Social Security beneficiaries who receive Supplemental Security Income (SSI) won’t get a payment in September. This is because Sept. 1, 2024, fell on a Sunday, so payments were made on the preceding Friday, Aug. 30. The next round of checks won’t be delivered until Oct. 1, 2024.
Similar payment adjustments were also made earlier in the year. In January, the 1st fell on a Monday and was also New Year’s Day, and in June, the 1st fell on a Saturday, pushing the payment to May 31, 2024. Another payment adjustment is scheduled for November this year.
Recipients will get two payments – one on Nov. 1 and another on Nov. 29 – because Dec. 1, 2024, falls on a Sunday. December will also have another distribution date on the 31st to cover the January 2025 payment since Jan. 1 is New Year’s Day.
Adjustments to September SSI payments
Approximately 7.5 million people receive SSI payments each month, including nearly 2.4 million people aged 65 and older. Recipients include older adults, the blind, or those with disabilities who have low incomes.
While the Social Security Administration administers SSI, it is primarily funded through the U.S. Treasury general revenue, with additional supplements provided by states. To qualify for SSI, individuals must be at least 65, blind or disabled, and possess minimal financial resources. In 2024, the maximum monthly benefit available from federal funds is $943 for an individual or $1,415 for a couple who are both eligible.
Social Security benefits are generally funded through taxes paid by working individuals. However, SSI benefits are mainly drawn from general revenue, not Social Security taxes. The Social Security Administration (SSA) has released its distribution schedule well in advance, and a few months in 2025 will follow a similar pattern to this September.
Typical Social Security retirement benefits will still be distributed this month as usual, on the following dates:
September 11: Birth dates between the 1st and 10th of the month. September 18: Birth dates between the 11th and the 20th of the month. September 25: Birth dates between the 21st and the 31st of the month.
In additional news, the SSA announced a new, streamlined process for Americans to apply for SSI benefits, which will be rolled out later this year. The latest online system, called iClaim, aims to simplify the application process with plain-language questions. Initially, the new system will be available for first-time applicants between 18 and 65 who have never married and are concurrently applying for Social Security benefits and SSI.
This phased rollout will expand to all applicants by 2025.
Featured Image Credit: Photo by Karolina Kaboompics; Pexels
