If you’re waiting for your next Social Security payment, here are the key dates for May 2025 to help you stay organized without any surprises. The payment for May 14 has already been deposited, but don’t worry: there are two more payments due (May 21 and 28), depending on your date of birth.
Additionally, you can learn how to play the Social Security game with a couple of tricks that, while long-term strategies, can boost your payments to a maximum of $5,108. This and all other amounts increased in 2025 after an adjustment was applied to compensate inflation, and a similar increase is imminent in a few months.
How to increase your Social Security income?
If you’ve been making contributions for decades but are a few years away from reaching this requirement, it’s worth considering whether extending your working life a few more years could be worth it in the long run. Each additional year of contributions not only increases your credit history with Social Security, but also reduces penalties for early retirement.
The benefit amount increases significantly by delaying the start of payments. For example, waiting until age 70 instead of starting at age 62 can result in an increase of more than 80% in the monthly benefit.
- The maximum you’ll receive depends on, among other things, the age at which you begin claiming the benefit. If you start at the earliest possible age, which is 62, you would receive $2,831 in 2025, a significant reduction for early claims. This “penalty” occurs because the agency estimates it will have to send payments for more years.
- Those who claim at age 66 will receive much more, as the limit is set at $3,795, and at age 67, that maximum increases to $4,043.
- At age 70, which is the maximum age up to which work credits can be accumulated, the aforementioned amount of $5,108 can be received.
These amounts represent the maximum possible benefit for those who have reached the Social Security taxable income limit for at least 35 years of their working life. In 2025, this limit is $176,100 annually.
When are Social Security deposits due in May 2025?
The second Social Security payment, due May 14, 2025, has already been distributed. Prior to that, the May 2 payment was issued to those who received benefits before May 1997, who reside outside the United States, or who receive Social Security in conjunction with Supplemental Security Income.
Beneficiaries should expect two remaining disbursements: on May 21 (the third Wednesday) and May 28 (the fourth Wednesday). These dates follow the official Social Security Administration (SSA) calendar: Those born between the 11th and 20th receive their payments on the third Wednesday. Those whose birthdays are between the 21st and 31st receive their payments on the fourth Wednesday of the month.
