Mark your calendars for the upcoming Social Security disbursements in May. If your birthday falls between the 1st and 10th of any month, your retirement benefits will be deposited on Wednesday, May 14, 2025. For those born between the 11th and 20th, payments will follow on May 21, while beneficiaries with birthdays from the 21st to the 31st can expect funds on May 28. These dates align with the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) structured payment schedule, which prioritizes birthdates to stagger deposits.
A few groups follow different timelines. Beneficiaries who began receiving payments before May 1997, individuals living outside the U.S., or those whose Medicare premiums are covered by state programs typically receive payments on the 3rd of each month. However, since May 3, 2025, falls on a weekend, this group will receive their funds on Friday, May 2.
Meanwhile, Supplemental Security Income (SSI) recipients have their own schedule, with payments arriving on May 1 and June 30. So, if you get both retirement and SSI, you’ll see three payments in May, but regarding just SSI, that will imply that there will be no payment in June.
Looking ahead to June 2025: Payments, dates, and more to know
Next month’s payments will follow a similar pattern. Beneficiaries born between the 11th and 20th will receive June’s payment on Wednesday, June 18. Those in the 1st–10th and 21st–31st birthday groups will collect their funds earlier in the month, on June 11 and June 25, respectively.
To qualify for benefits, a worker must accumulate 40 credits (approximately 10 years of employment). For 2025:
- Value of each credit: $1,810 in earnings
- Maximum credits per year: 4
Additionally, if they have not yet reached their Full Retirement Age (FRA), there is an annual earnings limit of $23,400 in 2025.
- If their earnings exceed this threshold, their benefits are reduced by $1 for every $2 over the limit.
- Once FRA is reached, no earnings restrictions apply and benefits are no longer reduced for excess earnings.
The amount of your maximum Social Security retirement benefit depends on the age at which you choose to begin collecting. For example, if you decide to retire at your full retirement age in 2025, the maximum monthly benefit you could receive is $4,018. However, if you begin claiming benefits early at age 62 in 2025, the maximum drops to $2,831 per month. On the other hand, if you delay retirement until age 70 in 2025, your maximum monthly benefit increases to $5,108.
Major policy change: the Social Security Fairness Act changed everything
A significant update took effect on January 5, 2025, with the elimination of the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). These policies previously reduced benefits for public-sector workers—such as teachers, firefighters, and government employees—who also earned pensions from non-Social Security-covered jobs. Over 2.8 million beneficiaries will now receive full payments without deductions.
Retroactive adjustments began in February 2025, covering claims dating back to January 2024, with most beneficiaries seeing increased payments by April 2025. While the SSA aims to finalize all adjustments by November 2025, complex cases may take longer. Eligible individuals could gain over $1,000 extra monthly, depending on their circumstances. No application is needed, but ensuring your contact details are updated with the SSA is critical for timely communication.
