What is Social Security’s COLA for 2025? And why some get 2 checks

Social Security recipients will see a slight increase in checks in the coming year, and others will get their checks a bit early in November.

The Social Security Administration announced a cost-of-living adjustment increase for 2025 last week, but it’s not as much as recipients have seen in prior years. The 2025 adjustment shrank to 2.5% from 2024’s 3.2% increase, the Social Security Administration said on Oct. 10. This is the smallest rise since 2021.

While the COLA is small, some recipients will get two checks in November due to how check distribution falls during the month, but there’s a catch to that too.

Here’s what you need to know about the latest on Social Security.

Who receives social security benefits?

Typically social security benefits are the traditional retirement income that is available to people once they turn 62. 

Other people can receive benefits from social security called supplemental security income. This is for people (of any age) with disabilities and adults 65 and older with little to no income.

How much will social security recipients receive in 2025 with COLA increase?

The 2.5% increase begins in January for nearly 68 million Social Security beneficiaries. An average beneficiary will see an increase of $50, going from $1,907 in January 2024 to $1,957 in January 2025.

What does a COLA cover? Has it kept up with the cost of living?

A cost-of-living adjustment in social security is meant to help people keep their purchasing power from being eroded by inflation. However, that hasn’t been the case. Eighty-three percent of older adults said in August a COLA of less than 3% would be insufficient, according to an AARP survey of 1,000 adults ages 50 and older.

When it comes to keeping up with older adult’s purchasing power, the COLA has come up slightly flat.

People ages 65 and up are the only group that’s seen an annual increase in poverty since 2020, according to the Census Bureau’s supplemental poverty measure report. In 2023, 14.2% of seniors were in poverty, up from 14.1% the prior year, 10.7% in 2021 and 9.5% in 2020, the Census Bureau said. It’s also the highest percentage since 2016’s 14.5%, according to reports from USA TODAY.

“The Social Security Administration has been very open and honest that if action isn’t taken soon, they may not be able to provide full benefits to retirees down the road,” said Mike Lynch, retirement planning expert and managing director of Applied Insights at Hartford Funds. “Our elected leaders need to take action.”

Which Social Security recipients will get an extra check in November?

Not all Social Security recipients will receive an extra check next month, but many who have supplemental security income will, and could even receive a third check, according to reports from CBS News.

SSI recipients will get three checks in the month of November: two SSI payments in addition to their monthly Social Security check. While the extra checks might feel like Christmas came early, people who receive these SSI checks will have to budget the funds accordingly because they will not receive a check in December due to a calendar quirk, according to reports from USA TODAY.

This double SSI check is due to Dec. 1 falling on a Sunday this year. Recipients, who usually receive their checks the first of the month, will get their November payment on Nov. 1, and their SSI payments for December will be distributed on Friday, Nov. 29, according to the SSA calendar.