The Social Security Administration (SSA) has announced the retirement benefit payment dates for May 2025. Payments are distributed based on birthdates or enrollment periods. Beneficiaries who began receiving Social Security benefits before May 1997 or those who receive both Social Security and SSI received funds on May 2, 2025. This adjustment avoids a weekend delay, as per the SSA.
For others, payments follow a birthdate schedule. Individuals born between the 1st and 10th receive funds on May 14. Those born between the 11th and 20th are paid on May 21. Beneficiaries born between the 21st and 31st receive payments on May 28. All disbursements cover April 2025 benefits, per SSA’s one-month delay policy.
Your maximum retirement benefits increased this year
Social Security retirement benefits vary by claiming age. At 62, the maximum is $2,831 monthly, while waiting until 70 increases payments to $5,108. Full retirement age (67 for those born in 1960+) offers up to $4,018. The average monthly benefit rises to $1,976 post-2.5% COLA adjustment.
Medicare Part B premiums increased to $185 monthly in 2025, potentially reducing net benefits. Factors like work history, earnings, and claiming age also influence final amounts. The SSA emphasizes using its online portal to estimate personalized payments.
Supplemental Security Income adjustments in May: Changes you must know
SSI payments in May 2025 include two disbursements due to calendar conflicts. The regular May payment arrives on May 1. A second payment on May 30 covers June benefits, as June 1 falls on a weekend. The SSA clarifies this is not an extra payment but an advance, resulting in no June 2025 SSI disbursement.
Federal SSI payments cap at $967 monthly for individuals and $1,450 for couples. Reductions apply based on income, living arrangements, or spousal resources. Earned income above $2,019 or unearned income exceeding $988 disqualifies individuals. State supplements may offset cuts but vary by location.
Beneficiaries must report income or household changes promptly. Penalties for unreported adjustments include overpayment recoveries or suspended benefits. The SSA’s automated tools streamline updates, reducing administrative delays.
Major changes to U.S. Social Security in 2025: The end of WEP and GPO
In a landmark move, 2025 saw sweeping reforms to the U.S. Social Security system with the passage of the Social Security Fairness Act. This long-awaited legislation finally scrapped two controversial provisions—the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and the Government Pension Offset (GPO)—which had unfairly slashed retirement benefits for millions of public-sector workers for decades.
WEP (Windfall Elimination Provision): Reduced Social Security benefits for retirees who also earned pensions from jobs not covered by Social Security (e.g., teachers, police officers, firefighters). Critics argued it punished those who split careers between public and private sectors.
GPO (Government Pension Offset): Cut spousal or survivor benefits for people receiving pensions from non-Social Security-covered jobs, often leaving widows/widowers with little to no expected support.
On January 5, 2025, President Biden officially repealed WEP and GPO, fulfilling a campaign promise to public-sector unions and advocacy groups. The repeal applied retroactively to January 2024, meaning affected beneficiaries would receive back payments for over a year.
By late February 2025, the SSA began issuing retroactive checks, with most expected by March. Updated monthly benefits took effect in April.
Most teachers, police officers, firefighters, federal employees under the Civil Service Retirement Service, as well as workers with foreign pensions (some immigrants or expats) will be benefited with this change.
