Retirees will finally get a raise in their Social Security check. While it's true that the 2025 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) applies to your January 2025 payment, your January 2025 payment doesn't actually arrive until February 2025.
The bigger checks will start hitting accounts Wednesday February 19 for people in group 2, retirees' born on the 11th through the 20th. Social Security checks are disbursed based on birthday for most beneficiaries. If you want to know when your check will arrive throughout February, use our Social Security Payment Schedule for February to stay up-to-date. If you want to know when your check will arrive throughout 2025, use our Social Security Payment Schedule for 2025 to stay on top of monthly payment dates.
How much is the increase for 2025?
The Social Security annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) for 2025 is 2.5% for 2025. This is the smallest increase since 2020, as expected, and follows an increase of 3.2% in 2024.
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According to the Social Security Administration (SSA), the 2.5% increase will translate to an additional $49 for the average retiree, increasing the average monthly check from $1,927 to $1,976. Married couples will see an average increase of $75, raising their monthly benefit to $3,089 up from $3,014.
The 2025 COLA in context Although the 2.5% COLA is lower than the 3.2% in 2024, it isn't far from the historical average. The COLA has averaged about 2.6% over the past 20 years. It went as low as 0.0% in 2010 and 2011 after the housing crisis and as high as 8.7% in 2023 when inflation spiked after COVID disruptions.
When will the bigger checks arrive?
As the 2025 COLA increase is in effect for your 2025 benefits, you actually get the increase in February. The first group to receive their Social Security checks were those with birth dates from the 1st to the 10th. The second group, born on the 11th through the 20th, will get their increased checks this week, and the last group, those born from the 21st through the 31st will get their checks on February 26.
Birth date on | Date of Payment | Row 0 - Cell 2 |
1st – 10th | Wednesday, February 12 | Row 1 - Cell 2 |
11th – 20th | Wednesday, February 19 | Row 2 - Cell 2 |
21st – 31st | Wednesday, February 26 | Row 3 - Cell 2 |
When will the increases from the SSFA kick in?
The Social Security Fairness Act repealed the WEP and GPO, and are effective for all benefits after December 2023 and for back benefits if you claimed Social Security in 2024. If you are eligible, you will receive an increase in your 2025 monthly benefits when the SSA finishes adjusting the benefits of the 3.2 million people projected to be eligible for retroactive payment for 2024 and an increase for 2025 and thereafter.
The Social Security Administration anticipates it could take up to a year, if not more, to adjust all eligible public sector retirees' benefits and pay all retroactive benefits. So it could be late 2025 or even 2026 before you'll see any of that extra money. Once the change takes effect for you, your monthly checks will increase and you'll likely get a one-time payment for any applicable retroactive benefits. As long as the SSA has your current address and correct direct deposit information, you don't need to do a thing to get your SSFA increase and back payment. You can check this SSFA checklist periodically to see if the SSA has released any new information.
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