How much is the increase: Social Security benefits and Supplemental Security Income (SSI) payments for more than 72.5 million Americans will increase by 2.5% in 2025. This is the annual cost-of-living adjustment (COLA). By law, federal benefits increase when the cost of living rises, as measured by the Department of Labor’s Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.
When the increase takes effect: The increase will begin with benefits that Social Security beneficiaries receive in January 2025. Increased SSI payments will begin with the December 31, 2024 payment.
When your notice will arrive in the mail: We mail COLA notices throughout the entire month of December. It is possible that your friend or family member will receive their notice in the mail before you. Please wait until January before contacting us about your mailed notice. However, you may not need to wait for your mailed notice to learn your new benefit amount for 2025. If you receive Social Security retirement or disability benefits, you can view your COLA notice online with your personal my Social Security account starting in early December.
Who can see their notice online: COLA notices are available online to most beneficiaries through the Message Center of their personal my Social Security account if they created their account by November 20, 2024. my Social Security is a secure, convenient way to receive COLA notices online and save the message for later. Many of our notices – like the COLA notice and our popular 1099 tax form – are available online. You can choose to get available notices online instead of in the mail and receive email or text alerts under “Message Center Preferences.” This means not needing to wait for them to arrive in the mail or getting the notice lost or misplaced.
Additionally, many of our forms – such as those related to overpayments or that need to accompany disability applications – are available online and no longer require wet signatures. This makes it easier and quicker for us to electronically request and customers to electronically submit various types of evidence and documents. Otherwise, customers would need to mail, fax, or visit a local office. You can also use your account to manage your benefits and much more!
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