be easier for both people who want to file a claim and the people who work at SSA to do so because the iClaim system will have questions that are simpler and more direct. But not all applicants will be able to use this new method right away.
In the beginning, iClaim will only be open to single people between the ages of 18 and 65 who have never been married and are asking for Social Security and SSI for the first time.
This change makes things a lot easier to get to, especially for people who are applying for the first time. It should cut down on the time it takes to apply and the number of mistakes that happen during the normal application process.
You should know that this change won’t be offered to everyone right away, even though it will make the process easier for some people. It’s possible that applying for SSI and Social Security payments will be less stressful for some people as the system is slowly rolled out to more people. This change shows that SSA is still working to bring its methods up to date and give beneficiaries better service.
Also See:- SSI recipients will get different payment amounts in December, here’s why