In June of 2025, Social Security recipients will see record payment increases, with average benefits hitting all-time highs through a 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). At the same time, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payment dates will be changed, causing the June payment to be made later in May to avoid a weekend date. These are part of wider adjustments to eligibility standards, benefit computation, and administrative processes to ensure fiscal security for more than 72.5 million Americans living on federal benefits.
Record-breaking benefit amounts prompted by 2025 COLA
For the very first time in the history of the Social Security program, which has existed since 1935, retired employees will receive an average monthly benefit of over $2,000 in June 2025. This is a result of a 2.5% COLA increase that has been applied to all Social Security and SSI benefits effective January 2025. The increase raises the average monthly retirement benefit from $1,927 in 2024 to $1,976 in 2025. Retirees with superior earnings histories, however, will see much higher payments, pushing the top-tier SSDI benefit to $4,018 monthly for high-income beneficiaries.
While COLA is received by all to the same degree, payments themselves are very different depending on work history and eligibility category. Only slightly more than two-fifths of Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) recipients get less than $1,600 per month, with an average SSDI payment of $1,580. SSI couples together, however, can potentially be eligible for as much as $1,450 a month, although individual payments tend to fall to $967 owing to income and resource restrictions. These numbers reflect the program’s progressive slant, with greater reliance on assistance to those with lesser earning capacity.
New payment schedules for June 2025
The SSI recipients will receive a distinct schedule in May 2025 with two deposits: the customary May 1 payment and a June advance payment on May 30. The move is made because June 1 falls on a Sunday, which invokes the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) rule of paying benefits on the previous business day. The advance deposit is neither an overpayment nor a bonus but accelerates the June benefit by two days.
SSDI and retirement benefit payment dates
For the majority of SSDI and retirement recipients, June payments will be made on the standard birthdate-based schedule:
- Born June 1–10: Payments are dated June 11 (second Wednesday)
- Born June 11–20: Payments are dated June 18 (third Wednesday)
- Born June 21–31: Payments are dated June 25 (fourth Wednesday)
Exceptions are those who started receiving benefits prior to May 1997, SSI plus Social Security beneficiaries, and foreign residents, all of whom will be paid on the 3rd of June.
Closing loopholes and lowering benefit amounts
Those applying for SSI in 2025 will be required to pass strict requirements:
- Adjusted monthly income below $2,019 for non-blind individuals or $2,700 for the blind
- Resource limits of $2,000 for single applicants or $3,000 for couples
- Residency limitations that cut payments by as much as $342.33 for those living in another household and not contributing to costs.
SSDI eligibility demands a total of at least 40 work credits, of which 20 have been earned within the last decade before disability began. The system also insists that applicants prove an inability to perform “substantial gainful activity” based on a medically established impairment anticipated to continue for a minimum of 12 months.
The SSA takes $1 from SSI benefits for each $2 earned above $1,620 a month (non-blind) or $2,700 (blind). Dollar-for-dollar reductions are taken from other sources of income, such as pensions and unemployment compensation. These provisions were designed to send dollars to the most economically vulnerable persons while promoting partial work force attachment where possible.
Controversy over COLA adequacy
While the 2.5% COLA beats the 2.6% decade average, detractors point out that it doesn’t undo the compounding effect of inflation. The $48 boost per month for median retirees “will purchase approximately 14 gallons of gasoline or three days’ worth of groceries,” said policy analyst Mary Johnson, pointing out the gap between cost-of-living adjustments and daily costs.
The SSA also raised the Social Security payroll tax ceiling earnings to $176,100 from $168,600, matching wage growth. The boost increases the payroll deductions for the higher earners and prolongs the life of the program.
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