Some Social Security beneficiaries will be getting two checks in November thanks to a quirk of the calendar.
Recipients of Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, which provides benefits to low- and no-income Americans with few resources and who are blind, disabled or age 65 and older, will get their November payment on Friday and will receive their “December” benefit on Nov. 29.
This doesn’t change the schedule for recipients of other Social Security payments, such as retirement benefits.
About 7.4 million Americans receive SSI, according to the most recent data from the Social Security Administration, either alone or in conjunction with Social Security benefits. The average monthly SSI payment is about $697, although that average is higher for younger recipients.
When does SSI go out in November 2024?
SSI payments are typically sent out on the first day of each month, but that changes when the first day of the month falls on a weekend or a holiday. In those cases, the SSA distributes payment checks on the previous business day. Since Dec. 1 falls on a Sunday this year, that means that SSI recipients will get their December check two days early, on Nov. 29.
This doesn’t mean recipients will go without a payment in December, though. Because New Year’s Day is a holiday, SSI beneficiaries’ January benefits will be distributed on Dec. 31.
For the first two months of 2025, as well, SSI payments will be pushed forward thanks to the way the calendar falls. Recipients will get their “January” benefits at the end of December, as noted; their February checks will come on Jan. 31, since Feb. 1 falls on a Saturday. Because February only has 28 days, that process will repeat the following month. SSI beneficiaries will receive their March checks on Feb. 28.
The calendar catches up to the payment schedule in the month of March. SSI recipients won’t get a check at all in that month, and their April benefits arrive on April 1.
Social Security payment schedule for November
Americans receiving Social Security and SSI benefits, as well as people who began receiving Social Security payments earlier than May 1997, will receive their payments Friday.
Other Social Security beneficiaries can expect to be paid on their usual schedule in November: If your birthday falls between the first and 10th day of the month, your payment should come on Nov. 13; if it is between the 11th and 20th, it will come Nov. 20; if it is later than that (that is, the 21st through the 31st), your payment will come Nov. 27.
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