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Why some Americans will get an extra Social Security check in November

Some Americans will receive two Social Security Payments in November due to a peculiarity in the system that, in rare cases, results in a second monthly payment.

Typically this is social security The Administration (SSA) mails a payment each week and delivers Social Security checks on the second, third, and fourth Wednesday of each month. Then, Supplemental Social Security Income (SSI), which provides assistance to low-income disabled and older Americans, is paid on the first of the month unless it falls on a weekend or holiday.

Because December 1 falls on a Sunday, SSI recipients will receive two payments in November. The first check will arrive on Friday, November 1st, while the second check will arrive on Friday, November 29th.

About 7.4 million Americans receive SSI benefits. The consecutive deposits do not mean that retirees will receive additional money – it is simply an early payment for the following month.

The Social Security cost of living adjustment will be 2.5% in 2024, less than last year

Some Social Security recipients will receive an additional check in November due to the calendar feature. ((Photo illustration by Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images) / Getty Images)

Social Security recipients recently learned how much of a cost of living adjustment (COLA) they will receive for 2025. This will be lower than this year.

Social Security's COLA for 2025 will be 2.5%, which is the lowest since 2021. That means social security Retirement benefits will increase by an average of about $50 per month starting in January, the SSA announced earlier this month.

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Social Security Administration

The Social Security Administration schedule shows SSI payments will be paid out on November 1st and November 29th. (Photo by: Jeffrey Greenberg/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images / Getty Images)

“Social Security benefits and SSI payments will increase in 2025, helping tens of millions of people keep up with their spending even as inflation begins to ease,” said Social Security Commissioner Martin O'Malley.

Next year's 2.5% COLA is less than the 3.2% adjustment that Social Security recipients received in 2024, but would be roughly in line with the historical norm, having averaged 2.6% over the past 20 years .

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Social Security Benefits

Social Security recipients will get a 2.5% COLA next year, increasing average benefits by about $50 per month. (iStock / iStock)

Inflation has cooled last year, reducing the size of the COLA as the pace of price growth slowed.

“This adjustment means older Americans will get the relief they need to better afford essentials from groceries to gas,” AARP CEO Jo Ann Jenkins said in a statement. “Inflation took a financial toll last year, particularly on retirees who often rely on Social Security as their primary source of income. Even with this adjustment, we know that many older Americans who rely on Social Security may struggle to pay their bills.”

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Benefit recipients saw an 8.7% increase in 2023, marking the largest increase since the early 1980s rising inflation which peaked in June 2022 at a 40-year high of 9.1%.