People who receive Supplemental Security Income, or SSI, will get two checks in November instead of one.

Typically, SSI goes out on the first of the month. But according to Social Security Administration rules, when the first of the month falls on a weekend or holiday, the payment goes out the last weekday before that. Dec. 1 is a Sunday, so benefits will be disbursed on Friday, Nov. 29.

That does mean recipients won’t see a payment in the beginning of December — but they’ll still get a check that month. New Year’s Day is a holiday, so the payment for January 2025 will be disbursed on Tuesday, Dec. 31. And Feb. 1, 2025, falls on a Saturday, so that month’s check will be disbursed on Friday, Jan. 31.

If this all sounds familiar, it’s because this calendar quirk just happened in August. Sept. 1 was a holiday (Labor Day) so that month’s checks went out on Friday, Aug. 30.

SSI beneficiaries will see a bump in that late-December check: The 2.5% cost-of-living adjustment goes into effect on payments for January 2025.

The Social Security Administration publishes an annual calendar of payment dates.

Here’s the calendar for 2024, and here’s the calendar for 2025.

Regardless of calendar wonkiness, SSI recipients will still get their full regular monthly benefits — just offset by a couple of days here and there.

Some people still refer to them as checks, but they aren’t physical pieces of paper anymore. All Social Security payments must be made electronically under federal law.

Supplemental Security Income is a separate program from Social Security benefits, though some people are eligible for both. Social Security payments are based on your lifetime earnings, and everyone is eligible for them when they reach a certain age and have received a certain number of work credits. SSI is need-based and income-based. People 65 and older, individuals with disabilities and those who are blind may be eligible for SSI regardless of work history.

© 2024 San Francisco Chronicle
Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC

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