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Retirement

Social Security

When Social Security Recipients Will Get Their Checks in January

Social Security check sticking out of an envelope

Olive Burd / Money; Getty Images

We're on the cusp of a brand-new year — and once you've cleaned up the confetti and written down your resolutions, that means it's time to take a look at the Social Security payment schedule for January.

Roughly 68 million Americans receive Social Security benefits every month, including about 9 out of every 10 people age 65 and up. Social Security funds aren't just for older folks, though. Payments go out to retirees, survivors of late workers, those with little to no resources, disabled workers, the blind, dependents and more.

The average payments for those various groups of people vary, but data from November shows the typical retirement benefit was just over $1,876.

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When will I get my January Social Security payment?

Your Social Security payment date is determined by your birthday.

If you were born on the first through the 10th of the month, you can expect to get your Social Security check on the second Wednesday of every month — in this case, Jan. 8.

If you were born on the 11th through the 20th of the month, you can expect to get your Social Security check on the third Wednesday of every month — in this case, Jan. 15.

If you were born on the 21st through the 31st, you can expect to get your Social Security check on the fourth Wednesday of every month — in this case, Jan. 22.

Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, payments typically go out on the first of the month. But because New Year's Day falls on a holiday, the payments have been moved up to Tuesday (Dec. 31).

Folks who get both SSI and Social Security, as well those who initially claimed Social Security prior to May 1997, should get their Social Security benefits on the third of the month as per usual.

Where is my January Social Security payment?

Check the payment schedule above.

If you think your money is missing, you can reach out to the Social Security Administration (SSA). The SSA has both local offices and a toll-free national number. The national phone number is 1-800-772-1213. Representatives are available weekdays from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. local time. Pro tip: The agency says wait times are shortest in the morning, late in the week and late in the month.

In any case, the SSA asks that you wait three mailing days before contacting it about a missing Social Security payment.

What is the SSA payment schedule for 2025?

You can find the SSA's 2025 payment calendar on its website. It largely follows the schedule laid out above, but as you can tell, some months are different. For instance, SSI checks for February will go out on Jan. 31, the ones for March will go out on Feb. 28, and then there won't be another SSI payment until April.

To learn more about your payment status or to get additional help with Medicare, retirement benefits, disability, SSI and more, make a "my Social Security" account for free at SSA.gov.

Does my January Social Security check include the COLA?

It should.

For context, Every year, the government makes a cost-of-living adjustment to Social Security benefits so as to keep up with inflation. Called COLA, this "raise" of sorts is announced each October and is effective for the following year.

The Social Security COLA for 2025 is 2.5%, which shakes out to an average increase of about $50 per month. The first beneficiaries to see the 2025 COLA should have the increase in their SSI payments Dec. 31.

How do I calculate my Social Security payment?

Benefits are generally calculated according to your average indexed monthly earnings, which include up to 35 years of your highest-earning years. The SSA then applies a formula to determine your primary insurance amount.

The amount of money retirees actually receive depends partially on their age. Though you can start getting Social Security retirement payments at 62 years old, the longer you wait to claim Social Security, the higher your payments will be (until age 70, when the increases stop).

For many Americans, this money is crucial — Social Security accounts for about 30% of the income received by folks over age 65. As people live longer and legislators wrestle over future of Social Security, the cost of retirement for retirees is surging: In 2022, federal data shows retired households spent an average of $54,975, including $11,186 on shelter, $8,065 on transportation and $7,505 on health care.