As is customary every month, Social Security payments for May 2025 will follow the schedule established by the Social Security Administration (SSA) adopted in June 1997, in which payments were staggered to distribute the pressure on the collection system over several days in the month.
The beneficiaries are distributed into three groups according to their date of birth (apart from the group of those claiming before May 1997). Those born between the 1st and the 10th will receive their payment on May 14. Those born between the 11th and the 20th will collect on May 21st. The rest of the beneficiaries with a birthday after May 20 will see their precious money on May 28.
There is a group, let’s say, “exceptional“, which are those who receive their payments since before May 1997: these have a payment date always on the third day of each month, except when it is a weekend: this is the case of May, meaning that the payment will arrive on May 2.
Summary of Social Security payments for May 2025
To make it easier to understand, this is the total calendar in list form:
- Beneficiaries receiving SSI: Payment will be made on May 1.
- Beneficiaries who claimed their payment before May 1997: Payment will be made on May 2, 2025. This is also the date for those receiving Social Security retirement along with SSI.
- Beneficiaries born between the 1st and 10th of the month: Payment is made on the second Wednesday of May, which is May 14, 2025.
- Beneficiaries born between the 11th and 20th of the month: Payment is made on the third Wednesday of May, which is May 21, 2025.
- Beneficiaries born between the 21st and 31st of the month: Payment is made on the fourth Wednesday of May, which is May 28, 2025.
- There will be an additional SSI payment, which corresponds to June: it will be May 30.
Maximum Social Security amounts, depending on retirement age
The average for retirees in 2025 is $1,976 per month, an increase of $50 from 2024, reflecting the COLA adjustment. This average is based on the typical beneficiary and can vary based on income and years worked, while the maximum amount possible is $5,108.
The maximum depends on the retirement age and the maximum taxable income during working life. According to the SSA maximum examples page, for a worker with maximum taxable income starting at age 22:
- At age 62: $2,831 per month.
- At age 65: $3,374 per month.
- At age 66: $3,795 per month.
- At age 67 (full retirement age for those born in 1960 or later): $4,043 per month.
- At age 70 (maximum with late payment credits): $5,108 per month.
For SSI beneficiaries, the maximum amount is $967 for an individual beneficiary, and $1,450 for a couple applying together.