Thanks to a quirk in the Social Security Administration’s (SSA) payment calendar, some of the agency’s 70 million benefits recipients are to be sent money twice – or even three times – this month.
That’s because recipients of Supplemental Security Income (SSI), who were paid their October benefits on the first of the month, are due to get their November check ahead of schedule: on Friday, October 31.
Why is November’s SSI arriving early?
SSI checks are distributed on the opening day of each month – unless this coincides with a weekend or holiday. As next month kicks off on a Saturday, November’s SSI payment date has been brought forward to the nearest working day.
What is SSI and who gets it?
A scheme with around 7.4 million beneficiaries across the U.S., SSI is aimed at people who have little to no income or resources, and are over 65 or have a disability.
Unlike regular Social Security programs such as retirement benefits, survivor pay and Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI), eligibility for SSI does not depend on prior payment of Social Security taxes. It is a needs-based, rather than contribution-based, benefit.
How much is SSI worth each month?
According to the latest figures published by the SSA, SSI beneficiaries receive an average of $717.87 a month. The highest maximum monthly amount available to an individual claimant in 2025 is $967.
The agency also notes that some SSI recipients may be eligible for a supplementary payment from their state. You can find out which states offer this additional money on the SSA website.
Who’s getting three checks from Social Security in October?
Of the SSI program’s beneficiaries, just over 2.5 million also claim retirement, survivor or SSDI benefits. These dual recipients normally get the former on the first day of each month, before being sent the latter on the third.
But with November’s SSI set to drop a day early, these beneficiaries will have had three payment dates this month. Earlier in October, they were to receive SSI on Wednesday 1 and regular Social Security on Friday 3.
And the shutdown isn’t affecting payments?
The SSA has insisted that the U.S. government shutdown, which has led the agency to furlough some 6,000 workers, won’t have any impact on its payment calendar.
In a statement issued on October 1, the day after Congress failed to pass the funding bill required to avert a shutdown, the SSA said the distribution of benefits “will continue with no change in payment dates”.
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